mobile app bar

“Couldn’t believe I was talking to a 17 year old!”: Former World Champion talks about the moment he met Max Verstappen

Somin Bhattacharjee
Published

"Couldn't believe I was talking to a 17 year old!": Former World Champion talks about the moment he met Max Verstappen

Damon Hill admitted that he was taken aback and surprised at how mature Max Verstappen was when he first interviewed him. 

Verstappen made his F1 debut at the age of just 17 when he signed for Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso in 2015. Since the get-go, he was tipped as a future World Champion and his driving was praised by fans and pundits alike.

He signed for Red Bull just a year later and became the youngest F1 race winner of all time when he won the Spanish GP in 2016.

Now 24-years old, Verstappen is approaching the next season on the back of his maiden title-winning campaign. The 2021 season saw him in a battle for the Championship with the legendary Lewis Hamilton, in which he prevailed.

Also read: Red Bull and Max Verstappen expected to have a slow start in 2022

In a recent episode of the F1 Nation Podcast, 1996 World Champion Damon Hill and co-host Natalie Pinkham spoke about the Dutchman’s maturity in his early racing days.

“It’s getting back to what you were saying about his maturity,” Hill said. “Do you remember, Natalie, we interviewed him when he first was signed up to drive?”

“We interviewed him. And I just couldn’t believe I was talking to this 17-year-old who absolutely had an answer for everything. He was so just completely confident that his view was correct.”

“He had confidence in his own views, and he had answers. Unbelievable!” the former Williams driver added.

The Dutch GP showed how comfortable Max Verstappen handles pressure

Verstappen started the 2021 Dutch GP with the weight and expectations of his country on his shoulders. Almost every person in Zandvoort was waving an orange flag that day, cheering their national hero on.

A lot of drivers would succumb to the pressure, but Verstappen put in one of his finest ever performances to win the race comfortably.

Pinkham feels that his ability to cope with that amount of pressure in addition to his maturity makes him an unstoppable driver.

“He’s just got this steely nerve that I find so impressive. And that he takes so much in his stride, given that he’s still only 24,” Pinkham added.

“He acts much older than his years. We saw it at Zandvoort, didn’t we? The pressure that he was under, and he just took it all in stride.”

Also read: Sergio Perez is enjoying his autonomy in Formula 1

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

x-iconinstagram-iconlinkedin-icon

Basketball Editor Somin Bhattacharjee first discovered the game during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Not long after, he turned to the NBA and found himself drawn to the Golden State Warriors — right at the start of Stephen Curry’s rise. Over time, the admiration turned into full-blown support for the team, one that continues even as the Curry era approaches its twilight. A true hoophead, Somin also follows EuroLeague basketball closely and enjoys exploring the game beyond the NBA. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. Since 2021, he has penned over 3,000 articles for TheSportsRush, covering everything from breaking news to sharp opinion pieces and detailed exclusives. He thrives on writing about in-game moments and the reactions that make basketball a uniquely emotional sport. Beyond basketball, Somin plays different sports including soccer and remains a passionate fan of Spanish football giants Real Madrid

Share this article