Max Verstappen

Verstappen began karting at age 4. He competed in the Mini Junior championship of his home province of Limburg (Belgium).[14] In 2006, Verstappen graduated to the Rotax Max Minimax class and won the Belgian championship.[15] In 2007, Verstappen won the Dutch Minimax championship.[16] Racing in a CRG kart entered by his father, Verstappen won the Dutch and Belgian Minimax championship as well as the Belgian Cadet championship.[17][18]

In 2009, Verstappen joined Team Pex Racing, a CRG customer team. That year, he won the Flemish Minimax championship and the Belgian KF5 championship.[19][20]

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 (who would eventually become his Formula One teammate at Red Bull Racing)[21] but beat him at the WSK Euro Series and also won the WSK World Series, beating Robert Vișoiu.[22]

In 2011, Verstappen won the WSK Euro Series in a Parilla-powered CRG.[23] 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.[24] Verstappen won the South Garda Winter Cup in the KF2 class, beating Dennis Olsen and Antonio Fuoco.[25][26]

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.[27] 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.

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.[28] He tested for several Formula Renault 2.0 teams in 2013.[29] 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.[30] At the Circuit Ricardo Tormo near Valencia, Verstappen set a faster time than more experienced drivers including Tatiana Calderón and Eddie Cheever III.[31]

On 16 January 2014, it was announced Verstappen would make his racing debut in the Florida Winter Series.[32]

On 5 February, at the second race weekend, Verstappen won his first formula race at Palm Beach International Raceway after he started from pole.[33]

On 19 February, Verstappen won his second race at Homestead–Miami Speedway after beating Nicholas Latifi by 0.004 seconds.[34]

Verstappen driving for Van Amersfoort Racing in the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship,

In 2014, Verstappen drove in the FIA European Formula 3 Championship for Van Amersfoort Racing.[35] He finished his maiden car racing season third, behind champion Esteban Ocon and runner-up Tom Blomqvist, winning 10 races in the process.

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.[36]

Verstappen driving for Toro Rosso at the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix.

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. 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 debut 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.[37] In this first race, Verstappen ran in points-scoring positions until he was forced to retire due to an engine failure.[38] 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.[39] 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.[40] 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.[41]

Verstappen continued to regularly finish in the points as well as achieving 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 round the outside of the Blanchimont corner at the Belgian Grand Prix.[42]

Verstappen at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix

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.[43] 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.[44]

On 5 May 2016, 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."[45] After qualifying fourth for the Spanish Grand Prix,[46] Verstappen rose to second behind teammate 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.[3]

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.[47] 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".[48] 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.[49] However, in October drivers' concerns about Verstappen's defensive tactics led the FIA to disallow moving under braking.[50]

At the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, Verstappen qualified fourth.[51] In a rain affected 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.[52] 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 One".[53] 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 Junção corner late in the race. The race stewards did not share Vettel's view and decided that no reprimand was warranted.[54]

Verstappen at the 2017 British Grand Prix

During the first 14 races of the 2017 season, Verstappen suffered seven retirements, four due to mechanical issues,[55] and three due to first lap collisions in Spain, Austria and Singapore.[56] Of the races finished, however, he claimed a third place in China, and another five races classified fourth or fifth.

From the Malaysian Grand Prix onward, Verstappen enjoyed a surge of success. He won his second Formula One race at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, one day after his 20th birthday, passing Lewis Hamilton for the lead in the early stages of the race. He finished second in the following race in Japan.[57] He then finished third at the United States Grand Prix, but was classified fourth after his final lap overtake on Kimi Räikkönen was deemed illegal (he was found to have cut the corner).[58] He then won his third Formula One race (and second in 2017) at the Mexican Grand Prix, after passing Sebastian Vettel on the opening lap and leading until the end of the race.[59]

Verstappen at the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix

In the first six races of the season, Verstappen had been involved in at least one incident in each race. In Australia, he qualified 4th, but fell behind Kevin Magnussen at the start. In his attempts to retake the position he ran wide multiple times and damaged his car, with a spin causing him to fall further down the order. He recovered to eventually finish the race in 6th place.[60] At the next race in Bahrain, he crashed during qualifying and started in 15th place.[61] He had a productive first lap after which he found himself in the points while challenging Lewis Hamilton. He attempted an overtake on the reigning World Champion at the start of lap two, but collided with the Mercedes driver and suffered a puncture that ultimately led to suspension damage, forcing him out of the race.[62]

