Max Verstappen
 Verstappen at the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix | |
| Born |
Max Emilian Verstappen 30 September 1997 Hasselt, Belgium |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |
 Dutch |
| 2016 team |
Toro Rosso-Ferrari[1] Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer[2] |
| 2017 team | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer[3] |
| Car number | 33 |
| Entries | 40 (40 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 7 |
| Career points | 253 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First entry | 2015 Australian Grand Prix |
| First win | 2016 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2016 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
| 2016 position | 5th (204 pts) |
| Previous series | |
| 2014 | European Formula 3 Championship |
| Awards | |
| 2015, 2016 2015, 2016 2015 2016 |
FIA Action of the Year FIA Personality of the Year FIA Rookie of the year Lorenzo Bandini Trophy |
Max Emilian Verstappen (Dutch pronunciation: [mɑks eːˈmiliɑn vɛrˈstɑpən]; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch[4] racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One with Red Bull Racing. Aged 17 years, 166 days, he became the youngest driver to compete in Formula 1 at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix for Scuderia Toro Rosso.[5] He is also the youngest driver to lead a lap during a Formula One Grand Prix, youngest driver to set the fastest lap during a Formula One Grand Prix, youngest driver to secure a podium and youngest Formula One Grand Prix winner.
After spending the entire 2015 season with Toro Rosso, he started his 2016 campaign with the Italian team, before being promoted by Red Bull as a replacement for Daniil Kvyat, who took over his seat at Toro Rosso. He won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix in his debut race for Red Bull at the age of 18, becoming the youngest-ever winner of a Grand Prix and the first racing under the Dutch flag.[6] He is the son of former Formula One driver Jos Verstappen.
Family and private life
Max Emilian Verstappen was born on 30 September 1997 in Hasselt, Belgium.[7] His family has a long association with motor sports. His father, Jos Verstappen, is a Dutch former Formula One driver, whereas his Flemish mother, Sophie Kumpen, competed in karting.[8][9] His uncle, Anthony Kumpen, competed in endurance racing and is currently a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series driver.[8]
Although Verstappen travels with a Belgian passport and resided in Bree, Belgium, he decided to compete with a Dutch racing licence because he "feels more Dutch", spent more time with his father than with his mother owing to his karting activities, and was always surrounded by Dutch people while growing up in Maaseik, a Belgian town at the Dutch border.[9] He competed in Formula One for more than half a season before obtaining a road driver's licence on his 18th birthday.[10] Verstappen has lived in Monaco since October 2015, claiming it was not for tax reasons.[11]
Career history
Karting
Verstappen began karting at age 4 1⁄2. He competed in the Mini Junior championship of his home province of Limburg (Belgium).[12] In 2006, Verstappen graduated to the Rotax Max Minimax class and won the Belgian championship.[13] In 2007, Verstappen won the Dutch Minimax championship.[14] Racing in a CRG kart entered by his father, Verstappen won the Dutch and Belgian Minimax championship as well as the Belgian Cadet championship.[15][16]
In 2009, Verstappen joined Team Pex Racing, a CRG customer team. That year, he won the Flemish Minimax championship and the Belgian KF5 championship.[17][18]
In 2010, Verstappen stepped up to international karting. He was signed by CRG to race in their factory team at world and European championships. At the KF3 World Cup, Verstappen finished second to the more experienced Alexander Albon[19] but beat him at the WSK Euro Series and also won the WSK World Series, beating Robert Vișoiu.[20]
In 2011, Verstappen won the WSK Euro Series in a Parilla-powered CRG.[21] In 2012, Verstappen was picked for the Intrepid Driver Program to race in the KF2 and KZ2 classes. He won the WSK Master Series in the KF2 class, beating CRG driver Felice Tiene.[22] Verstappen won the South Garda Winter Cup in the KF2 class, beating Dennis Olsen and Antonio Fuoco.[23][24]
At the end of 2012, it was announced that Verstappen would leave Intrepid. After a short stint with CRG-built Zanardi karts, Verstappen returned to the factory CRG team.[25] He competed at the SKUSA SuperNationals in the KZ2 class in a CRG, finishing 21st. In 2013, Verstappen won the European KF and KZ championships. At the age of 15, Verstappen won the 2013 World KZ championship at Varennes-sur-Allier, France, in KZ1, the highest karting category.
