Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from to with Red Bull, and has won Grands Prix across 11 seasons.
Born in Hasselt and raised in Maaseik, Verstappen is the son of Dutch former Formula One driver Jos Verstappen and Belgian former kart racer Sophie Kumpen. After a successful karting career—culminating in his record-breaking 2013 season—Verstappen graduated to junior formulae. Progressing directly to FIA European Formula 3, Verstappen broke several records on his way to third in the championship in his rookie season with Van Amersfoort. Aged 17, Verstappen signed for Toro Rosso in as part of the Red Bull Junior Team, becoming the youngest driver in Formula One history at the. Following several points finishes in his debut season, Verstappen retained his seat for before being promoted to parent team Red Bull after four rounds. On debut for Red Bull, aged 18, Verstappen won the, becoming the youngest-ever driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. Verstappen achieved multiple race wins in his and campaigns, before finishing third in both the and World Drivers' Championships under Honda power.
Verstappen won his maiden title in after overtaking Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the last race of the season, becoming the first World Drivers' Champion from the Netherlands. Verstappen won the next two championships in and, overturning the largest points deficit in Formula One history in the former and breaking numerous records across both seasons. He secured his fourth consecutive title in after winning nine Grands Prix, including a widely acclaimed wet-weather performance in São Paulo, to become the first driver to win the championship driving for a third-placed constructor in 41 years. He finished runner-up by two points in a three-way title battle with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in.
As of the, Verstappen has achieved race wins, pole positions, fastest laps, and podiums in Formula One. In addition to being the youngest Grand Prix winner, he holds several Formula One records, including the most wins in a season, the most podium finishes in a season, the most consecutive wins, and the most consecutive pole positions. Verstappen is contracted to remain at Red Bull until at least the end of the 2028 season. He has also competed professionally in sim racing since 2015, winning several marquee iRacing events. Verstappen was listed in the 2024 issue of Time as one of the 100 most influential people globally, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2022.
Early life
Max Emilian Verstappen was born on 30 September 1997 in Hasselt, Belgium, to Jos Verstappen and Sophie Kumpen. Verstappen's parents separated when he was young, after which he lived with his father. His younger sister, Victoria, lived with their mother. Verstappen has three younger half-siblings from his father: a sister from Jos's second marriage and a brother and sister from Jos's current marriage.His family has a long association with motor sports: his father is a Dutch former Formula One driver, his Belgian mother competed in karting, and his first cousin once removed, Anthony Kumpen, competed in endurance racing and is a two-time NASCAR Whelen Euro Series champion currently serving as the team manager for PK Carsport in Euro Series. Verstappen initially attended a secondary school in Maaseik, before moving into private tutoring; he admitted that he used to leave class early to attend races across Europe with his father.
Junior racing career
Karting (2005–2013)
2005–2009: Dominance in national championships
Verstappen started racing in karts at the age of four and competing in championships at the age of seven. In 2005 he competed in the Mini Junior championship of his home province of Limburg, Belgium, and won the VAS Championship in the same category. In 2006, he repeated his success. In 2007, Verstappen graduated to the Rotax Max Mini Max class and won the Rotax Max Challenge Belgium and the Dutch Championship in that category. In 2008, racing in a CRG kart entered by his father, Verstappen won the Belgian Cadet Championship, the Rotax Max Challenge Belgium, and the Benelux Karting Series in Mini Max class. In 2009, Verstappen joined Pex Racing, a CRG customer team. That year, he defended his titles in the Mini Max championships and won the Belgian KF5 Championship.2010–2012: Entering the international karting scene
Verstappen was signed by CRG to race in their factory team and stepped up to international karting in 2010. At the KF3 World Cup, Verstappen finished second to the more experienced Alexander Albon but beat him at the WSK Euro Series and also won the WSK World Series, beating Robert Vișoiu. He finished fifth in the European Championship and won the WSK Nations Cup as well as the final of the Bridgestone Cup where during a 28 laps' race in the rain he beat Dennis Olsen by over 11 seconds. In 2011, Verstappen won the WSK Euro Series ahead of Esteban Ocon in a Parilla-powered CRG kart. However, it was not a successful year for him, as he finished 14th in the European Championship and got taken out in the World Cup by Charles Leclerc.In the following year, Verstappen joined the Intrepid Driver Program to race in the KF2 and KZ2 classes. He won the WSK Master Series in the KF2 class, beating the CRG driver Felice Tiene. Verstappen won the South Garda Winter Cup in the KF2 class, beating Dennis Olsen and Antonio Fuoco. He finished sixth in the WSK Euro Series. He was the youngest driver taking part in the World Championship in KF1 class and finished eighth.
