17-year-old Formula 1 racing driver Max Verstappen has caused quite a stir since he arrived on the F1 scene in March of this year. The son of former Dutch F1 driver Jos Verstappen, Max is the youngest driver in Formula 1 history. Incredibly, he had failed his driving test when he joined the sport, so he was allowed to race at 200mph. on a racetrack, but not authorized to drive on public roads. He has since passed his test and, due to a regulatory change, his record as the youngest driver to race in Formula 1 will stand, as the minimum age to obtain a super license (the kind you need to be able to race in the track) has been increased to 18 years.
Despite the endorsement of his famous father, Max has earned his place in F1 thanks to his talent. He rose quickly through the ranks of Red Bull’s young driver program and beat out several other talented youngsters to secure a spot at Red Bull’s sister F1 team Torro Rosso. It was widely expected that, despite his talents, Max would not be able to cope with the pressure of the sport, which is notoriously ruthless if the drivers perform poorly. Many of Max’s predecessors in the Torro Rosso team have been targeted due to sub-par performance, sometimes mid-season. A former Torro Rosso driver has achieved greatness in the sport. Sebastian Vettel joined Red Bull after being promoted from Torro Rosso and won 4 consecutive world championships between 2010 and 2013.
However, Verstappen has risen to the occasion and consistently exceeded expectations so far this season. He has been praised for his gutsy passing, as well as his sheer pace and maturity. On the occasions when things did not go as planned, it was due to mechanical failures outside of his control. Red Bull boss Dr. Helmut Marko recently told current Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kyvaat to put on their socks because their sister team counterparts Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz were doing so. surpassing.
The young Dutchman’s fortunes have changed in the past week as Formula 1 headed to Monaco for what is considered the crown jewel of the F1 season. Verstappen silenced critics of him during ‘free practice’ sessions on Thursday before the race by driving around the street circuit in the third fastest time. Fellow drivers and racing experts praised Max for his pace around a circuit that is incredibly difficult to master with its narrow track and tight corners that leave no room for mistakes. But his inexperience showed on race day when he tried to pass Romain Grosjean’s Lotus at the Sainte Devote corner and ended up causing a huge collision.
Having placed his car in a prime position to overtake the Frenchman. Verstappen was trapped when Grosjean braked earlier than expected before the corner and collided with the right rear wheel of the Lotus. Verstappen’s left front suspension broke on impact and his car slammed into the barrier at over 100mph. The Lotus was able to continue without obvious damage and luckily Verstappen emerged from the cockpit unharmed. Those who watch the race live on television have the best angle of the crash, as the live footage at the time was from the on-board camera next to the driver’s helmet.
After the crash, Verstappen blamed Grosjean for braking too early, but following consultation with the race stewards who handle race disputes and incidents, Verstappen was deemed to have caused the collision and was assessed a grid penalty for the next race in Canada from June 5-7, and also received 2 penalty points on his license. The youngster has been philosophical ever since, saying he’s a rookie and will make some mistakes, which the team expects from time to time. He is also aware that if he is promoted to the Red Bull team in the future, such mistakes will not be tolerated. We hope Max recovers from this incident at the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. For more details, plus tickets and the latest Formula 1 news, visit http://cheapf1tickets.com.