From the moment Max Verstappen joined the Red Bull Junior team in 2014, there was an imperative that he would one day become the Formula One world champion. It came in the shape of a sensational last lap sprint in Abu Dhabi on Sunday that ousted seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton from his throne, making it even sweeter for the 24-year-old, the first Dutchman to be crowned.
After the finish in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen said: “When I was young my goal was to be a Formula One driver. You dream of podiums and victories. But when they tell you you are world champion, it’s unbelievable. “
Hamilton, 36, has been a sensational champion with Mercedes but Verstappen’s victory signals the arrival of a new world order.
His pace and talent have long been evident, but it is his calmness under pressure and willingness to go toe-to-toe with the real F1 greats, even when things get hairy, that has helped this season’s growth. is marked at the top.
At Silverstone, Verstappen crashed into the barrier; At Monza he crashed his Red Bull on top of a Mercedes. In Saudi Arabia, Hamilton crunched Red Bull’s back side when Verstappen braked to pass him.
Incidents on the track have set it off. The Dutchman dubbed the seven-time world champion a “stupid idiot”, while Hamilton accused the young pretender of being “over the limit” in Jeddah.
In Abu Dhabi, Verstappen produced one of the most unexpected victories imaginable with a last lap dash that left veteran Hamilton confused.
Not once, however, did the challenger take a step back or succumb to the pressure.
“He deals with pressure better than other guys,” two-time world champion Fernando Alonso said earlier in the season.
“Everyone is different, but it doesn’t seem like a big deal to him.”
racing pedigree
Verstappen is used to the spotlight, the pressure and has experience beyond his years as a racing driver, with 20 years already on the track.
According to his father Jos Verstappen, who took part in over a hundred Grand Prix between 1994 and 2003, Max first got into go-karts when he was four and a half years old.
“He was curious, watching all my races, he knew what was going on. He was brought up with racing,” Jos told the official F1 podcast Beyond the Grid in 2019.
“I didn’t have to tell him the racing line, he knew.”
In Abu Dhabi, the two shared what Max called a “special” moment. His father had no doubts about his son’s achievement.
“I’m very proud of that,” Jose said. “Max was the driver this year and he deserved it.”
His father was not the only influence on his early racing career; His mother is former Belgian kart driver champion Sophie Kumpen. Her uncle competed in motocross and rally, and her cousin Anthony Kumpen raced NASCAR in the United States.
The title followed and the teen Verstappen moved up to Formula Three, winning 10 races in his first season, when he finished third in the championship, which was won by Esteban Ocon, a year his senior and now with the F1 Alpine team. .
Verstappen would almost certainly have gone on to win the Formula Three title, but after one season he took the biggest stage.
After participating in practice at the 2014 Japanese GP, he made his F1 debut for Toro Rosso at the 2015 Australian GP.
‘Exciting Driver’
At just 17 years and 166 days, he was the youngest driver ever in the sport – and still hadn’t passed his regular driving test.
“For me it was never about age,” Jose said. “What he was doing was very natural. It was impressive. Max is an exciting driver. He is so much better than me.”
In that first season he took his first points and joined his first scrap. Verstappen was labeled “dangerous” by Williams driver Felipe Massa in a shunt on Romain Grosjean in Monaco, but went on to win the FIA’s Rookie of the Year title.
In May 2016, he was promoted to the Red Bull team, replacing Daniil Kvyat, and the results were impressive and immediate. In his first race in Spain, he qualified in fourth place and then defeated Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari to become the youngest winner in F1 at the age of 18.
Vestappen achieved six top-five finishes, including four podiums, in his first eight races.
After two seasons as runners-up, he had a better car that enabled him to take out Mercedes several times.
“You just knew Max wasn’t going to give it up,” Red Bull principal Christian Horner said on Sunday. He’s come this far this year and then to see him up close, become world champion – an amazing feeling. “
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