At the next race in China, Verstappen qualified 5th and had moved up to 3rd at the end of the first lap. Both Red Bull drivers pitted for fresh tyres during a safety car which left them with a tyre advantage over the front-runners ahead. In an overtake attempt on Sebastian Vettel for 3rd place, Verstappen collided with the championship leader, causing him to fall to 8th and receive a 10-second penalty. He recovered to 4th place, with his penalty causing him to be classified 5th. Teammate Ricciardo went on to win the race.[63] In Azerbaijan, Verstappen was embroiled in a race-long battle with Ricciardo for 4th place. After numerous position changes between the two teammates during the race, Ricciardo ran into the back of Verstappen during an overtake attempt from which the Dutchman aggressively defended, causing the retirement of both cars. Both drivers were blamed by the team and reprimanded by the stewards.[64] Verstappen bounced back in Spain with his first podium of the season by finishing 3rd behind the Mercedes drivers, holding off Sebastian Vettel. However, the race was also not without incident as he had run into the back of Lance Stroll during the virtual safety car period, causing minor front wing damage.[65]

In Monaco, Verstappen made another error when he crashed near the end of the third free practice session in an incident which closely resembled a crash he had at the same spot two years earlier.[66] His team could not repair his car in time for qualifying and he had to start last at a track on which it is notoriously difficult to overtake.[67] Teammate Ricciardo, meanwhile, pressed home Red Bull's advantage at the track by taking pole position and the race win. Verstappen managed to salvage 2 points by finishing 9th place, overtaking 6 cars on track.[68] Team principal Christian Horner commented on Verstappen's start of the season, saying he "needed to stop making these mistakes" and that he could "learn from his teammate", while Helmut Marko, head of driver development at Red Bull, said that Verstappen was "too impatient".[67] Verstappen now lay in 6th place in the championship with 35 points, only 3 points ahead of Alonso in a much slower McLaren, and 37 points behind his teammate in 3rd, who had taken two wins in the first six races.

In Canada, Verstappen topped all three practice sessions and qualified 3rd, two-tenths off Sebastian Vettel in pole position. He eventually finished 3rd and set the fastest lap of the race. The following race in France brought him 2nd place. In Austria—Red Bull's home track—he started 4th on the grid, passed Kimi Räikkönen before taking advantage of retirement from Valtteri Bottas and a botched pit-stop strategy by Lewis Hamilton, who later had to retire from 4th place, to claim the fourth race victory of his career. In Britain, Verstappen was plagued by issues, finishing the first practice session early due to a gearbox problem and crashing in the second practice session before retiring from the race due to a brake problem. He would then finish 4th in Germany after strategy errors let a recovering Hamilton get past him as he went on to win the race. Verstappen ended the first half of the season with a retirement in Hungary and was narrowly behind his teammate in the championship due to his own recent resurgence and Ricciardo's unreliability.

Verstappen enjoyed a very strong second half of the season, achieving podium finishes at Belgium, Singapore, Japan and the USA, the latter of which he achieved 2nd place having started from 18th on the grid due to a suspension failure in qualifying. Verstappen then earned his fifth career win in Mexico. He had been visibly upset after just missing out on becoming the youngest pole-sitter in Formula One history, with Ricciardo beating him to pole position by 0.026 seconds. Verstappen, however, had a much better start than Ricciardo and took the lead of the race into the first corner, overtaking the fast-starting Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. He was poised to win the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix, having overtaken Räikkönen, Vettel, Bottas and Hamilton. However, he collided with Force India driver Esteban Ocon who was trying to unlap himself on faster tyres. Ocon received a 10-second stop and go penalty for the incident. After the collision with Ocon, Verstappen finished in 2nd place behind Hamilton. During an argument with Ocon after the race, Verstappen pushed the Force India driver, for which he was given two days of "public service" as a penalty by the FIA.[69] He then finished his season with another podium as he finished 3rd in Abu Dhabi.[70]

Verstappen ended the season in 4th place in the championship with 249 points, claiming two wins, eleven podium finishes and two fastest laps.

Verstappen at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix

Verstappen would be powered by Honda from 2019 onwards, following Red Bull's switch from customer Renault to works Honda power units for the 2019 season. After Ricciardo moved to the Renault team for 2019, Verstappen was joined at Red Bull (initially) by Pierre Gasly. Verstappen qualified in 4th and finished 3rd in Australia, the first podium finish for a Honda-powered driver since the 2008 British Grand Prix. Verstappen was on course for a second 3rd-place finish in Bahrain before a late safety car prevented him from overtaking Charles Leclerc's ailing Ferrari, keeping him in 4th place. Two more 4th-place finishes followed in China and Azerbaijan, before a second podium came as he finished 3rd in Spain. In Monaco, Verstappen qualified in 3rd place. He was released into the path of Valtteri Bottas during the drivers' pit stops, gaining 2nd place but receiving a 5-second penalty as a result. Verstappen crossed the line in 2nd place but was demoted to 4th by the penalty.

In Canada, Verstappen's final lap in the second qualifying session was hampered by a red flag brought out by Kevin Magnussen's crash. This caused Verstappen to qualify 11th and start the race in 9th place. He later recovered to finish 5th. In France he started and finished in 4th place. In Austria, Verstappen started 2nd but suffered a poor start, dropping down to 8th. After a charge towards the front, he made his way up to 2nd before controversially passing Leclerc for the lead of the race with three laps to go. This marked the first Honda-powered race victory since the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. In Britain, Verstappen, running in 3rd place, was hit from behind during an overtake attempt by Sebastian Vettel and spun into the gravel. Verstappen was able to continue and crossed the line in 5th place.

