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SportsNetherlands

Formula 1: From 'Mad Max' to winning driver

Stefan Nestler
October 9, 2022

With his victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen clinched his second Formula 1 drivers' title. The Dutchman, who was once dubbed "Mad Max," has made the most of the considerable talent that he was born with.

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Max Verstappen's Red Bull car on the Suzuka International Racing Course
Max Verstappen, seen here in a practice session for the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, has won his second F1 titleImage: HochZwei/IMAGO

That Max Verstappen clinched his second drivers' championship at Suzuka seems fitting, as it was there the Dutchman first took the wheel of a Formula 1 car — a Toro Rosso in the free practice at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix — just three days after his 17th birthday. This record is his for keeps — as in 2016 the FIA, motor sports' world-governing body, responded by introducing a minimum age of 18 for F1 drivers.

Rapid career progression 

When Verstappen joined Toro Rosso earlier in 2014 he was still just 16. Because he was still a minor, his father, former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, had to sign the contract on his son's behalf.

Verstappen drove a kart for the first time at the age of four and began competing in kart races at eight with a great deal of success — the start of a steep and rapid development curve.

At 16 the Dutchman sat behind the wheel of a Formula 3 car for the first time and promptly set the fastest time on that day.

Months after first sitting in the Toro Rosso F1 car, Verstappen made his race debut at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix — at the age of 17 years and 166 days.

He collected his first drivers' championship points in Malaysia, the second race of the 2015 season, in which he would post two fourth-place finishes.

For his efforts, FIA selected him as the 2015 F1 Rookie of the Year as well as the circuit's Personality of the Year.

'Mad Max'

Not everybody was impressed by Verstappen's personality, however. His aggressive driving style quickly earned him the nickname "Mad Max." In a 2016 comment that went viral, former Formula 1 star Niki Lauda described the Dutchman as someone who belonged in a "psychiatric ward." 

That was the year Verstappen moved from Toro Rosso to Red Bull and won the Spanish Grand Prix, his first race with his new team. The also meant that aged 18 years and 228 days, he had broken Sebastian Vettel's record as the youngest winner of a Formula 1 race. 

Max Verstappen celebrates winning the Spanish GP
By winning the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix Max Verstappen set the record for youngest winner of an F1 raceImage: ATP/picture alliance

Folk hero in the Netherlands 

After a so-so 2017 season, in which he finished sixth in the drivers' standings, things started to look up; he finished fourth in 2018, third in 2019 and 2020, before capturing his first world championship in 2021.

He clinched this by coming out on top in a memorable duel with Lewis Hamilton to win his 10th race of the season on the campaign's final weekend in Abu Dhabi. 

Verstappen has now shed his former image as a bully and matured into a hard-nosed winning driver. Back home in the Netherlands, he is celebrated as a folk hero. 

"I've achieved everything in Formula 1 now," Verstappen had said even after his first title win. 

This year, the defending title holder proved himself to be a true champion, winning 11 of 17 races, capping the season off at Suzuka where his F1 journey began some eight years ago.

This article has been translated from German.