Enrique Bernoldi shares when his relationship with Jos Verstappen fell apart in F1

Follow us on Google Discover

Enrique Bernoldi has shared why his relationship broke down with Arrows teammate Jos Verstappen all the way back in 2001.

Bernoldi was speaking on the Beyond The Grid Podcast about his short stint in Formula 1.

The Brazilian was one of several rookies entering the sport full-time that year and it was a very strong crop of young drivers.

He was joined by future world champions Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen on the grid for the first race in Australia alongside Pablo Montoya.

There were 11 teams on the grid back then and driver changes mid-season were much more common.

Prost went through five races that year, with only seven teams sticking with the same line-up throughout the season.

That didn’t necessarily mean that the pairings that survived 2001 were on good terms.

Bernoldi joined Jos Verstappen in the bright orange Arrows as they attempted to battle their way through the pack from near the back of the grid every race.

The Dutchman scored the team’s only point that year but things weren’t always smooth between the two drivers.

Bernoldi has admitted that the pair are on good terms now, but when the 2002 season rolled around they were no longer working together.

Verstappen had been replaced by Heinz-Harald Frentzen and couldn’t find another seat on the grid before joining Minardi in 2003.

Bernoldi shares relationship with Jos Verstappen

Speaking about the Dutch driver, Bernoldi said: “Jos was the type of driver that actually the way he drove I liked because I like aggressive drivers, he was very, very good on lap one.

“He was very aggressive at the start, our driving styles weren’t very similar. I was much smoother with the steering, with the brakes, with the throttle, he was a very good driver in the race I would say.

“How fast? I was faster because I beat him in the qualifying sessions. I think also I learned a lot from him, on lap one he was really good.

“At the beginning [we had a good relationship]. We’re friends now, right? We were not friends from mid-season on.

“The tip of the iceberg is that in Austria, he crashed on Saturday morning free practice. When you drive for a small team, you’re competing mainly against your teammate.

“So, I’m driving and I see the orange car there, in the barriers, or in the gravel and I think yes, it’s an advantage for me!

“As soon as I stop, I’m giving the feedback to my engineer and he said get out of the car. I thought they would change something my seat.

“I see Jos with his helmet beside my car and I look and he takes my car and the second free practice he does the last half an hour in my car.

“It comes to qualifying and I outqualify him, I was happy about that and they give my car to him.

“They explained that he was there with the team for many years, he was the number one driver and that’s how it goes.”

It’s easy to see where Max Verstappen’s ruthlessness comes from

Bernoldi’s description of Jos Verstappen explains a lot about how his son Max has risen through the ranks in Formula 1.

That aggressiveness is a family trait and Verstappen Junior has taken advantage of having much stronger machinery than his father ever had.

Max has also had trouble with his teammates in the past too, although his relationship with Sergio Perez doesn’t seem to be a problem as the Mexican can’t get anywhere near him on track right now.

There are drivers on the grid who have tipped to challenge the Dutchman one day but at the moment it’s hard to see anyone get near him in that Red Bull.

He’ll be hoping he never has to jump into Perez’s car in the future like his dad did to Bernoldi all those years ago.