Max Verstappen 33 Support

[sagi58]

Verstappen secures best qualification by a teenager in over 50 years

Toro Rosso's 17-year-old driver Max Verstappen will start from sixth on the grid at the Malaysian Grand Prix - the best qualifying performance by a teenager in 54 years.

Verstappen negotiated the wet conditions superbly and will start alongside Russia's Daniil Kvyat on the third row of the grid.

Verstappen's qualifying was the best by a teenager since 19-year-old Mexican Ricardo Rodriguez started on the front row for Ferrari at the 1961 Italian Grand Prix.

It also equalled the career highest grid position of his proud father Jos, at the 1994 Belgian Grand Prix -- also in wet conditions.

What makes the feat even more impressive is that the Sepang International Circuit is reknowned for being one of the toughest in the rain.

Dutchman Verstappen doesn't yet own a full driver's license and can only drive in his homeland if he's accompanied by a driving license holder.

Mercdes' Lewis Hamilton secured his second pole position of the season, finishing ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Nico Rosberg qualified in third.

[F1P1PI]

Watch for this guy, given the opportunity he will be great, very impressed so far.

[myownalias]

Max Verstappen is definitely a talent for the future, definitely a better driver than his father. These young drivers come in with a 'I can do anything' attitude, there seems to be no self doubt in their minds. If Verstappen can drive like this in a Toro Rosso, how good will he be in a top car?

[LewEngBridewell]

Watch for this guy, given the opportunity he will be great, very impressed so far.

I agree. He was stunning in quali today!

[sagi58]

Verstappen makes F1 history as youngest in points

The glory belonged to Ferrari at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, but the history was made by the other Italian team as Toro Rosso rookie Max Verstappen became the youngest driver to score points in Formula One history.

At 17 years and 180 days, the Dutch teenager is almost two and a half years younger than Daniil Kvyat when he set the record on debut at last year's Australian Grand Prix.

The record for youngest in the points has been tumbling regularly in recent years -- it is the fifth time it has changed hands in the 2000s -- but Verstappen looks likely to hold it for many years to come, as F1 changed the rules soon after he was hired and from now on drivers must be at least 18 to compete at the top level.

In typically teenage fashion, Verstappen described the race and his seventh-place finish for six points as "good fun."

"It was quite hot at the end but I was still able to cope with it and be consistent, so I'm happy with that," Verstappen said. "This is a big boost for the team; we couldn't have done a better job today."

His teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. -- at the ripe old age of 20 -- finished eighth.

Both drivers are the sons of accomplished drivers. Sainz's father was a World Rally Championship title winner, and Verstappen's father Jos also competed in F1.

The elder Verstappen -- whose career is best remembered for being caught in the middle of a terrifying pit-stop fire -- was happy to acknowledge his son as "certainly" the best driver in the family, even if dad gave his son a lift to the race on Sunday as Max does not yet have a full license to drive on public roads.

"He is better prepared than me," Jos Verstappen said. "Physically, mentally and the way he feels at home on the track...he has to be better than me.

"I'm very pleased for what he has done today. I'm happy that he finished the race and the way he raced, he deserved it. I'm very proud."

[darwin dali]

ESPNF1:
Verstappen: F1 more important to me than girls

Max Verstappen says he is determined not to let the glamour of Formula One get in the way of a successful career.

Seventeen-year-old Verstappen shattered records this year when he became the sport's youngest-ever driver in Australia, before becoming the youngest to score a point in Malaysia. He has an enjoyed an impressive rookie season so far, though has attracted criticism for his collision with Romain Grosjean at the Monaco Grand Prix.

In a joint interview with Bernie Ecclestone on F1's official website, Verstappen was asked whether he would rather go to dinner with the octogenarian than a "gorgeous woman".

"100%," Verstappen said in response. "You cannot learn much from the latter that has value in F1 - but you can learn a lot from Bernie. He has built this sport and is one of the most successful businessmen in the world. My career is more important than girls. You have only one chance here - and I am going to take it!

In response, Ecclestone replied: "A very rational young man!"

Verstappen later went on to reveal he does not like the complexities of modern F1 and sometimes likes to drive without any help from inside the cockpit.

"Do you know what I do to escape that? I tell my engineers that they should not overload me with information. We are getting way too much info in the cockpit. Sometimes I switch off the display in my car! I want to rely on my gut feeling. Isn't that what made great race drivers in the end?"

