Max Verstappen

Damn...Something is really wrong with the business model of STR. I really find their ideas horrible. They bring kids in, and then destroy their career. Only Ricci and Vettel 'made it'.

People like Jaime Algesuari, Seb Buemi have all made exits after what has been labelled by STR as a promising career.

Gotta figure where JEV gonna head to now.

 

... Helmut Marko behind the scenes playing musical chairs, hedging his driver roster, abruptly hurrying the Verstappen kid up Red Bull's totem pole, doubt begins looming ever larger Sebastian Vettel will be re-upping, at Milton Keynes.

Smart money has Vettel migrating, to Woking (e.g., Honda power) -- asj.

 

Damn your a Dutch? I always meet lost of Dutch people at networking events here. Your ladies are hott

 

Silliness of F1. He needs another year in a Jr series. Ok with that-- best of luck to him. Why the rush?

 

Seems he's already got some serious fans/PR folk behind him. From Autosport.

I particularly *love* the last paragraph!

Sorry Flav!.....

Cheers,
Ian
Analysis: Why Max Verstappen can handle F1 - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com

 

BTW, also meant to note that the likely championship winner this year (given Max' penalty last week), Esteban Ocon, is a part of the Ferrari academy......

Cheers
Ian

 

To be fair, Red Bull/STR do give most their chaps a fair chance to race in F1. Alguesuari and Buemi had 49 and 55 starts respectively, and Vergne will have 58 starts by the end of this year. Vettel and Ricciardo both proved good enough for the senior team (of which there are obviously only 2 seats) and have done pretty well out of it.

They give the kids a more than fair chance IMO...multiple seasons in F1 to allow one to mature...if it doesn't work for them, then they get ''the cut'' as RB moves onto their new experiment and puts new drivers in (now Kvyat and Verstappen). They have a number of other driver (Antonio Da Costa for instance) who get all their racing paid for and they get a decent salary. An F1 seat isn't guaranteed, but they do give them the tools to try and impress them.

I don't think Vergne has done enough to prove he should be at the senior Red Bull seat so at some point RB should indeed ''cut their losses'' and put another talent in...see if he does.

I am indeed! I lived on the door step of the Zandvoort track (for a few years in Jan Lammers' old house and after that literally the first house outside the track!) until we had enough of Holland and left. I haven't been there in 6-7 years but do have some friends there still...and yeah...our girls are absolutely stunning most of the time!

Great words/article.

IIRC Ocon is with Lotus (not sure why one wants to be right now though, lol ).

 

Well, STR set the bar high, but apparently not too high. Both Jaime and Buemi weren't picked up by another F1 team and had to find their business elsewhere. I fear a same fate for Vergne. The guy is good, but is he really good enough, of funded enough, to pursuade a team to replace a current driver for him? I don't know. I think a lot of drivers, also outside of current F1, can do what Vergne does, and all teams are looking for something special, preferably well funded. I think STR is not wrong in believing that Max is something special, since that is belief of pretty much anyone with even the slightest interest in motorsport. Is it too early for Max? I don't think so. He seems good to go. A year in GP2 or F3.5 won't do him any good and possibly might even damage his career. It only takes one lousy season in a pre - F1 series for F1 teams to loose interest. And if he falls short against Kvyat, I am sure STR will give him another chance in 2016. In that sense, his young age speaks to his favor.

And also, since Max is too young to even look at the XXX-rated nosecone of the current car, there is al the more reason to come up with something better for 2015.

 

I wonder what they'll do if he podiums at one of the races (especially in the States). Will they give him champagne or caprisun?

 

verstappen will make his debut after his F3 season is finished at one (or more) of the races in practice sessions.

 

My feeling as well.

I don't like at all the principle of "prodiges" reaching the top echelon with nothing to fall back on if something goes wrong.
We see plenty of these kids exploited in athleticism, swimming, etc.. and now it comes to F1!

What do you know about life at 17, to dedicate yourself solely to going fast for Red Bull?
What happens next in case of failure?

Coming back to earth at 20 after a couple of F1 seasons if RB drops you is enough to shatters anyone's confidence.

 

But the alternative is glory!

