Max Verstappen became the youngest driver in Formula 1 history when he made his debut for Red Bull junior team Toro Rosso in 2015. Within 14 months, he was racing for Christian Horner’s squad.
Red Bull won the race to sign Verstappen in 2014 and stunned the F1 world by announcing that he’d immediately graduate to the pinnacle of motorsport. He was just 16 at the time, and had finished third in the European Formula 3 championship.
Traditionally, a driver would move from Euro F3 into what was then GP3 or GP2, but Red Bull knew this was no ordinary young talent. Even the champion that year, Esteban Ocon, had to wait until the middle of 2016 for his F1 chance with Manor.
Racing alongside Carlos Sainz, Verstappen predictably broke records. He would finish seventh in just his second race in Malaysia to become the youngest F1 points scorer ever.
| RANK | DRIVER | TEAM | POINTS |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 381 |
| 2 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 322 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 278 |
| 4 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 150 |
| 5 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 136 |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 121 |
| 7 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull | 95 |
| 8 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 92 |
| 9 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 78 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 58 |
| 11 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | 51 |
| 12 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso | 49 |
By the end of the year, he’d accumulated 49 points, enough for 12th in the standings. Teammate Sainz only managed 18.
The initial plan was for the Dutchman to stay at Toro Rosso for another year. But just four races into the 2016 campaign, Red Bull demoted Daniil Kvyat, and Verstappen repaid their faith with an extraordinary debut win in Spain.
F1 bosses would change the rules so a driver had to be 18 to attain a superlicence. Helmut Marko called the FIA ‘stupid’ for overlooking the level of Verstappen’s performances.
Martin Brundle knew Max Verstappen was special after Chinese Grand Prix pass on Felipe Nasr
Verstappen failed to make the chequered flag at the 2015 Chinese GP, though he was officially classified 17th. He stopped on the start/finish straight after suffering a transmission failure with four laps to go.
It was a performance that deserved more. Verstappen was running eighth after an exhibition of overtaking during which he passed both Sauber drivers at the hairpin.
He just about avoided contact with Marcus Ericsson after diving down the inside, but he executed a far more assured move on Felipe Nasr on lap 19. Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle was in awe.
He’d been told to ‘look out’ for the Dutchman, but he still couldn’t believe how confident he was on the brakes. Those early races certainly set the tone for what was to come.
“We’ve got a megastar on our hands in the making here,” Brundle said after the Nasr overtake. “Young Max Verstappen. They told us to look out for him.
“And here he is. He just keeps pulling the moves. What confidence for 17 years old!”
Lando Norris could secure F1 rule change to hurt Max Verstappen in 2025
Verstappen will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of his Formula 1 debut next March. He’s now a four-time world champion who ranks third all-time for total race wins (63).
Lando Norris perhaps has the best chance at ending his reign. Norris was runner-up in this year’s standings, 63 points adrift, and McLaren were the best team on balance over the season, as evidenced by their constructors’ triumph.
McLaren Zak Brown has hinted that Norris may have to run Verstappen off the road during their wheel-to-wheel battles. Perhaps the best way to counter his aggression is to respond in kind.
Alternatively, Nico Rosberg has told Norris to push for a rule change to outlaw some of the 27-year-old’s more controversial tactics. That wouldn’t necessarily stop him from using them, but it could lead to some damaging penalties.
