Best moments of Max Verstappen’s F1 career including first pole, podium, win, title and more

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Max Verstappen has enjoyed a lot of memorable moments over his Formula 1 career, so F1 Oversteer looks into the Dutchman’s top events including his first win and title.

History was made from the very first time that Verstappen got in a Formula 1 car on a Grand Prix weekend. Just three days past his 17th birthday in October 2014, Verstappen sat behind the wheel of Jean-Eric Vergne’s Toro Rosso to do first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen was still racing in European Formula 3 at the time but Red Bull sought to provide him with seat time at Toro Rosso ahead of making his full Formula 1 debut in 2015. Breaking into F1 also made Verstappen the youngest driver to start a Grand Prix at 17 years, 166 days.

Records have continued to tumble throughout Verstappen’s Formula 1 career, as well, which saw him move up from Toro Rosso to the main Red Bull team in 2016. So, with that in mind, F1 Oversteer has taken a look into the best moments during Verstappen’s F1 career so far…

Where did Max Verstappen make his Formula 1 debut?

Verstappen made his full Formula 1 debut driving a Toro Rosso in the 2015 Australian Grand Prix. But the Dutchman failed to out-qualify fellow debutant Carlos Sainz in the sister car in Melbourne. He even failed to finish the race due to an engine problem on Lap 32 of the 58.

Toro Rosso saw Verstappen bow out in Q2 on his Formula 1 qualifying debut after recording the 12th fastest time. His 1:28.868 lap of Albert Park was only 0.142 seconds away from the Q3 cut set by Pastor Maldonado. But Sainz set a 1:28.601 in Q2 and went on to get P8 in Q3.

Max Verstappen scored his first points in Formula 1 at the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix

While Verstappen retired from the 2015 Australian GP on his Formula 1 race debut, his first points-scoring finish followed at round two of the year at the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso. After qualifying in sixth place, the Dutchman scored six points for seventh place.

Max Verstappen won his first Formula 1 race at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix

Red Bull sprung a surprise in May 2016 when they confirmed that Verstappen would replace Daniil Kvyat from that season’s Spanish Grand Prix. The Russian was demoted to Toro Rosso, even though Verstappen had only entered 23 Grand Prix in his Formula 1 career at the time.

But Verstappen instantly justified Red Bull’s decision to demote Kvyat as the Dutchman won the 2016 Spanish GP on his debut for the team. He held off 2007 F1 drivers’ champion Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari to win at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya by a mere 0.616 seconds.

Verstappen benefitted greatly from Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton colliding on the first lap. Red Bull also stopped Daniel Ricciardo once more than Verstappen, who became F1’s youngest-ever Grand Prix winner by over two years at 18 years, 228 days.

When did Max Verstappen take his first pole position in Formula 1?

It took Verstappen until the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix to register his first pole position as a Formula 1 driver, by which point the Dutchman had already won multiple Grand Prix driving with Red Bull. Verstappen took pole at the Hungaroring by posting a 1:14.572 lap time in Q3.

Verstappen denied Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas pole position for the 2019 Hungarian GP by just 0.018 seconds, as well. But he did not convert a P1 start into a race win as Hamilton came through from third place on the grid to win with Mercedes by 17.796s to Verstappen.

Max Verstappen took his first podium in Formula 1 at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix

As well as Verstappen becoming Formula 1’s youngest Grand Prix winner to date at the 2016 Spanish GP, his victory even made the Dutchman F1’s youngest podium finisher with his first rostrum result. He also pipped Sebastian Vettel’s at-the-time record by more than two years.

Where did Max Verstappen win his first F1 Sprint event?

Formula 1 introduced an additional, shortened race to its calendar with the F1 Sprint which debuted at the 2021 British Grand Prix. Verstappen also took his maiden F1 Sprint victory at the 2021 British Grand Prix, which secured the Dutchman pole position for the feature race.

The F1 Sprint initially set the grid for the relevant Grand Prix, with its grid set on the results of the traditional qualifying format. Verstappen qualified P2 behind Hamilton by 0.075s but overtook his arch rival at the start. Yet they fought a fierce fight over 17 laps of Silverstone.

Hamilton immediately sought to re-pass Verstappen into Brooklands but could not finish the move around the outside. The Briton was also unable to complete a pass around the outside into Copse, where Hamilton and Verstappen collided come the first lap of British Grand Prix.

Where did Max Verstappen win his first Formula 1 drivers’ championship?

