Arrows and Verstappen in legal battle

To be compensated?
By Dan Moakes
May 10 2002

The latest press reports are suggesting that Jos Verstappen’s legal action against Arrows, who replaced the Dutchman this February, is about to go to court. It has also emerged that the team is filing counter claims, although the nature of these have not been disclosed.

The latest press reports suggest that Jos Verstappen’s legal claims against the Arrows team are to go to court soon, and he will also face counter claims of some description.

This all relates to developments in February of this year, when Verstappen was let go, in favour of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, despite an apparently binding contract. Jos had signed for his third straight year with Orange Arrows, and his fourth in total with the team, last June.

Verstappen’s manager, former F1 driver Huub Rothengatter, was interviewed about the case, but hasn’t been able to provide a great deal of further information. “This week something is happening. The lawyers are taking action. They have been trying to solve the situation since February, but what exactly is happening I do not know. We feel that it was very bad for Jos that he was informed just weeks before the first event that he would not drive the Formula 1 car, even having in mind that he had a signed deal, and we are trying to get justice on that.”

Arrows principal Tom Walkinshaw has responded saying, “Jos was aware from Spa last year that we were considering changing him. We didn’t do anything in the public domain because it was nobody else’s business. He wasn’t surprised by it when the decision came.” This is something that Verstappen and Rothengatter have consistently denied. Meanwhile, Walkinshaw suggested that Arrows have also filed actions against their former driver. “This is a normal process and we also have counter claims against them.” Some sources say that this relates to a sponsorship deal that failed to materialise.

It seems to be anyone’s guess as to how the case will play out, but it could have serious financial implications for Arrows or, indeed, for Jos. Meanwhile, Verstappen’s management team have made clear that they are still looking for a way back into F1 for their charge. So far, despite a number of wildly varying rumours, there are no concrete signs of where he might find a new home, or when.