Max Verstappen

Biography of F1 driver Max Verstappen

Despite his young age, Max Verstappen has become a firm fixture on the F1 grid since making his debut for Toro Rosso back in 2015.

Son of former Dutch F1 driver Jos Verstappen, young Max was seemingly destined for great things after making the jump to single-seaters back in 2013.

But how has the youngster made his way through the ranks so quickly, becoming the focal point of Red Bull's attempts to once again capture F1 glory? Here is everything you need to know about Max Verstappen.

Verstappen's early career

The son of Jos Verstappen – the first Dutch driver to finish on an F1 podium – and kart racer Sophie Kumpen, Max began his karting career at the age of four, competing in the Mini Junior championship in his home province of Limburg, Belgium.

From there Verstappen made his way through the ranks, competing on the international karting scene in 2010. He finished second in the KF3 World Cup behind Alexander Albon, the British-Thai driver who would eventually become his teammate at Red Bull.

Verstappen's impressive karting career helped to propel him to bigger and better things, making the switch to single-seaters in 2013. His first experience in a racing car came with Dutch team Manor MP Motorsport at the Pembrey Circuit in Wales. A year later, Verstappen made his racing debut at the Florida Winter Series, winning his first event at just his second race weekend at the Palm Beach International Raceway.

After competing in the FIA European Formula 3 Championship for Van Amersfoort Racing and finishing his maiden season in third, Red Bull came calling.

Red Bull Junior Team and youngest full-time driver

Verstappen joined the Red Bull Junior Team after testing a Formula Renault 3.5 car in August 2014, turning down an offer from Mercedes in the process.

It didn't take long for the Dutchman to get behind the wheel of an F1 car as he took part in the first free practice session at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, becoming the youngster driver to participate in a Grand Prix weekend. He then became the youngest driver to start a World Championship race, breaking Jaime Alguersuari's existing record by almost two years after competing in the 2015 Australian Grand Prix at the age of 17 years and 166 days.

Verstappen was forced to retire from a points-scoring position due to an engine failure, however he scored his first points at the following race in Malaysia thanks to a seventh-place finish. That made him the youngster driver to score World Championship points at the age of 17 years and 180 days.

A crash with Romain Grosjean at the Monaco Grand Prix saw the Dutchman handed a five-place grid penalty, while also being branded "dangerous" by Williams driver Felipe Massa. Nevertheless, Verstappen didn't let that get to him, achieving his highest finish - fourth - at the United States Grand Prix.

At the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony, Verstappen received three awards: Rookie of the Year, Personality of the Year and Action of the Year for his pass on Felipe Nasr around the outside of Blanchimont at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Called up to Red Bull

Partnered by Carlos Sainz for his second season with Toro Rosso, Verstappen completed four races for the team before Red Bull came calling. Not satisfied with the performance of Daniil Kvyat, the Milton Keynes-based outfit promoted Verstappen while sending the Russian to Toro Rosso to fill his vacant seat for the Spanish Grand Prix.

What followed was something out of a Hollywood script, as Verstappen qualified fourth in his first race for Red Bull. Once the race got underway, he quickly found himself in second behind teammate Daniel Ricciardo after Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed out of the race.

Thanks to a two-stop strategy compared to the three of Ricciardo, Verstappen went on to claim his first F1 victory, becoming the youngest driver to win an F1 Grand Prix at the age of 18 years and 228 days.

Verstappen continued to impress, finishing on the podium another six times that season, including a sparkling drive at the Brazilian Grand Prix. In a race affected by rain, he found himself down in 16th place with just 15 laps remaining, but ended the event in third. The effort prompted Team Principal Christian Horner to call it "one of the best drives I've seen in Formula 1".

Despite spending the first four races with Toro Rosso, Verstappen ended the season fifth in the Drivers' Championship – just eight points back on four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

Second season syndrome at Red Bull

Things didn't go as smoothly in 2017, as Verstappen suffered seven retirements from the first 14 races. While four were due to mechanical issues, the other three came after first-lap collisions.