 

More than 1 driver looked superb in Jr series and failed in F1. 1 more year at his age is nothing and in fact might be the difference between success in F1 and failure. The lack of testing is a big problem in F1 driver development. Outlined here nicely by this utterly silly move.

 

We heard the same about Kvyat (I think I was one of them that wasn't convinced it was a bright idea) and was proven wrong quickly.

Vettel was only 18 and had 3 FR3.5 starts to his name before he was dumped in a much faster F1 car (and 40 F3 races, just one more than Max will have when he gets his first taste in F1). He did pretty well so far.

Mercedes was after Max big time as well (as where all except Ferrari I think) but it was really between RB and Merc.

I think Kvyat and Vettel have proven that 2 relatively inexperienced drivers can go and drive in F1 without putting everyone in danger. A pay driver like Maldonado is much more dangerous.

Max has shown great awareness of where his car and other cars will be. I remember reading a couple of months ago when they plonked him in a car he's never driven before and he set the fastest ever lap with it. He's beaten much more experienced racers in equal machinery throughout his first karting season.

I think the kid will be alright.

 

you are right, but failure in a lower class could easily mean he will never reach F1 to begin with. I am also not sure what Max could learn in a lower class that would make a difference between failure and success in F1. The kid just looks ready to go. And perhaps we are all overestimating him. Like you said, it wouldn't be the first time that the next big thing turns out to be a flop pretty quickly, but why would that make us stop believing in the possibility that special things can happen?

His dad didn't need much more than a few races in Formula Atlantic and a season of German F3 to be quick in a F1 car. His career didn't pan out as most of us expected, but Max is not Jos and Toro Rosso is not Benetton and Franz Tost / Helmut Marko are not Flavio Briatore. Allthough I find it difficult to say anything positive about all three of them.

 

Yes, it's a gamble, but I wouldn't never have advised any of my kids to go that way.

 

Will be interesting to see how he does. That is extremely young, but considering how much slower and less physical the current cars are than years past he should do fine. Not much difference between the feeder series and F1 anymore. The challenge lies in setting the car up properly which he may struggle with but I don't see age as an issue when it comes to actually driving.

 

Toro Rosso in no way nurtures talent at all. Its a waste of a team within Red Bull. Daniel is the exception not the rule as a result. Until testing is allowed again this is a big gamble on a child. Its stupid.

 

He seems to be seriously good. That said he's too young. Way too young. I don't see it going well unless he's insanely mature for a 17 year old.

 

Problem to me it's not the kids speed or adaptation to a faster and more powerfull car...it's simply a question of maturity...F.1 is a very dangerous sport, you are playing with your lives out there....i for once would not want a 17 year old kid playing dice with me at 300km/h, no matter how good he is.

 

"..our girls are absolutely stunning most of the time!"


Yes they are..but why do you make them so big!!!

 

+1

 

There have been 18 year olds in GP2 before...also doing 300kph. He was going to race either there or FR3.5 next year, which arguably would be more dangerous as there are some fools in those series. >

-- -- --

I see the maturity thing being raised here...I have little doubt that any big team would sign the typical teenage immature kid who thinks he knows best. I seriously doubt we'll see Verstappen put guys into walls at 300+.

Looking at Kimi raikkonen, he only had 23 car races to his name (in a slower class than F3) and then he entered F1. From day 1 he didn't make stupid mistakes, he was never a danger to anyone despite concerns. In fact...after just 3 races he was regularly beating his much more experienced teammate, which of course landed him at Mclaren despite his teammate being linked to Mclaren for quite a while.

A 16 year old can be more mature than 19 year olds, or 24 year olds even. State of mind and all that. He's doing some practice sessions this year to rack up some mileage, he'll do more in pre season testing. In the mean time, they're also going to let him play in either a GP2 or FR3.5 machine, and almost certainly a little play in ~2011ish F1 car. He'll easily be used by the speed difference, he's shown great driving skills in F3 already...now all that's left to do is if he can stick with his teammate.

 

Its just that its not that simple. F1 is not GP2/3 etc etc. Its so much more than driving. Its so much more. He is a child, skilled and very much unproven in the larger scheme. This is idiocy of the highest F1 order. Another year working his skills, winning etc is very precious. Pure stupidity here. I also blame the father. This is a child - period.

 

Well we're not going to agree...We shall see.