He’d go on to make it back-to-back World Championships with a dominant run to the title in 2022, kicking off F1’s new era of technical regulations in fine style. Going on to establish himself as a talisman in the Red Bull Racing camp, one capable of taking the fight to an otherwise dominant Mercedes on occasion, the stars finally aligned for Verstappen in 2021 when the Honda-engined Red Bull RB16B proved a competitive match for its German rivals.Įngaging in a fierce - if at times physical - season-long tug-of-war with Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen prevailed in a hugely controversial Abu Dhabi finale defined by a safety car engineered pass for the lead on the final lap, giving him both victory and the title. Promoted straight from the FIA European Formula 3 Championship, the combination of Verstappen’s age (17 years and 166 days at the time of his Australian Grand Prix race debut) and scant experience led to the FIA overhauling the criteria for obtaining a superlicence to prevent similarly young drivers landing a seat.ĭespite the controversy, Verstappen went on to acquit himself well during his first year with Toro Rosso, which preceded his promotion to Red Bull Racing five rounds into the 2016 F1 season, an occasion he historically marked by claiming a stunning maiden victory on his debut with the team. Son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen (Bennetton, Simtek, Arrows Stewart, Tyrrell, Minardi), Max received his 2015 F1 debut with Scuderia Toro Rosso for what was remarkably only his second full season of single-seater racing.
Now a two-time World Champion, Max Verstappen’s meteoric rise to the pinnacle of Formula 1 has seen the Dutchman smash numerous records and break new ground en route to becoming today’s most dominant force.
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