At just 26 years old, Max Verstappen is currently racing in his 10th F1 season. While the Dutchman has gone on a juggernaut lately with consecutive championships, his early years in the sport were no less exciting. Last year, Verstappen narrated an anecdote about his first Grand Prix win in Barcelona that made his father, Jos Verstappen’s nose bleed.
On Red Bull’s YouTube page, the Dutchman recalled how it was his first race for Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish GP and the car felt immediately better. Starting in P4, soon after the race started the two Mercedes men collided which promoted an 18-year-old Verstappen to P2. He found himself in the lead after one point but with no grip on his rear tires. This made Jos Verstappen quite tense.
He said, “Last 10/15 laps I was like driving on ice. My rear tires, they were pretty gone. It was pretty crazy and like I was literally counting the laps at the end. There was a lot of pressure and my dad was getting so excited throughout the race that his nose started bleeding.“
8 years ago, Max Verstappen would swap seats with Daniil Kvyat and win on his debut with Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix.
At 18 years and 228 days, Max became the youngest race winner in F1 history.
The rest is history. pic.twitter.com/pgFSbD8B8O
— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) May 15, 2024
It was unparalleled excitement and anxiety that Verstappen Sr. perhaps felt again during the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP — when his son won his maiden world championship. However, his nose only bled once during his son’s run to his first Grand Prix win.
With his 2016 Spanish GP win, Max Verstappen became the youngest driver to win a race and it’s a record he still holds. This outing also proved Red Bull’s gamble on the Dutchman.
How Verstappen has silenced all his doubters since his maiden win in 2016
Before the then-18-year-old won his first race for Red Bull, there was a lot of criticism. Many argued that he’s too young, too inexperienced, and definitely too aggressive for the sport.
In fact, because of Verstappen, the FIA introduced a new rule blocking the entry of F1 drivers before they turn 18 into the sport. However, he proved his worth and the Milton Keynes outfit’s gamble with his first race and win for the team.
Verstappen not only silenced his doubters but also kickstarted a new era. It took a few years to come to fruition but the Dutch prodigy fulfilled his championship potential — not once, but thrice already now. In the past two seasons — which have been utterly dominant — Verstappen won 34 races and his current wins tally stands at 61.
Not only did he break the record for most wins by a driver in a single season with 15 wins in 2022, he extended it to 19 in 2023. During the incredible run, he also broke the record for most consecutive wins in the sport.
