Biography of Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen

After winning almost every karting title available including the KZ World Championship, the son of former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen shocked the world in 2014 by competing in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.

Racing for Van Amersfoort Racing, Verstappen equipped himself well in the series, finishing third after 10 wins and a further 16 podiums. His performances attracted the attention of several Formula 1 teams including Mercedes and Ferrari, but he eventually signed with Red Bull. After only a solitary season racing in the junior formula, Verstappen found himself making his debut with Toro Rosso in 2015.

As the youngest ever driver on the grid and racing alongside the highly-rated Carlos Sainz, Verstappen outperformed expectations finishing fourth in his debut season on two occasions en route to 12th in the championship.

While he was scheduled to continue at Toro Rosso in 2016, a switch to Red Bull Racing at the Spanish Grand Prix yielded instant success as Verstappen became the youngest ever race winner in Formula 1 at 18 years and 228 days. He would then go on to add a further six podiums and finish fifth overall in the drivers’ standings.

The following two seasons would see the Dutchman continue to partner Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull. They yielded similar outcomes for Verstappen with the campaigns representing two halves. The first half saw error-strewn mistakes and bad luck while the second half would represent a sort of redemption. Verstappen collected a total of four wins and 11 podiums between the two seasons, but more crucially, he became Red Bull’s lead driver after Ricciardo decided to leave the team in 2019.

Max Verstappen in Formula 1

The Dutchman already has a series of records in F1 having made his debut at the age of 17, and is responsible for the FIA’s introduction of the Super License points system. Verstappen has also contributed to the rising interest in Formula 1 in the Netherlands which has led to the nation holding a F1 race for the first time in 31 years.

Red Bull leader

Verstappen entered the campaign partnering Pierre Gasly first and then Alex Albon from the Belgian Grand Prix onwards. Red Bull themselves would swap Renault power for Honda and despite the perceived gamble by the team, the season would prove to be largely fruitful as Verstappen recorded wins at Austria, Germany, and Brazil along with four podiums. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, he would also claim his first-ever pole position in the sport.

The COVID-affected 2020 season would see Verstappen maintain the consistency of 2019, winning at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and claiming a further nine podiums that resulted in third in the driver’s standings.

The new campaign will see Verstappen enter his seventh season in F1 despite being only 23. He will also face a new challenge in the form of Sergio “Checo” Perez who will be his new teammate for the upcoming season.