In July 2012, it was announced that Verstappen would leave Intrepid. After a short stint with CRG-built Zanardi karts, Verstappen returned to the factory CRG team. He finished second at the World Cup in the KF2 class and competed at the SKUSA SuperNationals in the KZ2 class in a CRG, finishing 21st.
2013: Record-breaking season
In 2013, Verstappen completed a record-breaking season in karting, having progressed to the senior KF and KZ categories. Aged 15, he won three CIK-FIA championships in a single season: two European Championships and a World Championship; an unprecedented feat in the history of the discipline. He became the first driver since his father Jos to win two European Championships in the same season, and the first to do so in both the primary direct-drive and gearbox classes. By winning the 2013 KZ World Championship at Varennes-sur-Allier, beating Charles Leclerc to the title, Verstappen became the youngest-ever driver to win the gearbox World Championship.Further adding to his accolades in 2013, Verstappen also finished third at the KF World Championship after being disqualified for a move on Nicklas Nielsen in the final race, having won the opening round and pre-final. This was the only championship he failed to win in 2013 whilst completing all rounds. Verstappen won the South Garda Winter Cup in KF2, as well as the WSK Euro Series and the WSK Super Master Series in KZ1 and KZ2, respectively.
Lower formulae (2014)
Verstappen first experienced formula racing at Pembrey in August 2013 with Manor MP; he drove 160 laps across two days in a Barazi-Epsilon FR2.0–10. He tested for several other Formula Renault 2.0 teams that year. In December 2013, Verstappen tested a Dallara F311 Formula Three car run by Motopark Academy. An additional Formula Renault test followed in December at Circuito de Jerez. Driving for Josef Kaufmann Racing, Verstappen went faster than Formula Renault regulars like Steijn Schothorst and Matt Parry. At the Circuit Ricardo Tormo near Valencia, Verstappen set a faster lap time than the more experienced driver Eddie Cheever III.2014: Florida Winter Series and Formula Three
On 16 January 2014, it was announced Verstappen would make his junior formulae debut in the non-championship Florida Winter Series. On 5 February, at the second race weekend, Verstappen won the race at Palm Beach International Raceway after he started from pole. A few weeks later, Verstappen won his second race of the series at Homestead–Miami Speedway after beating Nicholas Latifi by 0.004 seconds.Following his single-seater debut in the inaugural Florida Winter Series, Verstappen drove in the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship for Van Amersfoort Racing. Aged sixteen, Verstappen achieved ten victories in total—including a record six consecutive wins at Spa-Francorchamps and the Norisring—along with eight retirements and one missed start, becoming the youngest race winner and polesitter in Formula Three history at the Hockenheimring; he placed third in the overall standings, with the most wins.
Formula One career
During the first practice session at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen replaced Jean-Éric Vergne as part of his preparation for a full-time seat at Toro Rosso in the season. Aged 17 years and three days, Verstappen was the youngest person in history to participate in a Formula One race weekend. In August 2014, Verstappen joined the Red Bull Junior Team after testing a Formula Renault 3.5 car. He also considered an offer from Mercedes to join their driver development programme.Toro Rosso (2015–2016)
Verstappen then became the youngest driver to start a World Championship race through joining Toro Rosso's race drivers' line-up with Carlos Sainz as his teammate, in his Grand Prix debut as a full-time driver at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix at the age of breaking Jaime Alguersuari's existing record by almost two years. In this first race, Verstappen ran in points-scoring positions until he was forced to retire due to an engine failure. However, at the subsequent race in Malaysia, Verstappen qualified sixth and finished the race in seventh place, scoring his first Formula One points aged, breaking the record of the then-youngest driver to score World Championship points.At the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen was involved in a high-speed collision with Romain Grosjean, after clipping the back of Grosjean's Lotus on the approach to the tight first corner, Sainte Devote, and crashed into the barriers at high speed. Verstappen was given a five-place grid penalty for causing the accident, and was branded "dangerous" by Williams driver Felipe Massa.
Verstappen continued to regularly finish in the points as well as achieving his best finish of the 2015 season in Hungary by finishing fourth, and equalled this result at the United States Grand Prix. At the end of the season, Verstappen received three awards at the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony, for "Rookie of the Year", "Personality of the Year" and "Action of the Year", for his overtake on Felipe Nasr on the outside of the Blanchimont corner at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Verstappen began the 2016 season at Toro Rosso, again alongside Sainz. Verstappen qualified fifth for the opening race of the season in Australia, but during the race made several radio calls to his team due to frustration at being behind Sainz on track before Verstappen's Toro Rosso came into contact with his teammate's car whilst attempting to pass him with three laps to go, and he eventually finished tenth. Verstappen enjoyed a more successful weekend at the following race in Bahrain, finishing sixth to score Toro Rosso's first-ever points at the Sakhir circuit.