Max Verstappen: F1's Most Incredible Young Talent
Asked whether he’s the fastest driver in the world, and the teenage driver gave the most diplomatic answer ever: "Quite difficult to say right now. Maybe there is someone in Africa you do not know".
The interviewer asked Verstappen again the same question, and Max replied: "As an F1 driver, you must always be very confident." Well, that sums it, doesn’t it? The young driver is not only talented on the road, but he’s also extremely smart, and that’s just the icing on the cake. If you're looking to know more about Max Verstappen news and other updates on races, cars, and drivers, check out articles and editorials on GrandPrixTimes.
Verstappen is quite a phenomenon in the sport, as he made history as the youngest professional racer to ever make an appearance at the Formula 1 championship. He made his debut in 2015 as a 17 years old, and last year he won the championship, though he managed to win the championship in a racing car that had absolutely no chance of winning races. Wanna know how to bet on motosport?
Currently at 19 years, Verstappen has curved a name for himself not only as a young pro, but a tough one at that. He is known to have super instinctive car control, and courage to push even through a space that any average driver would find it hard navigating through.
If you happen to have watched the race in Brazil, you must have seen how the young racer defied the laws of physics with that save in the wet; was Verstappen’s car at just about a right angle? And how did he make it to the podium yet he was trailing at position 16 with fifteen laps to go?
Max Verstappen dropped by in Barcelona, just before the Grand Prix of Spain was scheduled to start. He was at exactly the same venue where he won his 1st race last year competing under the Red Bull Racing banner. He came across as an interesting individual, and rather than the generic soundbites that are common with new crops of drivers, he exuded confidence, but was careful with his words to show professionalism.
What’s Your Motivation, Verstappen?
There is that drive that pushes us to do things, and for Verstappen, the motivating factor that gets him going even as he pursues his goals is simply "driving a car very fast." Unlike other drivers who are driven by championship stats such as breaking an existing record, Verstappen just wants to get into a car and drive it as fast as he can.
Being the youngest racer in the championship, you would expect that he’d be hot on pursuit to smash the record set by Vettel as the youngest world champion ever, at 23. However, Verstappen is not interested in his teammate’s record, and that he’s only in it for the love of racing cars. He claims that he enjoys getting into a car and speeding off to the finish line, and that he’s satisfied with just racing the cars and that he’ll "eventually win championships".
Is It Just Genetics Or There’s More To It?
Verstappen got into the game at an early age, because he was karting even before hitting the age of four. He started competing at age 8 and was successful almost instantly. And if you find yourself asking whether the young racer’s talent behind the wheel of a F1 car is genetically influenced, there’s no surprise there. Verstappen is the son of a former F1 driver Jos Verstappen and karting champion Sophie Kumpen from Belgium.
Verstappen believes that his father is a great influence in his F1 performance. The old folk used to help Verstappen to fix his car, tune his engine, and setting up his go-karts. And while genetics do play an influence in what the young one turned grew into today, the youngster believes that it takes more than just genetics to be where he is right now. According to Verstappen, “For sure it helps having parents in racing, but you also need to use it and work hard off-track as well to make it all happen.”
This shows that the racer knows what it takes to actually compete in a race that’s filled with professional contenders who have been in the game for years, and for him to make such an impact at an early point of his career, means he has to work even harder to maintain the standards he has set.
How Did All These Start?
Verstappen has made such a tremendous growth in the industry in only a few years in it, and he himself can’t even pinpoint exactly how he knew this could happen ever in his career. But his confidence is all that matters now. According to the young driver, you take everything that comes your way and make it into something positive, and as much as you may have the talent to boot, you also need luck to smile at you a bit to actually make it to where you want to be. He says, “You need a bit of luck as well. So over the years you become better and better.”
From Karting to F1 Racing
The young driver made progress from karting to F1 racing within no time, and this was probably due to his amazing performance on the track. He first started racing in national karting championship where out of 75 competitions, he won 73 of them! He moved on to international races where he also put up a superb performance, and then had to graduate to racing cars, but that was until late October 2013.
He was 16 years at the time, and was confirmed a F1 racer two years later in the Toro Rosso team, though he did not have a driving license yet. He went on to compete at the European F3 Tournament and won ten races.
He attributes his amazing performance on the track to the time they put in practice with his father, Verstappen senior. The old folk would organize track races for his karting experience, and made him compete in three races: one he starts in the first position, second in the last position, and the third race, he starts in the middle.
During these races, he was made to overtake in tight spots, and it is this practice with his father that has transformed him into a daredevil on the race track because he is able to spot gaps that other drivers barely even notice.
What Do Other Drivers Say About You?
The young lad’s performance at the race tracks is something to watch out for. He has made an impression even to his peers on the track. When asked about Verstappen’s progress in the F1 racing career, Lewis Hamilton had this to say: “He blasted into F1 and did an extraordinary job. He is definitely growing, but there is a very long way to go. Max has a great career ahead of him.”
What’s surprising about Verstappen is that the young lad does not have role models in the F1 industry except for Fernando Alonso. Even though he has a lot of respect to his fellow competitors in the game, the young driver feels that he has his own course to chart, and the only way to achieve his set goals, is to do things his way. He values the relationship he has with Verstappen senior, and considers him not only as a father but a friend too.
They did everything together, and the bond that grew out of that only deserves respect. This is what he had to say when asked about his relationship with the old man: “My father was an ex-Formula 1 driver. Therefore, he spent a lot of time investing his knowledge in me, teaching me how to improve my driving skills, and steer in the right direction, since a young age. I believe that helped me a lot to become the F1 driver I am today.”
And he does acknowledge that he’s cut from a different cloth from the rest of the F1 racers. He quips, “that comes from when I was a child. The way I was prepared was quite different to a lot of drivers in F1 in general and a lot of sports.”
Other Interests Other Than F1, Verstappen?
Far from the world of F1 and motor racing, Verstappen is trying to adapt to his new life. The young one recently moved to Monaco where he enjoys riding his scooter, though he already has an Aston Martin DB11 on order.
His other interests include go-karting and jet skiing. His love for speed is easily notable, and everything about him just screams races. He wants to be in the F1 industry for more than 15 years before retiring, and the future looks good for the young professional racer. We’ll just have to wait and see what he has in store for us.
