JANUARY 9, 2003

Verstappen joins Minardi

The Minardi team has confirmed that Jos Verstappen will be joining Justin Wilson in the team this year thanks to backing from the computer electronics company Trust. The announcement, made at the Trust headquarters in Dordrecht, near Rotterdam, was attended by thousands of Dutch F1 fans. Such is the fervous for F1 in Holland at the moment that hundreds of cheering Dutch fans met the Minardi plane when it arrived in Rotterdam, even before the announcement was made.

"This is not just because Jos is a friend," said team boss Paul Stoddart. "He is also an incredible talent and deserves his place in F1. I think that with the driver combination we now have and the engine and aerodynamics give us reason for sheer optimism. I think we can hope to be seen as the most improved team of the year and we looking forward to a solid scoring year."