Current Max Verstappen

2015 sees the arrival of the youngest driver ever to sit in an F1 car. Max Verstappen was born on 30th September 1997 and, assuming he makes the grid in Australia, will only be 17 years and 167 days, beating Jaime Alguersuaris' record by 1 year and 323 days (assuming my maths is correct).

How can such a young man be ready for F1? As the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen Max started racing karts at 4½ years old. In 2006 he won the Belgian Minimax Championship in the KF5 category and in 2007 he won both the Dutch and Belgian titles as well as the Belgian Cadet Championship.

In 2009 he won the KF5 Flemish Championship and moved up to International Karting. In 2010 Max finished 2nd in the KF3 World Cup, won the Euro Series and the WSK World Series. In 2011 he again won the WSK World Series and moved up the KF2 class winning the WSK Master Series and the South Garda Winter Cup in 2012. In 2013, at 15 years of age, Verstappen won the World KZ Championship, which is highest level of karting.

For 2014 Max moved up to European Formula 3. He finished 3rd in the Championship winning 10 of the 33 races, more than those who finished above him in the title race. Max was recruited into the Red Bull Young Driver Programme in August 2014 and only 6 days later was announced as one of the drivers for Toro Rosso in F1 for 2015. Apparently he was also being courted by Mercedes for their young driver programme so you have to wonder how much the pull of an F1 seat at Toro Rosso drove the decision to go with Red Bull.

Having already taken part in 3 Friday sessions as a test driver Max Verstappen is the youngest person ever to take part in a Grand Prix weekend. If he acquits himself well during 2015 many will say it is an inspired decision. If he turns into a mobile chicane or treats F1 like a destruction derby I'm sure many questions will be asked as to why someone not even old enough to qualify for a driving licence in his home country is allowed to get behind the wheel of a car at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Future Champion? One season (or even one race) wonder? 2015 will be very interesting for Max Verstappen.

 

[teabagyokel]

He can't be pulling that shit on the Kemmel straight. Someone could be killed. There's people out there without the reactions of Raikkonen who'd have had a Webber/Kovalainen moment up there, with much less run-off.

There's quite a few places at Monza where there could be a nasty incident. I hope he never needs one to grow up, and no-one else suffers for his recklessness.

 

[Lewywo4]

A problem with that Hamberg, it may include another driver, because of his actions having the shitters put on them.

 

[Johnny Carwash]

He needs to make his mind up where he is going to position his car earlier when he is doing a defensive move, as some is going to get seriously injured wether it be a driver a marshal or spectator as the way he defends at the moment is bordering on reckless.

 

[Hamberg]

I don't want a nasty incident. What I believe is, judging by his responses ('it's their problem not mine') I fear the only way he'll learn is through a near miss.

 

[siffert_fan]

Or else the stewards should grow a pair and slap a suspension on him.

 

[Hamberg]

Safer option siffert_fan. Trouble is he's just about playing within the rules, but as Kimi said, he's not had this situation with other drivers.

 

[F1Brits_90]

I love Max Verstappen love him so exciting to watch like lewis when he started but he got to learn to be more aware in the braking zones because his move on kimi on kemmel straight & perez into turn 5 where like a Hungary re run where he hasn't learned because if you keep chopping drivers noses off. You will have a big accident

 

[Hamberg]

If only he had a strong boss who isn't a total **** to guide him.

 

[Wombcat]

But instead he has Jos the Boss, who isn't the best guide in anger management.

 

[gethinceri]

But the world's greatest weather forecaster!!

 

[teabagyokel]

 

[F1Brits_90]

Someone should like brundle said to try get max to pick his battles & give him some long term advice in few corners because if he'd just yeilded he would had the tow from kimi from la source thru eau rouge & down kemmel straight. Wouldve retaken it. Or taken 2nd while both ferrari drivers fall over each other

 

[Bill Boddy]

But if Verstappen had a big accident and he came off worst he would only complain that it was the other driver's fault.

 

[siffert_fan]

The stewards and the team managers have been ignoring his transgressions for so long that he is clearly beginning to believe that he is entitled to continue his ways.

If the stewards aren't willing to do anything about his antics, the team managers should send him back to TR for a couple of races to prove that he has his "head on straight". Otherwise, I fear that a tragedy awaits.

 

[RasputinLives]

It's not just an F1 thing. He did similar stuff in F3 (ask Ocon). The major problem here is that you learn not to pull that sort of crap by doing time in the junior formulas and seeing that it doesn't work. The fact he has been so quick and showed to be such a talent has meant he hasn't had the time to learn that.

It's possible he'll learn it over time or it might turn out that he doesn't become the great driver he has the potential to come. At the end of the day, whilst it's brilliant he is so exciting to watch and entertaining, he has to realise F1 is about a season not a single race.

Currently he reminds me of Alesi back in 1989 - 1991. An absolute delight to watch but you fear it's all or nothing everytime.

 

[vintly]

Given the unanimous feelings about the dangers of this sort of move, you have to assume that the paddock feels the same way, which means Young Max will have to take this seriously now. The obvious, sensible reaction would be to accept that what he did was potentially dangerous and to be seen to change his ways in Monza, where no doubt he will get a similar chance. Likely against Raikonnen again but it doesn't matter who.

The question is will he?

I don't think he'd be so blind or poorly advised to maintain a robust defence of his driving style in those situations, it just wouldn't wash and would raise even louder alarm bells. But it will be very interesting to see how it pans out. Changing your driving style in that particular situation is, I think, very tricky indeed. It's not like learning a slightly different line into a corner, or a well planned-out move over a section of a lap. It's gut feel, at a moment of intensity that maybe isn't surpassed at any other point in the race, where your basic instinct and raw style takes over. Not easy to change that, which is why I'm fascinated to see what happens next.

Even in the worst case scenario, where someone has a big off coming from a dodgy move from Young Max, I don't think anyone will get seriously hurt, simply due to the safety of the monocoque. That's not to say it's not dangerous - which is precisely why it's so interesting. Dangerous driving + safe cars = eyes glued to F1.

I'd like Young Max to make the right decision, but the wrong one would be pretty exciting too.

 

[Greenlantern101]

Someone, maybe an old, wise, world champion, needs to sit him down and show him the footage from Kimi's car and explain exactly what he did wrong and what would of happened if Kimi had braked a tenth of a second later.

 

[The Artist.....]

Verstappen has been taken to task in drivers briefings, and has robustly defended his behaviour; Horner also defends his actions, so nothing is likely to change.

There is a pattern of drivers coming into F1 pulling these sorts of moves now- Perez was also pulling some of these moves when he came in, but has improved in the last few years - but Max is far more dangerous.

 

[vintly]

I hadn't read this before posting earlier. (From the Guardian)
------
Verstappen, however, as he has been in the past after tangling with Raikkonen, was unrepentant. “To be honest, it’s a big lie,” he said of the criticism. “I’m just defending my position and if somebody doesn’t like it it’s his own problem. It’s good television when someone’s moaning.”
------

Eek!

 

[The Artist.....]

vintly - that's a,ways been his attitude
. The fact that the stewards seem to want to give him as much freedom as he likes is depressing. I'd have hung out a black flag for him yesterday!

Is this any worse than any one of Max's moves?