Car racing debut
Verstappen's first experience in a racing car was at the Pembrey Circuit on 11 October 2013. He drove 160 laps in a Barazi-Epsilon FR2.0-10 Formula Renault car. The car was provided by Dutch team Manor MP Motorsport.[26] In December 2013, Verstappen tested a Dallara F311 Formula 3 car run by Motopark Academy. Another Formula Renault test came in December at Circuito de Jerez. Driving for Josef Kaufmann Racing, Verstappen went faster than Formula Renault regulars like Steijn Schothorst and Matt Parry.[27] At the Circuit Ricardo Tormo near Valencia, Verstappen set a faster time than more experienced drivers including Tatiana Calderón and Eddie Cheever III.[28]
On 16 January 2014, it was announced Verstappen would make his racing debut in the Florida Winter Series.[29]
Formula Three
In 2014, Verstappen drove in the FIA European Formula 3 Championship for Van Amersfoort Racing.[30] He finished his maiden car racing season third, behind champion Esteban Ocon and runner-up Tom Blomqvist.
Formula One
In August 2014, Verstappen joined the Red Bull Junior Team after testing a Formula Renault 3.5 car. He also considered an offer from Mercedes to join their driver development programme.[31] Six days later, he was confirmed as one of Scuderia Toro Rosso's drivers for the 2015 season.[32] It was confirmed that Carlos Sainz Jr. would be Verstappen's teammate, following Daniil Kvyat's promotion to Red Bull Racing. Verstappen chose 33 as his race number.
2014 season
By taking part in the first free practice at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen became the youngest driver to take part in a Grand Prix weekend, as part of his preparation for a full-time place with Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2015.[33]
2015 season
In January 2015, the FIA launched a new super licence system for Formula One, raising the age limit to 18 from the 2016 season onwards.[34] Verstappen became the youngest driver to start a World Championship race by joining the sport a year before this licence restriction, in his Grand Prix début as a full-time driver at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix at the age of 17 years, 166 days – breaking Jaime Alguersuari's existing record by almost two years.[35] In this first race, Verstappen won points-scoring positions until he was forced to retire due to an engine failure.[36] However, at the subsequent race in Malaysia, Verstappen qualified sixth and finished the race in seventh place, scoring his first Formula One points aged 17 years, 180 days, breaking the record of youngest driver to score World Championship points.[37] After that he then failed to finish with points in China, due to engine failure in the last lap, Bahrain, due to electrical issues, Spain, settling for 11th.
At the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen was involved in a high-speed collision with Romain Grosjean, after clipping the back of the Lotus on the approach to Sainte Devote and flew nose-first into the barriers at high speed.[38] Verstappen was given a five-place grid penalty for causing the accident, and was branded "dangerous" by Williams driver Felipe Massa - although Verstappen hit back at Massa by pointing out he had himself been involved in a similar incident with Sergio Pérez at the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix.[39]
Verstappen achieved his best finish of the 2015 season in Hungary by finishing 4th and equalled this result at the United States Grand Prix. At the end of the season, Verstappen received three awards at the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony, for Rookie of the Year, Personality of the Year and Action of the Year for his overtake on Felipe Nasr through the outside of the Blanchimont corner at the Belgian Grand Prix.[40]
2016 season
Verstappen began the 2016 season at Toro Rosso, again alongside Sainz. Verstappen qualified fifth for the opening race of the season in Australia, but during the race made several radio calls to his team due to frustration at being behind Sainz on track before clipping his teammate whilst attempting to pass him with three laps to go, and he eventually finished tenth.[41] Verstappen enjoyed a more successful weekend at the following race in Bahrain, finishing sixth to score Toro Rosso's first ever points at the Sakhir circuit.[42]
Following the Russian Grand Prix, Red Bull announced that Verstappen would be replacing Daniil Kvyat for the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, with Kvyat returning to Toro Rosso. According to Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, "Max has proven to be an outstanding young talent. 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."[2] After qualifying fourth for the Spanish Grand Prix,[43] Verstappen rose to second behind team mate Daniel Ricciardo on the opening lap after Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed out of the race. Verstappen took the race lead as he was placed on a two-stop rather than the same three-stop strategy as Ricciardo, and he held off Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen in the later stages of the race to take his first Formula One victory. By doing so he displaced Sebastian Vettel as the youngest driver ever to win a Formula One Grand Prix at the age of 18 years and 228 days.[6]
In his first eight races with Red Bull he achieved six top-five finishes, including four podiums.
