Max Verstappen involved in shock Red Bull driver swap - Throwback

The seeds of Max Verstappen to Red Bull were actually sown not in spring 2016, but just under two years prior when he signed with the junior team. 

Both Red Bull and Mercedes were keen to sign the Dutch prodigy, but Red Bull had the trump card - a clear path to F1, something which Mercedes, with no second team, could offer. 

After a solid debut F1 campaign in 2015, including fourth places in Hungary and the United States, after just four races of his second season, Verstappen was promoted to the senior team, on this day in 2016, replacing Russian Danill Kvyat. 

Perhaps Kvyat could feel hard done by, given he had been promoted himself from Toro Rosso after just a single season in F1 ahead of the 2015 campaign when Sebastian Vettel's defection to Ferrari had caught the team on the hop. 

He had performed well in the uncompetitive RB12, finishing even ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in the drivers' standings and had begun 2016 with a podium in the Chinese Grand Prix, but less than 20 days later, he was out, and sent back to Faenza as the Verstappen train arrived into Milton Keynes Central. 

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The final tipping point had come at the start of the Russian Grand Prix when Kvyat had rammed Vettel's Ferrari twice on the opening lap, which in the words of 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve, gave Red Bull "the excuse" it was looking for to make the swap. 

Less than four days later, shortly after 09:00 BST on Thursday, May 5th 2016, it came. 

Verstappen was going up to Red Bull and Kvyat was going back to Toro Rosso. 

"Max has proven to be an outstanding young talent," said Christian Horner in a statement.

"His performance at Toro Rosso has been impressive so far, and we are pleased to give him the opportunity to drive for Red Bull Racing.

"We are in the unique position to have all four drivers across Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso under long-term contracts with Red Bull, so we have the flexibility to move them between the two teams.

"Dany will be able to continue his development at Toro Rosso, in a team that he is familiar with, giving him the chance to regain his form and show his potential."

For Kvyat, his F1 career was effectively over. Broken by what had happened, he was initially dropped after the 2017 Singapore GP for Pierre Gasly, save a bizarre one-off appearance at the 2017 United States GP whilst Gasly tried to wrap up the Super Formula title in Japan - ultimately thwarted by a Typhoon. 

He was drafted back for 2019 as Red Bull had a Toro Rosso plug to fill after Ricciardo's Renault defection meant Gasly was sent up to Red Bull and finally left F1 for good at the end of 2020.

As for Verstappen, he's done alright since...