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Happy birthday Max - Moments that have defined Max Verstappen in Formula 1

30 September 2019 at 15:00
Last update 30 September 2019 at 15:38
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  • Joseph Tyrrell

If you didn't know who Max Verstappen was but were told he had raced in Formula 1 for five seasons, you probably wouldn't expect the lad to still be in his early twenties. Despite still being relatively young the Dutchman has achieved so much. On his 22nd birthday, here are some moments that defined Max Verstappen in Formula 1.

His F1 debut

Max Verstappen made his debut in Formula 1 at the tender age of 17 and 166 days, when he raced for Toro Rosso in Australia in 2015. In starting the race, Verstappen became the youngest driver to start a race. He broke the previous record held by Jaime Alguersuari by almost two years.

On his first start in the pinnacle of motorsport, he was forced to retire after an engine failure. He was on course for a points finish until he exited the race on lap 40. However, he'd make up for it in his next race by finishing seventh in Malaysia.

Despite the talent being evident in his opening season, the results weren't necessarily there to back it up. He retired from four of the first nine races and only scored points on two occasions. However, a hugely impressive run kicked off with a P4 finish in Hungary. Max then proceeded to score points at every race for the rest of the season, bar the Italian and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.

Amongst this run another P4 at the US Grand Prix. He worked his way from tenth to fourth in chaotic circumstances which saw only 12 drivers finish the Grand Prix. After the race, his now trademark aggressive style was questioned by Kimi Raikkonen.

Verstappen would finish his debut season in Formula 1 with 49 points which earned him 12th in the Drivers' Championship.

Max flies by Nasr in Belgium

Verstappen has become well known for his daring and dramatic overtakes, but none match the incredible move he pulled off at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix. Running 12th behind Felipe Nasr, Max Verstappen took the Brazilian on at Blanchemont, a 190 mph corner! The Dutchman stuck with him all the way to the next corner earning himself the inside line to breeze by. 

A fine example of Max's aggressive driving style paying dividends and one of the most impressive moves in recent times.

Red Bull debut and his first F1 victory

The Spanish Grand Prix of 2016 is well remembered for Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's dramatic crash on the opening lap of the race, but it'll go down in history as the day Max Verstappen won his first Formula 1 race. 

Verstappen was controversially promoted Red Bull at the expense of Daniil Kvyat for the race at the Circuit de Catalunya and he made the most of his first start for Red Bull. Having qualified fourth behind his teammate Daniel Ricciardo and the two Mercedes, Verstappen made the most of their collision, running a two-stop strategy and holding off Kimi Raikkonen to earn himself a groundbreaking victory in Formula 1. He became the youngest ever and first Dutch race winner in Formula One. 

Whilst his teammate rued the team's decision to run a different strategy to Verstappen, the new Red Bull driver was over the moon, paying tribute to his new team after the race. 

Successive P2 finishes in Austria and Great Britain followed and he rounded off the 2016 season with 204 points, enough for fifth in the Drivers' standings.

It took Max over a year to stand on top of the podium again when he stormed to victory at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix. The Red Bull man qualified third behind Raikkonen and Hamilton, putting himself in a good position to make a move.

After Raikkonen failed to make the grid with a power unit issue it left the Dutchman to chase down Lewis Hamilton in first. And chase him down he did, Verstappen overtook Hamilton for the lead on lap 4, and led until lap 28 when he went in for a tyre change handing the lead to his teammate, Ricciardo who still needed to pit. Max retook the lead and comfortably won despite Hamilton trying to chase him down. 

Canada 2018 and proving the doubters wrong

2018 didn't start too well for Max Verstappen, two retirements and the impressive (depending on how you look at it) stat of being involved in at least one incident at the first six races of the season. A crash forced him to qualify 15th for the Bahrain Grand Prix before he collided with Lewis Hamilton and another retirement in Azerbaijan led to people questioning whether he was the next big.

However, the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix was a huge turning point for him. He topped every practice session and then qualified third for the race in Montreal. At the beginning of the race, Verstappen pushed Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas for 2nd place. He finished third but this signalled a change of form for the Dutchman, scoring four P2 finishes and a victory in Mexico. 

He was on course for another win in Brazil before Esteban Ocon wiped him out as a backmarker allowing Lewis Hamilton to steal through. Verstappen had to do community service in Formula E shadowing a marshall after he pushed Ocon after the race. 

Nonetheless, from and including the Canadian Grand Prix Verstappen scored 11 podiums to score his best F1 points haul to date and he finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship. 

Honda glory and his maiden pole

Verstappen and Red Bull went into the 2019 season with a new engine as they switched from Renault power units to Honda. After their disastrous spell with McLaren, the pressure was on Honda to supply a competitive engine and for the first few races they held their own but the first big impact came at the Austrian Grand Prix.

The perfect setting for a Red Bull victory around the Red Bull Ring. Charles Leclerc had qualified on pole but as his tyres deteriorated Verstappen who had earlier stalled at the very start of the race, overtook all his rivals before he made the killer move on Leclerc, passing him into turn 2 with three laps to go. Although Leclerc contested Max was given the win, his first of the season, the first win by a non-Mercedes driver in 2019 and the first victory by a Honda-powered car since Jenson Button at the Hungarian Grand Prix of 2006.

Another victory in chaotic circumstances followed in Germany before he scored his maiden pole position at the Hungaroring. He wasn't able to convert his pole into a victory but it was another step in the career of Max Verstappen.

Verstappen may only be 22 but he's provided us with some great moments over the years and we look forward to many more. Happy birthday Max!