During the Belgian Grand Prix, Verstappen collided with Räikkönen at the first corner, pushed Vettel, Räikkönen and Pérez wide at Les Combes, and aggressively blocked Räikkönen on the Kemmel straight.[44] Verstappen was criticised for his driving, with Räikkönen saying that he "was going to cause a huge accident sooner or later"; Verstappen's boss, Horner, said that the driving was "on the edge", and that "Verstappen will learn from Belgium".[45] On 2 September 2016 F1 director Charlie Whiting called in Verstappen for a discussion. Whiting gave Verstappen a gentle warning because of his aggressive driving.[46]
At the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, Verstappen qualified fourth.[47] In a rain inflicted race, he barely managed to avoid hitting the guardrail when he spun on the main straight. After an additional tyre change from intermediates back to rain tyres, he ran in 16th place with just 15 laps remaining. Verstappen then made several overtakes in the closing laps to eventually finish on the podium in third place.[48] He received considerable praise for his performance, with his team principal Christian Horner calling it "one of the best drives I've seen in Formula 1".[49] However, he came under criticism from Sebastian Vettel, who claimed that Verstappen had pushed him off the track when he gained a position on him at Juncao corner late in the race. The race stewards did not share Vettel's view and decided that no reprimand was warranted.[50]
Racing record
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | FLaps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Florida Winter Series | N/A | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7 | N/A | 3rd |
| European Formula 3 Championship | Van Amersfoort Racing | 33 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 411 | 3rd | |
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | N/A | 7th | ||
| Zandvoort Masters | Motopark | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st | |
| Formula One | Scuderia Toro Rosso | Test driver | |||||||
| 2015 | Formula One | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 12th |
| 2016 | Formula One | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 204 | 5th |
| Red Bull Racing | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||||
Complete FIA European Formula 3 Championship results
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Van Amersfoort Racing | Volkswagen | SIL 1 Ret |
SIL 2 5 |
SIL 3 2 |
HOC 1 Ret |
HOC 2 DNS |
HOC 3 1 |
PAU 1 3 |
PAU 2 Ret |
PAU 3 Ret |
HUN 1 Ret |
HUN 2 16 |
HUN 3 4 |
SPA 1 1 |
SPA 2 1 |
SPA 3 1 |
NOR 1 1 |
NOR 2 1 |
NOR 3 1 |
MSC 1 3 |
MSC 2 Ret |
MSC 3 2 |
RBR 1 5 |
RBR 2 4 |
RBR 3 12 |
NÜR 1 1 |
NÜR 2 Ret |
NÜR 3 3 |
IMO 1 Ret |
IMO 2 2 |
IMO 3 1 |
HOC 1 1 |
HOC 2 5 |
HOC 3 6 |
3rd | 411 |
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicates fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Scuderia Toro Rosso | Toro Rosso STR9 | Renault Energy F1‑2014 1.6 V6 t | AUS | MAL | BHR | CHN | ESP | MON | CAN | AUT | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN TD |
RUS | USA TD |
BRA TD |
ABU | – | – | ||
| 2015 | Scuderia Toro Rosso | Toro Rosso STR10 | Renault Energy F1‑2015 1.6 V6 t | AUS Ret |
MAL 7 |
CHN 17† |
BHR Ret |
ESP 11 |
MON Ret |
CAN 15 |
AUT 8 |
GBR Ret |
HUN 4 |
BEL 8 |
ITA 12 |
SIN 8 |
JPN 9 |
RUS 10 |
USA 4 |
MEX 9 |
BRA 9 |
ABU 16 |
12th | 49 | ||
| 2016 | Scuderia Toro Rosso | Toro Rosso STR11 | Ferrari 060 1.6 V6 t | AUS 10 |
BHR 6 |
CHN 8 |
RUS Ret |
5th | 204 | |||||||||||||||||
| Red Bull Racing | Red Bull RB12 | TAG Heuer 1.6 V6 t | ESP 1 |
MON Ret |
CAN 4 |
EUR 8 |
AUT 2 |
GBR 2 |
HUN 5 |
GER 3 |
BEL 11 |
ITA 7 |
SIN 6 |
MAL 2 |
JPN 2 |
USA Ret |
MEX 4 |
BRA 3 |
ABU 4 |
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
References
- ↑ Galloway, James (13 November 2015). "Verstappen, Sainz to be retained". Sky Sports. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- 1 2 "New line-up for Spain". RedBullRacing.com. 5 May 2016.
- ↑ "Max, Red Bull's Monaco mistake, and more - Exclusive Christian Horner Q&A". Formula 1. Formula 1. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ↑ (Dutch) "Jos Verstappen over de nationaliteit van Max (translated: Jos Verstappen about the nationality of Max)". Retrieved 13 June 2016.
- ↑ Richards, Giles. "Max Verstappen becomes youngest man to drive a Formula 1 car". The Guardian News and Media Limited.
- 1 2 Ostlere, Lawrence (2016-05-15). "F1: Max Verstappen wins Spanish GP after Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crash – live!". the Guardian. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
- ↑ "Drivers / Max Verstappen". ESPN F1. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- 1 2 Bonardel, Cécile (18 August 2014). "Verstappen's son in F1 in 2015". 24h-lemans.com. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- 1 2 Cornelissen, Marc (17 August 2014). "Geen rijbewijs, wel in de F1" [No driver's licence, yet in F1]. Nieuwsblad.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 December 2014.
