While Max Verstappen is busy rewriting the history books in Formula 1, it’s quite easy to forget that he is still only 25 years old! That’s right, the man who is on his way to sealing a comfortable 3rd F1 championship in succession, is only in his mid-twenties. Be that as it may, it’s been a hot second or two since the Dutch Lion made his Grand Prix debut. Verstappen is arguably a generational talent. But what was his road to F1 like, and when did he make his Formula 1 debut?

Verstappen has F1 coursing through his veins. Quite literally! He’s the son of ex-F1 driver and Michael Schumacher‘s mate, Jos Verstappen. While his father wasn’t able to reach the heights in this sport that his son has, he did ensure, oftentimes in borderline controversially draconian ways, that his son becomes the best this sport has ever seen. But everyone has humble beginnings, and so does Max Verstappen.

Verstappen’s road to F1

Verstappen followed the conventional path to F1. Max, like many others, began his racing career in karts. After a successful stint in karts, the Dutch driver moved onto Formula 3 with a splattering of open-wheel categories here and there. But rather than moving to Formula 2, Red Bull sent shockwaves through the motoring world when they announced him as a full-time F1 driver for the 2015 season at Toro Rosso.

It wasn’t long before Verstappen replaced a crash-prone and underperforming Daniil Kvyat at the main Red Bull Racing team for 2016, and the rest is history. But what prompted Christian Horner to promote the rookie?

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As quoted by the Guardian, he explained, “I thought: ‘This boy is properly brave, committed and quick.’ You saw it that season, he was a shining star. It was evident immediately he was a prodigious talent,” referring to Verstappen’s audacious round the outside move on Felipe Nasr at the 2015 Belgian GP. 13 races later, Verstappen was a Grand Prix winner for the first time on his Red Bull debut at the Spanish GP.

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Since then, he’s won a whopping 47 Grands Prix, 2 world championships and put his seasoned teammate Sergio Perez to shame in the 2022 F1 world championship and 2023. Even though he’s only 25, there is a chance that the Dutch champ might hang up his F1 racing helmet soon.

Will Max Verstappen retire early from F1?

Verstappen isn’t your run-of-the-mill Formula 1 driver. While he is supremely talented at what he does, he doesn’t suffer from that common disease known as tunnel vision. Hence, on more than one occasion, he’s explicitly hinted at an early retirement from this sport.

MARCA.com recently quoted him as saying, “I already have a lot of plans for what I want to do. It’s also about quality of life. There are other things in life besides Formula 1. I have a contract until 2028 and after that I’ll see. I don’t want to spend my best years physically just in Formula 1. With the races multiplying, 23 or 24 a year is far too many.”

Do you think Max Verstappen will retire before he beats Lewis Hamilton‘s tally of 7 world championships?

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