JUNE 28, 2001

Verstappen happy to stay at Arrows, but looking for improvements

JOS VERSTAPPEN has demanded more improvements from the Arrows team after putting pen to paper on a new deal with the Leafield-based outfit.

Dutchman Verstappen has signed a deal to stay with the team next season, when he hopes the team will have made developments on a car which he says has not lived up to expectations this season.

"I thought it would have been better this year than last year," said Verstappen. "Last year I thought we would have had a reasonable season I thought we could develop from there but it didn't happen.

"When the new car came out it wasn't as good as we all thought it was going to be so we knew it would be a very tough season. But I think from the first race this year until now we have made quite a lot of progress.

"But I think it is hard to make the car that much better during the season especially for a smaller team, the bigger teams have a lot more capacity and resources to do things."

Verstappen has not ruled out the possibility of moving on to another team later in his career, but at the moment he is focused on the quest to succeed with the team and its boss Tom Walkinshaw.

He added: "I think I have plenty of time in my career to go anywhere else, but I think it is a good time to stay in the car when you know the engine.

"Tom is very hungry for next year and I think it would be bad to go somewhere else, especially with the noises in the team about what is going to happen."