Max heeft een Belgische moeder, is geboren in Hasselt, woont in Bree en reist met een Belgisch paspoort. Genetisch en cultureel is hij Belgischer dan de gemiddelde Rode Duivel. Maar racen doet hij met een Nederlandse licentie. ‘Ik heb heel mijn leven in België gewoond, maar ik voel meer Nederlander. Door al dat karten trek ik meer met mijn vader op dan met mijn moeder. Ik zit gewoon altijd tussen de Nederlanders. [Max has a Belgian mother, was born in Hasselt, lives in Bree and travels with a Belgian passport. From a genetic and cultural perspective, he's more Belgian than the average Red Devil. Yet he competes with a Dutch racing licence. 'I have lived in Belgium my entire life, but I consider myself more Dutch. As a result of my karting activities I spend more time with my father than with my mother. I'm always surrounded by Dutch people.']
- ↑ "Road legal at last! Verstappen passes driving test on 18th birthday". Formula1.com. FOM. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ↑ "Verstappen moves out of home for Monaco". GrandPrix.com. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ↑ "Limburgs Kart Championship – Mini-Junior 2005". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Rotax Max Challenge Belgium Minimax 2006". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Rotax Max Challenge Belgium Minimax 2007". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Belgian Championship – Cadet 2008". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Rotax Max Challenge Belgium Minimax 2008". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Belgian Championship – KF5 2009". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "VAS Championship – Rotax Minimax 2009". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "CIK-FIA World Cup – KF3 2010". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "WSK World Series – KF3 2010". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "WSK Euro Series – KF3 2011". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "WSK Master Series – KF2 2012". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "17° Winter Cup – KF2 2012". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "SKUSA SuperNationals XVI – KZ2 2012". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Max rijdt rest van seizoen op CRG kart met TM motor". Verstappen Info Page. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Max Verstappen sensationeel in allereerste meters Formule Renault 2.0". RaceXpress.nl. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Max op haar na snelste bij laatste FR 2.0 test van 2013". Verstappen Info Page. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Max fenomenaal snel bij zijn eerste F3 test op Valencia". Verstappen Info Page. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Max maakt autosportdebuut in Florida Winter Series". Verstappen Info Page. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Max Verstappen new part of the Red Bull Junior Team". FIA. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ↑ "Max Verstappen per direct opgenomen in opleiding Red Bull". verstappen.nl. Nu.nl. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ Meens, Stefan (18 August 2014). "Max Verstappen will make Formula 1 debut in 2015 with Scuderia Toro Rosso". verstappen.nl. Verstappen Info Page. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ Benson, Andrew (29 September 2014). "Max Verstappen: Teenager to drive in practice at Japanese Grand Prix". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ↑ "F1 teenager unfazed by baptism of fire in Melbourne fast lane". The Standard. Sing Tao News Corporation. Reuters. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ↑ "Max Verstappen to race with Toro Rosso F1 team in 2015". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ Barretto, Lawrence (15 March 2015). "Lewis Hamilton beats Nico Rosberg to win". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ↑ Johnson, Daniel (29 March 2015). "Sebastian Vettel picks up surprise win for Ferrari to blow world title wide open". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
Max Verstappen took seventh to become the youngest points scorer in F1 history, at 17 years and 180 days.
- ↑ Lawrence Barretto, "Monaco GP: Max Verstappen penalised for crash with Romain Grosjean", Autosport, 2015.
- ↑ William Esler, "Max Verstappen hits back at Felipe Massa over Monaco crash criticism", Sky Sports, 2015.
- ↑ Galloway, James (5 December 2015). "Lewis Hamilton & Mercedes officially crowned 2015 world champions". Sky Sports. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ↑ "Max Verstappen: Australian GP shows moody side of Toro Rosso teenager", BBC Sport, 2016.
- ↑ "Verstappen scores STR's first Bahrain points", GP Update, 2016.
- ↑ "Hamilton takes pole in Spain". www.bbc.co.uk. 14 May 2016.
- ↑ "Formula 1: Max Verstappen gets under the skin of top drivers". 31 August 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ "Horner: Verstappen will learn from Belgium". espn.co.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ↑ "Italian GP: Max Verstappen given 'gentle warning' by FIA". 2 September 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ "Formula 1 Grande Premio do Brasil 2016 - Qualifying". formula1.com. Formula One World Championship Limited. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ↑ Galloway, James (14 November 2016). "Max Verstappen stole the show in Brazil GP, says Mercedes' Toto Wolff". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ↑ Gill, Pete; Esler, William (14 November 2016). "Max Verstappen's Brazilian GP drive hailed as 'one of the best ever in F1'". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ↑ Edmondson, Laurence (14 November 2016). "Vettel: Verstappen move was 'not correct'". ESPN. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Max Verstappen. |
- Official website
- Max Verstappen career summary at DriverDB.com
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