Sunday March 26th, 2000

Dutchman Jos Verstappen blamed himself on Sunday for failing to finish in the points or on the podium for the resurgent Arrows team in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The driver, back in Formula One after an 18-months absence, drove superbly to pass 10 cars in the race and rise from 14th on the grid to fourth.

But as the contest progressed he said his neck and physical condition let him down and he was forced to ease off, allowing other drivers to move past him.

"We have a very good car and we were going very well," said Verstappen, once regarded as one of the fastest upcoming talents in the sport who has also had Formula One stints with Benetton, Simtek, Tyrrell and Stewart in the past.

"In the first half of the race, I was quick. But the team can blame me for what happened after that. I was completely gone. The steering was very heavy.

"We have to concentrate on power steering. But the basics are there, it's just a matter of getting it sorted out. I felt good but perhaps it wasn't enough.

"Perhaps it's this type of circuit. I'm going to go to the gym every day now. What suffered were my arms, my neck and my back - that was because of the seat.

"I've got blisters that I've never had before. The steering was very heavy. Obviously we have very good aerodynamics, our top speed was really good and I overtook about six people on the straight, but I couldn't keep it up."

Team chief Tom Walkinshaw said he was disappointed. "We could have scored points here and we had the potential to that."