So on Sunday Max Verstappen became the youngest Grand Prix driver of all time, at the age of 17 years and 166 days. Although unable to complete the race distance due to mechanical failure, he raced strongly in the midfield, comparing well to his (slightly) older team-mate despite being on the less favoured tyre compound.
Obviously time will tell whether Verstappen can cement his place in Formula One, but the very fact of his promotion leads one to wonder...how young could a future F1 driver realistically be? What is actually required to drive one of today's cars in terms of physical and mental development? Would a schoolboy racer offer more advantages than just in terms of light weight - reflexes? Visual acuity?
At the moment, certainly in Europe, there are very few racing series that will issue licences to under-16s, by which time some young drivers have been racing karts for a decade or so. This presents a practical barrier; as does the recent restructuring of the F1 superlicence regulations, which prevent the theoretical possibility of an F1 team taking a driver fresh from karting.
It is possible to imagine the constraints on series such as F4 / FRenault being relaxed over time, providing an earlier entry point into single-seaters; then those who excel early, as Max did, would attract the attention of the F1 teams.
Personally, and feel free to call me crazy, I wouldn't be surprised if we see drivers as young as 13 racing in F1 over the course of the next, say, 25 years.
Obviously time will tell whether Verstappen can cement his place in Formula One, but the very fact of his promotion leads one to wonder...how young could a future F1 driver realistically be? What is actually required to drive one of today's cars in terms of physical and mental development? Would a schoolboy racer offer more advantages than just in terms of light weight - reflexes? Visual acuity?
At the moment, certainly in Europe, there are very few racing series that will issue licences to under-16s, by which time some young drivers have been racing karts for a decade or so. This presents a practical barrier; as does the recent restructuring of the F1 superlicence regulations, which prevent the theoretical possibility of an F1 team taking a driver fresh from karting.
It is possible to imagine the constraints on series such as F4 / FRenault being relaxed over time, providing an earlier entry point into single-seaters; then those who excel early, as Max did, would attract the attention of the F1 teams.
Personally, and feel free to call me crazy, I wouldn't be surprised if we see drivers as young as 13 racing in F1 over the course of the next, say, 25 years.