Max Verstappen will become Formula One’s youngest driver ever when he makes his debut at Melbourne next March, with confirmation that the Dutchman will replace Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso in 2015.
At 17 years and nearly six months old, Verstappen will break the record held by former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari – who debuted in 2009 at 19 years and four months of age.
The 16-year old’s appointment is highly contentious, with many arguing Verstappen Jr is ill equipped to handle the machinery and pressure associated with the category.
This, and the notion that if he enters the sport too early, his career could be on the ropes before most even dream of making their debut.
In reality, cars of this era are the least physically demanding they have been in decades – more about finesse, as well as the style of racing, and the Dutchman’s admittedly limited record precedes him. He has been compared, somewhat ironically, to Michael Schumacher – as his father once was.
To that end, he presently lies second in the European F3 championship – his first season in open-wheel racing, which is certainly no mean feat.
Some points to come from Verstappen’s imminent arrival are that Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen – if all three are on the grid next season, will have the distinction of competing against father and son despite their own relative youth.
Räikkönen entered F1 under similar circumstances in 2001 with Sauber, having competed in just 23 events prior to his debut. Many doubted the merit of the decision, but were soon proven wrong as the Finn displayed his raw speed, culminating in the 2007 World Championship.
Kevin Magnussen, currently at McLaren, also shares a link to the younger Verstappen, in that it was the latter’s father, Jos, who effectively ended the elder Magnussen’s F1 career when he replaced him midway through the 1998 season at Stewart.
Jos Verstappen competed in Formula One between 1994 and 2003. His debut campaign was as teammate to Michael Schumacher at Benetton during the tragic and highly controversial 1994 season. It was during this season that he claimed the only two podiums of his career, but most notably escaped a spectacular fireball resulting from fuel rig failure at the German Grand Prix with only minor burns.
His mother was a highly competitive kart driver in her own right, thus he has gifted racing genetics on his side.
Verstappen has seven months to prepare for the opportunity of a lifetime. While there will be pessimists, every opportunity must be given for the Dutchman to prove he is worthy of his status as Formula One’s youngest ever driver.
If he’s half as good as Schumacher was, we’re in for something special.
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Team Penske is under the same umbrella of ownership as the IndyCar Series itself, so it was imperative for to drop the hammer and protect their integrity—which, thankfully, they did.
Red Bull can’t rest on its laurels and if Perez can’t provide them with cover on the rare days that Verstappen is having trouble, it's time to look elsewhere.
The absolute vitriol against the Canadian that has come from the incident is beyond reprehensible.
The Long Beach Grand Prix is the Monaco of American motorsport, and this past weekend, the IndyCar Series reminded everyone exactly why. We witnessed…
New Zealand made a triumphant return to the Supercars championship calendar since the demise of the much-loved Pukekohe Park Raceway – as Taupō delivered…
It’s time that serious questions are asked of his Lance Stroll and his future in the team.