Verstappen's fortunes improved from there, taking his second career victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix, having overtaken Hamilton early in the race.

A third win came at the Mexican Grand Prix after getting past Vettel in the early stages, with Verstappen ending the season sixth in the Drivers' standings.

Fast, but prone to crashes

The start of the 2018 F1 season saw Verstappen involved in incidents at each of the opening six races, which included run-ins with the likes of Hamilton and Vettel.

Perhaps the most eye-catching incident came in Azerbaijan as the Dutchman battled with teammate Ricciardo. The two swapped positions several times over the course of the race, before the Australian ran into the back of Verstappen's car after some aggressive defending by the Dutchman.

Both drivers retired and were reprimanded by the stewards, with Verstappen bouncing back to claim his first podium of the season in Spain despite running into the rear of Lance Stroll's car during the Virtual Safety Car and suffering minor front wing damage.

Monaco saw Verstappen crash at the end of Free Practice 3 in an incident that was similar to the one he had two years earlier in Monte Carlo. Red Bull were unable to fix his car in time for qualifying, forcing him to start from the back of the grid. While his ninth-place finish was impressive, teammate Ricciardo won from pole, prompting both Horner and Helmut Marko to publicly reprimand Verstappen for his mistakes.

After podium finishes in Canada and France, Verstappen took victory at Red Bull's home track in Austria. After some disappointing results in Britain, Germany and Hungary, the second half of the season went much better for Verstappen. He finished on the podium seven times from the final nine races.

He missed out on becoming the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history in Mexico, with Ricciardo beating him by just 0.026 seconds. However, Verstappen got the last laugh in the race, taking victory.

A second consecutive win looked to be in the cards in Brazil, but a collision with Force India's Esteban Ocon, who was trying to unlap himself on faster tyres, ended those dreams. Verstappen finished second behind Hamilton, but then got into an argument with the Frenchman after the race, pushing him and earning two days of public service from the FIA.

Verstappen ended the season fourth in the championship with two wins, 11 podiums and 249 points.

Verstappen leads Honda revival

Verstappen would be powered by works Honda engines for the 2019 season after Red Bull made the switch from Renault, while Pierre Gasly became his new teammate following Ricciardo's departure for Renault.

A third-place finish in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix meant a first podium finish for a Honda-powered driver since the 2008 British GP. A second podium came in Spain, though Verstappen couldn't add a third in Monaco. Although he finished second on track, a five-second penalty for being released into the path of Valtteri Bottas in the pits saw him demoted to fourth.

Victory finally came at the ninth race of the season in Austria. Verstappen started poorly from second, dropping all the way down to eighth. A controversial late pass on Charles Leclerc with three laps to go secured him victory, a first for Honda since the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Verstappen took a second victory at the wet and chaotic German Grand Prix. Despite another slow start, he moved into the lead midway through the race when Hamilton went off track. The circuit began to dry from there, with Verstappen winning ahead of Vettel and Kvyat. Verstappen followed that up with his first career pole at the following race in Hungary, though he couldn't fend off a late charge by Hamilton and eventually had to settle for second.

Red Bull made a driver change prior to the Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Gasly, who was demoted back to Toro Rosso, with Albon. Verstappen qualified first in Mexico, only to be handed a grid penalty for ignoring yellow flags after a Bottas crash.

Verstappen took the chequered flag in Brazil in a chaotic race that saw him pass Hamilton for the lead on two occasions, before ending the campaign with a second-place finish in Abu Dhabi. Verstappen ended the season third in the championship with 278 points, his highest finish.

Committed to Red Bull for the long-term

After signing a contract that would keep him at Red Bull until the end of 2023, Verstappen secured three consecutive podium finishes after retiring from the 2020 season-opener in Austria.

His first win of the season came at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone, despite starting fourth, which was followed by a second and third in Spain and Belgium respectively.

Retirements at Monza and Mugello came soon after, but Verstappen managed to finish on the podium at five of the final nine races, including victory at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

As had been the case in 2019, Verstappen again ended the year in P3 in the World Championship, this time with 214 points to his name.

