Born to Race

Motorsports coursed through Verstappen’s veins from birth on September 30, 1997. His father Jos was an F1 driver in the 1990s and early 2000s, so Max arrived pre-packaged with racing embedded in his DNA. Jos introduced Max to karting at just 4 years old, initiating an intensive early cultivation of driving talent.

(Max with his father Jos Verstappen)

As Max grew older, the amateur series he competed in became increasingly more professional and competitive. From ages 8-10, Max cut his teeth racing in regional and national Belgian karting championships. He began cleaning up, winning race after race with displays of supreme car control and aggression that belied his tender age.  

When interviewed about those formative years, Max’s mother Sophie revealed how he constantly analyzed old VHS onboard videos from Jos’s F1 races, studying racing lines, braking points and overtaking maneuvers with scientific precision. Karting unlocked Max’s innate feel for operating high performance driving machinery. His uncanny ability to find speed and racecraft shone through.  

By age 13, Verstappen joined the official CRG factory kart team, immediately finding headline pace against talented youngsters like future F1 driver George Russell. Sophie brought Max's first real racing overalls as a lucky gift and he burst out the blocks by winning his debut race comfortably before cleaning up at the WSK Euro Series. Aged 15, Max entered the CIK-FIA Karting World Championship as a serious title threat despite racing drivers three years his senior. He qualified P3 and dominated by winning all three final races at Portugal’s Parque Extreme circuit. Max was crowned World and European Champion in the same day, obliterating numerous age records in the process. The entire motorsport world realized this Dutch prodigy was Formula One material.

Blazing a Trail to F1

Jos and Max plotted a route to Formula via racing cars as the next logical step. Over 2014-15, Max competed in Formula Renault and European Formula 3, learning the ropes of downforce single-seaters. He set blistering pace and impressed enough veterans - like Carlos Sainz Sr - to convince Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko of Max’s once-in-a-generation talent.  

(Max Verstappen competing in Formula 3. Germany, August 2014)  

Marko fast-tracked Verstappen into Formula One with Toro Rosso in 2015 aged just 17. This prompted some envy given the famous Verstappen racing name, but Max silenced critics by gaining his FIA superlicense and impressing mightily in Free Practice runouts. With a full-time race seat secured for 2015 alongside Carlos Sainz Jr, Jos Verstappen had completed his mission – delivering another supreme generational talent primed to take on the Formula One elite!

Sensational Start in Formula One

The motorsport world watched in awe as 17-year-old Max Verstappen made his F1 debut at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, breaking Sebastian Vettel's record as the youngest ever driver. He drove with maturity beyond his years, keeping his Toro Rosso cleanly around Albert Park to finish an incredible P7 and score points on debut.  

Verstappen validated the hype by becoming the youngest ever Grand Prix winner barely a year later, aged only 18! Now having sealed three straight Formula One World Championship titles before his 26th birthday, he is marching towards statistical supremacy to cement his legend amongst the all-time F1 greats.  

As his first season raced onwards, Max's aggression and audacious racecraft became more pronounced. His swashbuckling style reminded paddock veterans of a young Michael Schumacher. A quartet of hard-fought 4th place finishes demonstrated blistering raw pace and thrilling action. His audacious dive-bombs and bold passes regularly stole the show, capturing F1’s attention enroute to a famous Rookie of the Year award.  

Red Bull swooped to promote Verstappen into their senior team alongside Daniel Ricciardo for the 2016 season. This created F1's most exciting driver lineup, poised to take on the elite Mercedes and Ferrari teams. Nobody could have predicted the utter sensation coming under Barcelona’s bright Spanish sun...