Verstappen controversially won his first Formula 1 drivers’ championship at the 2021 season finale, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Red Bull racer beat Mercedes rival Hamilton to the title by eight points after passing the Briton on the last lap of the 2021 season at Yas Marina Circuit.

Hamilton would have won the 2021 drivers’ title for a record eighth if race director Michael Masi did not divert from F1’s sporting regulations to ensure the Abu Dhabi GP did not finish behind a safety car. Nicholas Latifi of Williams had crashed on Lap 50 of 58 to force an SC.

The 2021 Abu Dhabi GP should have finished behind the safety car as there was not enough laps remaining to allow all lapped cars to pass the field and complete the required extra lap once the marshals cleared the debris after Latifi’s crash. But Masi stepped in for one last lap.

Red Bull had pleaded with Masi to ensure the last lap of the race was live as Verstappen had pitted behind the safety car for fresh tyres, unlike Hamilton. But five lapped cars blocked the Dutchman’s path until Masi only let those drivers through and get halfway around the track.

Verstappen having new Pirelli rubber at his disposal compared to Hamilton’s well-worn tyres ensured the Mercedes driver stood no chance to defend from the Red Bull racer. Verstappen made his move with a deep dive at Turn 5, forcing Hamilton wide and winning him the race.

Red Bull had also tried in vain to play the team game to help Verstappen take the title in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sergio Perez excessively backed off to block Hamilton after the Mercedes driver’s only pit stop as Verstappen otherwise had no chance of staying in touch.

Where did Max Verstappen take his best win in Formula 1?

While Verstappen won the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP to secure his first drivers’ title, it was far from his best win in Formula 1 so far. Before Latifi crashed to bring out the safety car, the Red Bull driver was 12 seconds behind Hamilton and was never a genuine threat after their pit stops.

Instead, Verstappen’s road to recovery at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix and domination of the Spanish GP in 2023 have shown to be two of his best wins to date. Penalties proved to be no problem for the Dutchman at Spa in 2022 when Verstappen won from 14th spot on the grid.

Verstappen had topped qualifying with an emphatic 0.632-second margin to Sainz of Ferrari in second place during Q3. But the Dutchman started from P14 after Red Bull replaced parts of his power unit which incurred a grid penalty. Yet the penalties were just a hurdle for him.

Red Bull celebrated in the garage as soon as the lights went out as Verstappen passed three drivers at Turn 1. No one proved able to hold him up, either, as the Dutchman moved into a podium place on Lap 8/44. He even kept more life in his soft tyres than Perez with mediums.

A chance for the lead was then on the table as Verstappen tucked his RB18 in the slipstream of Sainz’s car along the Kemmel Straight on Lap 18. But the Spaniard was just a sitting duck and quickly saw the Dutchman pull away as Verstappen went on to win by 17.841s to Perez.

The 2023 Spanish GP also delivered one of Verstappen’s best wins to date as the Dutchman dominated the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Pole position was never in doubt as he beat Sainz by 0.462s, before going on to win by 24.090s to Hamilton whilst setting the fastest lap.

Verstappen even set a new track record for the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Lap 61 of the 66 during the 2023 Spanish GP with a 1:16.330. Leading each lap of the race also made it one of his Grand Slams in F1, which Verstappen first took at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen has produced some of F1’s greatest qualifying laps

While qualifying was seldom where Verstappen shone during his early years in Formula 1 or at Red Bull, the Dutchman has been hailed for producing some of the greatest single laps in the sport’s history. When Red Bull give him a car Verstappen likes, he can do amazing times.

Verstappen simply left Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok in awe with his pole position lap in qualifying for the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix. It was in another league to his rivals as Verstappen topped Q3 by 0.581s with his 1:28.877 lap.

It was the largest margin a driver had set in qualifying for any Japanese GP since 2004 when Michael Schumacher in Ferrari’s dominant F2004 set a 1:33.542 to beat his brother, Ralf, by 0.490s. So, Horner could only praise Verstappen’s lap, and Chandhok was in full agreement.

“I think what we’ve witnessed today is something very special, to be honest,” Horner said on Sky Sports F1. “Just have a look at Turn 5, that first sector was absolutely mighty… All of his laps were stunning… An absolutely mind-blowing performance.”

Chandhok added: “I’m still breathless from watching that because I think that was one of the greatest qualifyings that we’ve seen in F1 history.

“There’s not much left on the table. The detail with which he drove, pinching little bits on the entry to Spoon curve, 130R not using all the way, he thought about every metre. To me, that’s a driver who’s ahead of the car.”