Championship success in dramatic style

Red Bull and Verstappen demonstrated increased strength in challenging Mercedes during the initial stages of the 2021 F1 season. Verstappen secured his first victory of the year at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, only the second event on the calendar.

A significant breakthrough for the Dutchman occurred in Monaco, where he triumphed at the street circuit for the first time. Following a DNF (Did Not Finish) due to a tyre failure at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Verstappen embarked on a three-race winning streak in France and Austria.

The title battle with Lewis Hamilton took a controversial turn at the British Grand Prix, marked by a collision on the opening lap. Verstappen underwent checks in the hospital, while Hamilton received a 10-second time penalty but ultimately won the race.

Expressing dissatisfaction, Verstappen later criticized Hamilton's celebrations after the victory as "unsportsmanlike."

In Hungary, Verstappen sustained damage after a collision with Valtteri Bottas at the first corner but managed to finish ninth. He rebounded at the Dutch Grand Prix, claiming both pole position and victory, acknowledging the pressure he felt.

In September, another collision with Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix forced both drivers out of the race. Verstappen didn't secure another victory until the United States Grand Prix in October.

A win in Mexico followed, but Mercedes demonstrated stronger pace towards the end of the season. Hamilton's three consecutive victories before the season finale in Abu Dhabi narrowed Verstappen's championship lead.

Arriving at the Yas Marina Circuit with equal points, Verstappen started from pole, but Hamilton took the lead and seemed set to claim victory. However, a late Safety Car intervention allowed Verstappen to pit for fresh Soft tyres, catching Hamilton on older Hard tyres on the last lap. Verstappen secured the race win and, consequently, the World Championship.

While the conclusion of the season was controversial, Verstappen expressed immense joy, stating that winning his first title in the sport represented the "final achievement" he had sought.

Dominant title defence in 2022

For the first time in his Formula 1 career, Verstappen began a season as the reigning World Champion in 2022, and opted to run the number 1 on his car instead of his usual 33.

With a wave of new regulations coming into effect for the campaign, there was a degree of uncertainty about how the pecking order could look. It proved to be a tough start for Red Bull, with both Verstappen and Sergio Perez recording retirements at the season-opening race in Bahrain due to mechanical issues.

However, a succession of six consecutive wins followed for the team from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix onwards. Verstappen claimed five of these, building up a championship lead in the process.

Verstappen recorded his joint-lowest finishing position of the season at Silverstone with a P7 result, but returned to winning ways two races later in France.

Red Bull went on to win every remaining Grand Prix of the season with the exception of the Brazilian Grand Prix, and Verstappen clinched his second F1 World Championship on Honda's home turf in Japan, despite some confusion over the points system in what was a shortened event.

The Constructors' title followed for the team at the following race in the United States following the passing of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz.

There were some moments of controversy for Verstappen in Brazil. The Dutchman clashed with former title rival Lewis Hamilton in the opening stages of the Grand Prix while, later on, he refused a team order to allow Perez to pass him on the last lap.

A P1 finish at the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked Verstappen's 15th victory of the year, surpassing the record for the most wins in an F1 season.

An even more dominant 2023 season and the anticipation of 2024

In 2023, Max Verstappen continued to drive with the number 1 in an incredibly dominant season. In the initial races, the Dutchman battled with his teammate Sergio Perez, but he quickly pulled ahead in points over the Mexican. Max Verstappen won a remarkable nineteen races and secured 21 podiums. This resulted in a total of 575 points in the championship. His teammate, who finished second in the season, was closer in points (1) to Logan Sargeant than Max Verstappen.

After an unprecedentedly dominant 2023 season, 2024 was far from easy. Following a string of victories at the start of the season, the McLaren car seemed to be stronger from the Miami Grand Prix onwards. Lando Norris made an impressive comeback in the championship, making things look exciting for a while. However, Verstappen ultimately proved to be the strongest and thus claimed his fourth world title. 

In 2025, Max Verstappen will once again race with number 1. Will the Dutchman be able to secure his fifth world title?