Following in the footsteps of his father, Jos Verstappen who raced in Formula one from 1994-2003, Max Verstappen joined the F1 grid in 2015 at just 17 years old making his debut in Australia – during which he was in the points for a long time and looked likely to score points before his day was ruined by an engine problem.
He became the youngest driver ever to compete in the top category of motor-racing and I don’t think anyone could have predicted how much the now 26 year old would achieve in his first 200 races, the tremendous milestone was reached at his home Grand Prix last week. Let’s look through five of best moments from the past 9 years where he has rewritten history books!
(Photographer Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool)
The youngest driver to …
Max Verstappen didn’t take the traditional route into Formula One, jumping straight from F3 to F1 bypassing F2. Aged 16, Verstappen finished third in the F3 championship after scoring a record six consecutive victories in the series, and a record ten victories in total.
This in turn attracted attention from both Red Bull and Mercedes, he of course chose the former joining their junior team Scuderia Toro Rosso for a single season. During his time with Toro Rosso he became the youngest driver to qualify for Q3 and score points which both first happened in the Malaysia Grand Prix weekend. His first season was a success as he regularly finished in the points and finished fourth place in Hungary, he also picked up three awards - Rookie of the Year, Personality of the Year and Action of the Year, for his overtake on Felipe Nasr on the outside of the Blanchimont corner at the Belgian Grand Prix.
First win in F1
After impressing in his first season the Dutchman was promoted to Red Bull part way through the 2016 season where he has and continues to break an absurd amount of records including becoming the youngest driver to lead an F1 grand prix, stand on a podium, get the fastest lap and most importantly win a race.
In his first race for Red Bull, the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Max qualified fourth – one place behind teammate Daniel Ricciardo – but on the first lap of the race he immediately moved up to second after Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg took each other out. Strategy worked in his favour as he took one less pit stop than his teammate, and he was able to secure his first victory in Formula 1 at 18 years old… little did he know he would now be on 61 wins!
(Photographer Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool)
First grand slam
Although this has become some what of second nature for him now, Verstappen achieved his first grand slam at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix as he claimed pole position, led every lap, won the race, and also set the fastest lap. During the race weekend he was 23 years and 277 days old which also made him the youngest driver to attain this incredible achievement.
Three time World Champion
Its every drivers dream to win a World Championship – and Verstappen has done it three times! His first Championship came in 2021 after a long battle with Lewis Hamilton that went down to the final race, controversy aside the pair did prove a very entertaining season! This win saw him become the first and only Dutch Formula 1 World Champion to date. He has since crowned himself World Champion in 2022 and 2023, both coming before the end of the season thanks to his domination throughout.
2023 domination
Although it may have been a somewhat boring season with the lack of competitiveness we should not discredit the amount Verstappen achieved in the 2023 season … he and red bull took domination to a whole new level! In 22 races Verstappen was on 21 podiums, the only race where he did not feature was Singapore as he finished fifth. This achievement meant he broke his own record from the season prior, having secured an already impressive 18 wins.
On 19 of those podiums Max took the top step (with Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz being the only other drivers to win in 2023), I’m pretty sure we all now know the Dutch national anthem! This again broke another of his records after he had 15 race victories in 2022. He also broke the most consecutive win record winning 10 straight Grand Prix’s after the Italian Grand Prix.
Finally, he beat his 2022 point tally of 454 points by getting an impressive total of 575 points in one season.
(Photographer Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool)
What’s next for Verstappen?!
This was just a handful of records Verstappen has achieved but it’s clear to see the talent he has. After a trickier season this year where he hasn’t had everything go his way, a move to Mercedes was on the table, but the Dutchman stayed loyal to Red Bull … but will he remain there for the rest of his career?!
And is there a fourth World Championship on the way or will Lando Norris stand in the three time title holders way?!
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