The pair also talked about the ingredients required to become a world champion, prompting the following exchange:

Verstappen: "Look what's happened to Fernando Alonso. He is still one of the best drivers around but didn't manage to win a title in five years with Ferrari and now with McLaren a title seems more elusive than ever right now. Being the best driver around is not enough: you also have to sit in the best car - otherwise misfortune sticks with you."

Ecclestone: "It's all about timing: being in the right place at the right time!"

Verstappen: "Maybe you can help me with that, Bernie? Though I must say that I am really happy with my team Toro Rosso!"


No really?
Then maybe ?

[darwin dali]

ESPNF1:

Max Verstappen joked that his father and manager Jos would have kicked him in the testicles had he obeyed Toro Rosso's order to let team-mate Carlos Sainz past at the end of the Singapore Grand Prix.

Verstappen was asked to let Sainz have a go at attacking Sergio Perez in the closing stages of the Marina Bay race but refused, a decision which team boss Franz Tost later said was the correct one. After stalling at the start and being a lap down, Verstappen had battled back to eighth position with a super recovery drive and did not feel his pace warranted the call from the team.

Asked if his father, himself a former F1 driver, agreed with his decision, Verstappen replied: "Yep, he told me if I had let him past he would have kicked me in the nuts!"

Verstappen went on to explain his reasoning behind refusing the order.

"First of all, if you're one lap down and you manage to be back in the points as the leading Toro Rosso, then for me there is no reason to switch positions. With Checo [Perez], we couldn't have got past because his top speed was unbelievable.

"After the second time I made it quite clear I didn't want to do it, and at the end they told me it was the right decision ... It's quite clear, if you are on different strategies then you let him go, but we were on the same strategy."

Verstappen said he spoke to Sainz and insisted there are no hard feelings about the incident.

"Yes, I've spoken to him a little bit - no problems."

When a journalist asked if Sainz was angry, the 17-year-old said: "No, I don't think so."

[sagi58]

Thanks to FIA "tidying up the rules", Verstappen will remain the youngest driver in F1 history:

Changes to superlicence system – advantage talent over budget?

After Max Verstappen made history as the only 17 year old to race in F1 and did so without a full road driving licence, changes were made to ensure that a repeat was impossible.

Further changes have been made whereby now drivers must have spent at least two seasons in single seaters, be 18 with a full car licence and pass a test on F1 Sporting Regulations. They must also complete a 300km F1 test.

Beyond that the qualification formula for getting a Superlicence now means that drivers need to amass 40 points over a three-year period. Points will be allocated based on the calibre of the motorsport series in which they have raced and their results.

This should help the more talented drivers to rise to the top, rather than the well funded pay drivers, however a few will be lost by the wayside and we will probably still see drivers spending three or four seasons in GP2 to crack the points requirements.

[overboost]

[overboost]

https://www.facebook.com/Kimi7Iceman/vi ... 191069485/

[gdh]

[overboost]

"For current drivers, being compared to the greatest driver Ayrton Senna goes beyond possessing any specific skill"

Being Ayrton Senna

"It has a deeper meaning than similar driving ability or comparable speed. It means receiving a ticket to that exclusive circle of talented men who with their hands at the wheel are capable of going beyond the technical capabilities of their car. And it's a passport to an even more restricted group of drivers who fly in the face of danger because, in any given moment, danger is simply not an issue: thinking it about it just doesn't make any sense. Yet it's not just that.Being compared to Senna conjures up a feeling of something otherworldly. It suggests a certain kind of motivation, of going so fast, beyond every rational limit, that it can only be justified by some distant, hidden connection.

Senna knew that the questions regarding some of his behaviour on the track were about more than his track times. Asking him for an explanation for certain driving exploits came naturally. And he played with it: he would look you in the eye with that often distant gaze and would answer with an almost embarrassed smile, as if to say "How could I ever explain it to you?".

....... the new Senna is Max Verstappen ........"

http://racing.pirelli.com/global/en-ww/ ... rton-senna

[darwin dali]

5 in a row - boom! - championship pretty much sealed.

[Stephen]

Or is it? FIA announcement tomorrow...Perez back on form and Leclerc not completely out.

[darwin dali]

Ah, yeah, the budget cap - gonna be interesting.