Max Verstappen: A Look At Racing Career And His Most Remarkable Career Wins
Max Verstappen has become one of the most cheered names on the tracks of Formula 1 in recent years. Formula […]
Monza Staff
Max Verstappen has become one of the most cheered names on the tracks of Formula 1 in recent years.
Formula 1 is arguably one of the most anticipated motorsports events of the year. The prestigious competition has been held for many decades, and the number of people it has attracted is increasing tremendously. It is natural for a sport like Formula 1 to have some of the finest drivers in the world race the tracks through the generations. Back in the day, people cheered for Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, While today, people cheer for the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez.
Another great driver who has made a name for himself in recent years is Max Verstappen. The Belgian-Dutch driver impressed the world with his 2021 Formula One World Championship, but his story, even before becoming a champ, is inspiring. Coming from a family with more touring heritage Max Verstappen was destined to become a Formula One driver from an early age. He went on to win some impressive titles and made a stunning entry into the world of Formula One.
Following His Fathers Footsteps
Max Verstappen was the son of the famous Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen, so it was very almost natural for him to learn from his father, and because of this, he made his Karting debut at a very young age. In 2005, he joined the Belgian mini karting championship, and shortly before his eighth birthday, he won the Championship. If this was not impressive enough, in the next season, he ended up winning all the 21 races and secured back-to-back championships. After that, he was promoted to the senior category in the year 2007, and even there, he ended up winning all the races, which clearly shows the talent and potential this young kid had.
Acing Championships With Ease
By the year 2009, Max had won every possible championship under his age group multiple times, which allowed him to step up his game Into International territory. In the international competition, he secured second place in his first ever race at the winter cup and won first at the WSK Euro Series and WSK World Series, all in the KF3 category.
Max continued to dominate in every possible competition, and the year 2014 was the first time he jumped into the seat of a Formula 1 car. He competed in the Florida Winter Series Championship organized by Ferrari, where he competed against a few familiar names from his past and some current Formula 1 drivers. In the same year, he also competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, which took 10 wins and 16 Podiums.
En Route Red Bull Racing
After being a star name in the Karting world and now in the Formula 3 Championship, many big racing teams approached him for his signature. Teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, and Lotus approached Verstappen to join their driver’s program. In August of 2014, Max was selected by Red Bull racing to join their Junior program. Just six days later after he joined the junior program, it was confirmed that he would be officially racing for team Red Bull in the 2015 season. Just to put things into perspective, Max was just 17 years old when he made his Formula 1 debut, making him the youngest ever driver to do so.
After seeing the incredible rise of Max Verstappen to Formula 1, the FIA changed the sport’s rules to prevent young or perhaps inexperienced drivers from making their way to the sport. Nevertheless, Max put on a solid show in his first ever season in Formula One as he finished fourth, and the most remarkable race for him happened to be the Hungarian Grand Prix. Many people in the Motorsport world were concerned about Max’s age, but he managed to silence everyone with his performance on the track and proved that “If you are good enough, you are old enough.”
Achieving Big Milestones
Formula 1’s youngest driver also became the youngest point scorer for any team. At 18 years and 288 days, he secured his first ever points for Red Bull Racing. At the end of the 2015 season, he also received three awards at the FIA ceremony. Rookie of the year, Personality Of the Year, and Action of the year for his overtake on Felipe Nasr outside the Blanchimont Corner at the Belgian Grand Prix. In his first eight races for Red Bull, he finished in the top five on six occasions whilst securing four podiums.
From an early age, Max had a habit of winning, and perhaps the Crown jewel of all his victories happens to be the Formula 1 Championship which he won in the year 2021 at the age of 24. It was a very dramatic late victory going into the final race day as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were both level on points. Verstappen, however, overtook Hamilton in the race’s final lap and eventually became the world champion. He was also named the Dutch sportsperson of the year in 2016 and 2021. His incredible rise to the top of the Formula One hierarchy has also seen him gain many fans worldwide and many from his home country too.
The future indeed looks bright for the young Formula 1 champion, as he is currently 24 years of age and has already conquered world titles in his previous seasons. He has, however, remained with Red Bull Racing for a long time, and he might look for a switch in the coming years. Regardless of which, Max will, hopefully, continue to win and dominate on the tracks of Formula 1.