“I must be getting old!” – Max Verstappen to complete century of races with Red Bull at Barcelona

“I must be getting old!” – Red Bull star Max Verstappen is set to complete a century of races with the team at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, the same venue where he made his debut for the team.

Becoming the youngest F1 debutant in history with Toro Rosso, Max Verstappen went on to compete in 23 races before getting promoted to Red Bull in a swap with Daniil Kvyat. He made his debut at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, which he famously won, a race infamous for a lap one collision between Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

“Getting to 100 races with Red Bull has gone so quickly to be honest, I didn’t know it had been that many! I must be getting old!

“I enjoy being part of the team for as long as I have. The atmosphere in the whole team is great and there is a lot of motivation and energy here from everyone.”

Verstappen looking to win his maiden title this season

When the lights go out at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to open the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen will complete a century of races with Red Bull. With this, he will draw level with Daniel Ricciardo and will remain behind the duo of Sebastian Vettel [113] and Mark Webber [129] for starts with the four-time winning constructor.

“Barcelona will always hold special memories for me. Your first F1 win is pretty emotional, especially when it is a bit of a shock to everyone as it was my debut for the team. I don’t really get emotional that often but I was pretty close to tears that day and so was my Dad.

“Everything flashes through your head of how you got to Formula One. It wasn’t all easy and people think that when you are winning it looks pretty easy but you have to do the hard work to get there.

Like all young drivers we spent a lot of time away from home, driving around Europe and working as hard as possible. Of course, I had big help from my Dad who prepared me very well but there is no guarantee you will make it to Formula One but as a family that was always the goal.

“Suddenly, after the win, it all flashes through your head and it was an incredible day. I’ve said it many times, my first win was a shock, nobody expected it, so it will be a day I will never forget. I’m very grateful to everyone who worked with me and got to that point at such a young age.”

Also read: “The risk of losing points is just too big” – Toto Wolff on the Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen battle