Throwback: Max Verstappen and Nicholas Latifi Have a Photo Finish

Published 02/17/2020, 1:24 PM EST

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Back in 2014, there was a one-off series called the Florida Winter Series. Here, a select number of drivers raced at a few circuits in the United States of America. Among the drivers in the line-up were, Lance Stroll, Nicholas Latifi and Max Verstappen, among other drivers.

In the end, Verstappen finished third in the championship, behind champion, Antonio Fuoco and Latifi. However, he did have three podiums and 2 wins to his name. The Dutchman also won the season finale in Miami, although he did not have it easy.

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How did Max Verstappen win the final race?

Truth be told, the Dutch driver did not have an easy time during that race. He was not on pole at the time, but was chasing Nicholas Latifi for the win in the closing stages. Finally, he managed to squeeze past, until the Canadian driver sneaked down the inside. From then on, it became a drag race to the line, where the Dutchman edged past to take the win 0.004 seconds ahead.

Interestingly, Ferrari organised this event and invited numerous karting and single-seater drivers. After giving them sufficient training necessary to make it in the big leagues, they were all unleashed at the circuits. While Max Verstappen won from Nicholas Latifi, Ed Jones completed the podium.

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Meanwhile, the other Formula One driver, Lance Stroll, was unable to start the race. So, the Canadian was reduced to a mere spectator, while his compatriot battled hammer and tongs with Verstappen. The two drivers were in such a class of their own, that they were easily 4 seconds ahead of Jones.

Fast-forward to 2020, and Verstappen is already an established Formula One driver. On the other hand, Nicholas Latifi will be making his Formula One debut with Williams F1. Only time will tell, if these two drivers will be able to duke it out with each other again.

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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