The wet and chaotic German Grand Prix began in a similar fashion to the race in Austria for Verstappen, as a poor start caused him to fall behind. However, he would inherit the lead mid-way through the race after a crash by race leader Hamilton. Verstappen would go on to extend his lead after the track began to dry, claiming his second victory of the season. In Hungary, he claimed the first pole position of his career, and led most of the race before being passed in the closing laps by Hamilton, who had made another stop for fresh tyres in a gamble to catch the leader. By the summer break, Verstappen's strong performances in the first half of the season made some consider him an outside contender for the championship.

Verstappen on the podium after winning the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix

Prior to the Belgian Grand Prix, Verstappen received a new teammate in Alexander Albon after Pierre Gasly was demoted back to Toro Rosso. In the race, Verstappen had a poor start and collided with Kimi Räikkönen at the first corner, resulting in suspension damage and causing Verstappen's first retirement of the season. In Italy, he did not set a time during qualifying as he would already be required to start from the back of the grid due to an engine component penalty. After damaging his front wing on the first lap, he recovered to finish the race in 8th place. 3rd and 4th place finishes followed in Singapore and Russia respectively. After suffering damage in a first-lap collision with Charles Leclerc in Japan, Verstappen suffered his 2nd retirement of the season.

In Mexico, he qualified in 1st place before being handed a grid penalty for ignoring yellow flags after a crash by Valtteri Bottas. Verstappen suffered a puncture early in the race after making contact with Bottas, falling to the back of the field before eventually recovering to 6th place. A 3rd place finish in the United States followed, before Verstappen took the second pole position of his career with a 1:07.508 pole lap time in Brazil. In a chaotic race, he passed Lewis Hamilton for the lead on two separate occasions before going on to claim his third victory of the season. Verstappen ended the season with a 2nd-place finish in Abu Dhabi.

Verstappen finished the 2019 season in 3rd place in the championship with 278 points, the best result of his career thus far. He claimed three race victories, nine podium finishes, two pole positions and three fastest laps.

Verstappen continued to race for Red Bull in 2020, alongside Albon. At the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, he started second, but retired early in the race after a flywheel-related problem caused an electronic issue on the power unit.[71] Honda introduced countermeasures in response to the retirement.[72]

At the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix, he crashed in wet conditions on the way to the starting grid but he was able to drive the car back to the grid where his mechanics fixed the suspension of the car in the short time that was left before the start of the race. After the repairs Verstappen progressed from seventh place on the grid to second place at the finish of the race.[73]

He won the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone, having started from fourth. Red Bull Racing Team Principal, Christian Horner, described it as "an amazing performance" by Verstappen and the Red Bull support team.[74]

He came in second at the Spanish Grand Prix, after qualifying in third. At the 2020 Belgian Grand Prix, he finished in third after qualifying in third, as well. He suffered from two DNFs in a row at the Italian and Tuscan Grands Prix after which he lost second place in the Championship. At the Russian Grand Prix, Verstappen finished the race in second, his seventh podium finish of 2020, after qualifying in second behind Hamilton. At the Eifel Grand Prix, Verstappen finished in second after qualifying in third. He also managed to get the fastest lap of the race. At the Portuguese Grand Prix, Verstappen qualified 3rd. After a poor first lap, he was down to 5th. He recovered to 3rd and took his 40th podium in Formula 1. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he was on his way to claim 2nd after floor problems for Valtteri Bottas, but then received a puncture and spun, causing his 4th retirement of the 2020 season.

During the free practice for the Portuguese Grand Prix, Verstappen was subject of a controversy pertaining to comments he made on the team radio after a collision with Lance Stroll, where he used the words "retard" and "mongol" in response to the clash. Verstappen admitted following the session the word choices he used was "not correct", while the Mongolian government and the Mongol identity group has asked for Verstappen to apologise for the comments; the Mongolian government also urged the FIA to take action on the comments he made, although the FIA has not taken any action.[75][76]

Verstappen has signed a contract extension to race for Red Bull until the end of 2023.[4]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicates fastest lap)

^† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Verstappen holds numerous "firsts" in Formula One racing. In 2015, he became the youngest driver to compete in Formula 1 at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix for Scuderia Toro Rosso.[77] 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 score points, youngest driver to secure a podium, youngest Formula One Grand Prix winner in history,[78] youngest multiple Grand Prix winner, youngest to win the same Grand Prix multiple times and youngest to win the same Grand Prix in successive years. On 3 August 2019, he became the first ever Dutch F1 driver to take pole position, for the Hungarian Grand Prix, while also setting a new lap record on the Hungaroring and becoming the 100th polesitter in the sport's history.[79]