TBK-Light.com

The Netherlands actually has some talented drivers around at the moment (Giedo, Melker, Frijns) then you have De Vries & Verstappen as well. If the right companies back the right guys then hopefully they'll make it.

_________________
Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

I've spoken with someone who has raced against him and he picked up out as one of the two quickest guys he has raced against*, so I can definitely see this being legitimate pace

* - can't remember who the other one was but it was someone I'd not heard of, possibly Scandinavian, who was still in karts at the start of this year

Maybe, but there's only so much you can gain with a better set-up + package than the others, as he didn't race complete noobs in those karting championships either.

And I say this as someone who kind if despises mr Jos as well, despite our site (RX) owner being best buddies with him

Best buddies? More like Verstappen PR machine

And Jorrit Pex (who may have been the other guy mentioned, actually)

Interest in F1 is kinda low in Holland nowadays. Especially with it being behind a decoder. I Doubt a lot of people will know who Frijns is.

Verstappen made it popular though. So even though I dont like him his son might put it back in the spotlights. He was on TV last week with his son on one of Hollands biggest Late night shows so he still had some influence.

Yeah this is a problem. I think if you make GP2/GP3 more popular/mainstream then that would help. I mean, how many people had heard of Hamilton pre-F1, that weren't motorsport fans?

_________________
Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

Max Verstappen already set fast times in Formula Renault 2.0 testing, and now track record in his first F3 test, nice job.

But he will have the same problem as most other dutch talents... Lack of interest by dutch companies & sponsors. So he'll have to hope some F1-team will pick him up in their talent program

Do I know this person?

_________________

No, it's Tom Oliphant who races in Ginettas. Should have mentioned in the initial post

If he's really that talented I'm sure Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull will be fighting over him soon. So he won't need many sponsors. I'm just afraid his dad and his manager make the same mistakes as they made when Jos was still racing.
The Dutch companies probably are scared because the name Verstappen is tainted by now.

I know I'm waving the flag a bit here, but Santino Ferrucci looking pretty good there as well, outpacing Auer, King and Jones. And he's only 16, IIRC. I think he's the only American in recent years to do karting on the world stage. Nice to see Americans starting to compete at a high level instead of staying in the comfortable confines of the US.

_________________

Quick summary of what Max said to a befriended photographer:
He's driving a 2013 German F3, which is 10kg lighter than a 2013 Euroseries chassis, meaning he is about 2km/h quicker than them on the straights.
The 2014 Euroseries chassis has the same weight and gets the same speed on straights, but has tyres which are 3 tenths slower than his car.

Still quit a big gap I guess.

For someone who raced karts last season very impressive.
I'm afraid the Dutch in me is showing but could this be the one who wins a F1 race for the Netherlands?? Or maybe even more? Or will this be yet another hotshot in the lower series who cannot make it in F1? Like Verstappen Sr. or Magnussen Sr.

Tom Blomqvist will race for Team Tasty Chicken (with Carlin) in Euro F3 this year.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112193

_________________
Dan Wheldon ¦ 1978-2011
Marco Simoncelli ¦ 1987-2011
Jules Bianchi ¦ 1989-2015
Justin Wilson ¦ 1978-2015

Yeah, I know he's mad and I don't care. I do not care. I did not care then. I do not care now. I'm here to race him.

Team Tasty Chicken?

If only Bertrand Baguette was still an F3 driver, could be a mouth watering combination.

_________________
RIP Birmingham Wheels: here's some of the crash videos I recorded when it was there:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaKIE ... 5t9d5PvoHA

Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/paulhadsley

Lettuce not go overboard with these puns.

_________________
BTCC Pick Em's Champion 2010
Formula Fun Cup Champion 2013
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk

Fuck the FIA, they can't take away the name after decades of use.