Max Verstappen Will Be The Youngest Driver In F1 History At 17

Max Verstappen will become the youngest driver in F1 history when he makes his debut in the series in Australia next year at the tender age of 17.

It was announced yesterday that the Dutchman will join Toro Rosso for 2015 alongside Daniil Kvyat, leaving Jean-Eric Vergne without a drive.

He will break Jaime Alguersuari’s record (the Spaniard made his F1 debut at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix aged 19 years 125 days) by just under two years. Six other drivers have raced in the sport at the age of 19, including Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.

Verstappen, who turns 17 in September, is currently racing in his first season of single seaters in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He is second in the championship with two rounds remaining, having registered eight wins and five further podiums.

His father Jos raced for the likes of Benetton, Stewart, Arrows and Minardi between 1994 and 2003. Commenting on the news, Max said:

“First of all, I would like to thank Dr. Helmut Marko and Red Bull for all their trust and giving me the chance to make my Formula debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso. Ever since I was seven years old, Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this opportunity is truly a dream come true.”

We look forward to seeing just how much the youngster will be able to shake up the field, although he’ll not legally be allowed to drink the podium champagne if he makes the top three.