![]() Verstappen was in mighty form throughout 2021 and was involved in one of the greatest battles in F1 history with Hamilton. Ultimately, his chances of challenging Hamilton and splitting the two Mercedes drivers were hampered by five retirements out of the 17 races. Two victories tied him for most wins on the grid other than Hamilton, whilst only once did Verstappen finish a race without standing on the podium - the Turkish Grand Prix. In 2020, Verstappen was arguably the second-best driver on the grid despite finishing third once more in the standings. 278 points was a tally high enough to beat both Ferrari drivers to third in the standings. A collision in Azerbaijan - and Red Bull's subsequent dealing with the issue - all but cemented Verstappen's status as the future of the team, with Ricciardo leaving at the end of the season.Ģ019 was Verstappen's best season in Formula 1 statistically at that stage, with three victories and six podiums bolstered by only two finishes outside the top five and a further two retirements. ![]() Reliability improved on Verstappen's side of the garage in 2018, a year in which tempers began to flare between himself and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. Consistent top-five finishes, paired with two victories and two further podiums underlined the strength of the Verstappen-Red Bull partnership but any semblance of a championship battle was dogged by unreliability from the Renault power unit. In 2017, the new specification of cars brought Red Bull and Ferrari closer to the Mercedes. Six further podiums followed in a superb season that saw Verstappen take fifth in the drivers' championship, marking himself as a star of the future. Verstappen immediately impressed, becoming the youngest winner in F1 at his first attempt with the parent team, taking advantage of the collision between Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton to maturely claim victory. His racing credentials were cemented by an outrageous move around the outside of Felipe Nasr at the Blanchimont corner at Spa-Francorchamps.Īfter four races of his second season, Christian Horner and Red Bull came calling for a promotion to the senior team in place of Daniil Kvyat. Verstappen ended the year 12th in the standings, ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz, with his performance good enough for rookie of the year. The Dutchman impressed with multiple points finishes - including in the second race of the season in Malaysia - although regularly gained attention for his hard racing antics, no more so than after his terrifying high-speed accident at the Monaco Grand Prix. Having become the Netherlands' first world champion aged just 24, the expectations for the next generation’s leading light are sky high – but with Verstappen there’s a feeling that the sky’s the limit.Max Verstappen became the youngest driver to ever race in Formula 1 when making his debut at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso, aged just 17 years and 166 days old. Despite moving out of Dad’s house to live in Monaco, Verstappen remains close to his family, and though he’s not afraid to speak his mind, he can still be surprisingly shy. The son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen and super-quick karting Mum Sophie Kumpen, racing runs through his genes. And he followed that up with a powerhouse title defence in 2022, winning a record 15 races across the season. They culminated in his first F1 drivers’ crown after that already legendary, final-round showdown with Lewis Hamilton in 2021. But the mistakes that initially marred his potential have given way to maturity, while the bravado and energy that make him a blockbuster talent have remained – and the victories have kept on coming. Verstappen’s no-holds-barred attitude and hard defending have sometimes landed him in hot water with his peers and paymasters. A true wheel-to-wheel racer, another stunning drive in Brazil from the back of the pack to the podium on a treacherous wet track kept the plaudits coming. ![]() The baby-faced Dutchman with the heart of a lion took the Toro Rosso – and then the Red Bull – by the horns with his instinctive racing style.į1’s youngest points scorer soon became its youngest race winner – at the age of 18 years and 228 days – with an opportunistic but controlled drive on debut for Red Bull in Barcelona 2016. ![]() ![]() Arriving as Formula 1’s youngest ever competitor at just 17 years old, Verstappen pushed his car, his rivals and the sport’s record books to the limit. ![]()
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