Kimi Raikkonen’s ‘scary’ verdict on Max Verstappen after he won his first Formula 1 race in 2016

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Max Verstappen received a promotion from Toro Rosso to Red Bull after just four races in the 2016 F1 season. Christian Horner decided he was ready for a frontrunning drive and wanted to waste no time.

Daniel Ricciardo’s incumbent teammate Daniil Kvyat had scored a podium at the third race of the year in China. But after he collided with Sebastian Vettel at the start of his home race in Russia, he found himself demoted back to the de facto junior team.

In truth, Kvyat had done a reasonable job for Horner’s squad. He outscored Ricciardo in 2015, their only full year as teammates, but he wasn’t a special talent like Verstappen.

The Dutchman made his debut for his new team at the 2016 Spanish GP and qualified on the second row alongside Ricciardo. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were one and two in the dominant Mercedes cars.

But when Hamilton and Rosberg dramatically collided on the opening lap, there was an opportunity for their rivals to score a rare victory. On the superior two-stop strategy, Kimi Raikkonen and Verstappen ended up battling for the win.

Verstappen produced a defensive drive worthy of a seasoned champion to keep Raikkonen at bay. He managed his battery output to perfection to stave off the threat on the start/finish straight, at that point the only major overtaking opportunity.

Kimi Raikkonen couldn’t believe how young Max Verstappen was after maiden F1 win

As he crossed the line to secure a scarcely believable maiden victory, Verstappen obliterated the record for the youngest F1 race winner. He was 18 years, seven months and 15 days old at the time, two and a half years younger than Sebastian Vettel was at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

Speaking in the post-race press conference, Raikkonen expressed his disappointment with the result. It was a golden opportunity to score the first win of his second stint with Ferrari, which began in 2014.

But he said he was ‘happy’ for Verstappen, who instantly proved his worthiness to be at the front of the grid. Born in October 1979, Raikkonen was 36 years old at the time.

The Finn made his debut during the 2001 season, when Verstappen’s father Jos was still racing. That put the teenager’s achievement into perspective.

“It’s disappointing not to win,” Raikkonen said. “But after yesterday and after a bad start I take what we got today and especially for Ferrari as we quite a good points today with two cars.

“It’s going forward, not what we want, but I’m happy for him. We all know he is a good driver and he’s in a good team now.

“When it comes to youngest and oldest, it happens to be like that. I raced against his father. That actually sounds even more scary. In F1! That’s how it goes.”

Martin Brundle knew Max Verstappen was a ‘megastar’ long before his first win

Verstappen benefitted from Michael Schumacher’s karting lessons as a child. He trained with Mick, the son of the serial world champion and later an F1 driver himself.

Jos Verstappen says Schumacher made ‘no distinction’ between the two children. They both received equal attention and advice on the trips.

Red Bull took a major gamble by parachuting him into F1 straight from Euro F3. But few observers, if any, were questioning their judgement by the end of his rookie season.

Martin Brundle hailed Verstappen as a ‘megastar’ in the making after one of his early races in China. He executed a series of daring overtakes, showcasing a remarkable courage on the brakes that he’s retained throughout his career.