Ex-employer Verstappen and Leclerc reacts: "I don't take Ecclestone seriously!"

26 April 2020 at 14:17

Last update 26 April 2020 at 16:33

GPblog.com

Bernie Ecclestone has proclaimed several times in recent weeks that the motor racing season of 2020 should be cancelled in its entirety and that the focus should be on 2021. However, Frits van Amersfoort disagrees with the former owner of Formula 1 and states that the Ecclestone era is over. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were very successful with the Van Amersfoort team in the F3 in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

"Bernie has said we should write off the season, but I don't take it seriously", Van Amersfoort says to NOS. In early 2017 Liberty Media took over the shares of Ecclestone. "His time has passed. Be critical from the sidelines; nice and easy!" If there's no racing, a lot of things break down."

Races needed to survive

In the lower junior classes, drivers pay a team to get behind the wheel. However, these drivers only pay when kilometres have actually been driven. "We have to race to survive. Drivers and their sponsors have paid for that. If we can't drive, we have a problem", Van Amersfoort is convinced.

Van Amersfoort Racing will be racing in the following three race classes in 2020: Formula 4, Formula 3 Regional and Euro Formula. "We are more flexible than Formula 1. Fortunately we don't have such a jam-packed calendar. Look, 22 GP-weekends is asking for misery", he refers to the overcrowded schedule of the Formula 1. "We're running eight to ten and we could do four races in a weekend. With creativity and common sense it should work."

The ability to fly seems to be a requirement

The owner of the Dutch race stable is confident that there will still be enough races this season, although he stresses that much will depend on the opening of the airspace. "Restarting a season is complicated. Drivers almost all travel by plane, so there you go. A car will take you a long way to Europe, but flying will get you nowhere," he concludes.