Max Verstappen, the driver who put Red Bull Racing back on top of the F1 Championship.
Early Career
Born in Hasselt, Belgium, with Dutch nationality, Max Verstappen got his start in racing at the age of four, when he first started karting. He won numerous championships as a child including the 2013 World KZ Championship.
He then moved on to competing in Junior Formula 3, making his debut in the championship at just 16. He was immediately one of the top drivers, winning six races in a row.
That led to him earning a spot on the Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 team. His first F1 race was the 2025 Australian Grand Prix in 2015 when he was just 17. On that day he became the youngest F1 driver to ever start a world championship race.
He was forced to retire in Australia due to engine failure after putting himself into point-scoring position.
After his debut with Scuderia Toro Rosso, he got promoted to main Red Bull Racing team the next year (2016) and won the Spanish Grand Prix that season. The kid from the Netherlands became the youngest F1 driver to ever win a championship race at just 18.
Verstappen jumped onto the F1 scene early in his career and has not looked back since.
F1 Career
At just 28 years old, Verstappen is already considered one of the best drivers in racing history, and has won four Individual world championships.
Max's rise continued after making his F1 debut. He finished in fourth place in the Individual world championship in 2018, followed by a third placed finish in 2019.
The Dutch prodigy's career then changed in 2021 - he went from a consistent podium presence unable to take down the big guns on a consistent basis, to a real world championship contender. Verstappen secured his first World Championship crown in the 2021 season in the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
The Red Bull man asserted his dominance in the sport, and went on to win four consecutive championships from 2021-2024.
In 2022, Max broke the record for most wins in a season that was previously held by Sebastien Vettel and Michael Schumacher. He racked up a staggering 19 wins on the calendar that season.
The rest of the 2020s look took be competitive in F1, with young drivers Verstappen, Piastri, Norris, and Charles Leclerc all capable of challenging for the top spot.
After four consecutive individual championships, Verstappen will never be able to fly under the radar in F1.
Career Stats
World Championships: 4
Grand Prix Wins: 71
Podiums: 127
Pole Positions: 48
Grand Prix Entered: 234
Career Points: 3,452.5
Contract and Net Worth
Max Verstappen's contract with Red Bull earns him $55 million per year plus incentive bonuses.
He has a net worth estimated to be around $210 million.
