In 2020, Verstappen was arguably the second-best driver on the grid despite finishing third once more in the standings.
278 points was a tally high enough to beat both Ferrari drivers to third in the standings. A collision in Azerbaijan - and Red Bull's subsequent dealing with the issue - all but cemented Verstappen's status as the future of the team, with Ricciardo leaving at the end of the season.Ģ019 was Verstappen's best season in Formula 1 statistically, with three victories and six podiums bolstered by only two finishes outside the top five and a further two retirements. Reliability improved on Verstappen's side of the garage in 2018, a year in which tempers began to flare between himself and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. Consistent top-five finishes, paired with two victories and two further podiums underlined the strength of the Verstappen-Red Bull partnership but any semblance of a championship battle was dogged by unreliability from the Renault power unit. In 2017, the new specification of cars brought Red Bull and Ferrari closer to the Mercedes. Six further podiums followed in a superb season that saw Verstappen take fifth in the drivers' championship, marking himself as a star of the future. Verstappen immediately impressed, becoming the youngest winner in F1 at his first attempt with the parent team, taking advantage of Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton's collision to maturely take victory. His racing credentials were cemented by an outrageous move around the outside of Felipe Nasr at the Blanchimont corner at Spa-Francorchamps.Īfter four races of his second season, Red Bull came calling for a promotion to the senior team in place of Daniil Kvyat. Verstappen ended the year 12th in the standings, ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz, with his performance good enough for rookie of the year.
The Dutchman impressed with multiple points finishes - including in the second race of the season in Malaysia - although regularly gained attention for his hard racing antics, no more so than after his terrifying high-speed accident at the Monaco Grand Prix. Max Verstappen became the youngest driver to ever race in Formula 1 when making his debut at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso, aged just 17 years and 166 days old. Biography of Max Verstappen Max Verstappen's F1 Career