Photo: Max Verstappen on Facebook
At 18 years and 228 days old, the one who is known as Max Verstappen goes into the record books as the youngest driver to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix. Based on the incredible win he took at the Spanish Grand Prix, Max shows great promise. A lot of that, actually.
When Daniil Kvyat was ousted from Red Bull to Toro Rosso after repeatedly crashing into Sebastian Vettel at the Russian Grand Prix, we didn’t expect Max Verstappen to finish on the podium on his first drive for Red Bull, let alone keep Ferrari at bay and win the race altogether. Bear in mind that Max’s memorable win was facilitated by the ego- and stupidity-driven crash between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
“After the Mercedes-pair crashed, I started targeting a podium finish, but I didn’t expect to win. During my first stint on the softs, I was able to follow closely, although my tires were going off when I was behind of Ricciardo. Then I pitted and switched to the mediums. From that moment on, the car felt great and I was able to take care of my tires and monitor my tempo. Looking back, we had the best strategy,” declared the talented youngster.
When all is said and done, Max Verstappen put his money where his mouth is and raced his heart out against the most experienced Formula 1 driver on the current grid and the youngest-ever world drivers’ championship winner. Better still, Max beat Ferrari at its own game, including the three-stop tire strategy. I kid you not, absolutely no one saw this win coming. The script was 100 percent unpredictable.
When Max was asked by the media about what was going through his mind when Kimi Raikkonen kept getting closer, Max replied, “I wasn’t nervous, but I couldn’t believe it. With still ten laps to go, I looked at the leaderboard alongside the track and saw myself at the top. Driving at the front was something I had already done before, but then it suddenly hit me. Then I was thinking: don’t look at the board no more, focus on the tires and bring the car home. That’s what I did, even though the last part of the race took very long, to me that is.”
Composure, humbleness, and talent will see Max Verstappen win the drivers’ championship one day.
Editor’s note: Is it me or Formula 1 is a more exciting sport when Mercedes-AMG isn’t around?
P.S.: Max also enjoys the titles of youngest driver to start a Formula 1 race (17 years, 166 days), youngest driver to score points in Formula 1 (17 years, 180 days), youngest race leader for at least one lap in Formula 1 (18 years, 228 days), and youngest driver to score a podium position in Formula 1 (18 years, 228 days).
“After the Mercedes-pair crashed, I started targeting a podium finish, but I didn’t expect to win. During my first stint on the softs, I was able to follow closely, although my tires were going off when I was behind of Ricciardo. Then I pitted and switched to the mediums. From that moment on, the car felt great and I was able to take care of my tires and monitor my tempo. Looking back, we had the best strategy,” declared the talented youngster.
When all is said and done, Max Verstappen put his money where his mouth is and raced his heart out against the most experienced Formula 1 driver on the current grid and the youngest-ever world drivers’ championship winner. Better still, Max beat Ferrari at its own game, including the three-stop tire strategy. I kid you not, absolutely no one saw this win coming. The script was 100 percent unpredictable.
When Max was asked by the media about what was going through his mind when Kimi Raikkonen kept getting closer, Max replied, “I wasn’t nervous, but I couldn’t believe it. With still ten laps to go, I looked at the leaderboard alongside the track and saw myself at the top. Driving at the front was something I had already done before, but then it suddenly hit me. Then I was thinking: don’t look at the board no more, focus on the tires and bring the car home. That’s what I did, even though the last part of the race took very long, to me that is.”
Composure, humbleness, and talent will see Max Verstappen win the drivers’ championship one day.
Editor’s note: Is it me or Formula 1 is a more exciting sport when Mercedes-AMG isn’t around?
P.S.: Max also enjoys the titles of youngest driver to start a Formula 1 race (17 years, 166 days), youngest driver to score points in Formula 1 (17 years, 180 days), youngest race leader for at least one lap in Formula 1 (18 years, 228 days), and youngest driver to score a podium position in Formula 1 (18 years, 228 days).
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