The ‘outrageous’ Max Verstappen moment at the British Grand Prix that once left Martin Brundle speechless

Follow us on Google Discover

The signs that Max Verstappen wasn’t your average Formula 1 driver have been there to see for some time.

Red Bull first called up Verstappen to drive for their sister Toro Rosso team in 2015.

He remains the youngest driver ever to start a Formula 1 race, having yet to turn 18 when he took to the grid at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix.

Verstappen scored his first F1 points at the following race in Malaysia and just over a year later, he earned a coveted promotion to the senior Red Bull team.

He went on to win on his Red Bull debut, courtesy of Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashing into each other on the opening race of the race.

Verstappen still had to fend off a challenge from world champion Kimi Raikkonen to earn that victory, before the paddock headed to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone a couple of months later.

The two Mercedes stars were embroiled in a title battle that went down to the final race, but Verstappen was the driver who caught the eye in the typical British weather that day.

Martin Brundle labels Max Verstappen ‘outrageous’ for 2016 British GP move on Nico Rosberg

Verstappen qualified third for the race, behind the two Mercedes drivers, however, it wasn’t long before he was right on Rosberg’s tail.

On lap 16 of the 52-lap race, Verstappen approached the back of Rosberg’s car.

Martin Brundle was on commentary alongside David Croft and said: “The teenager there, and he fancies passing that Mercedes-Benz any time soon, doesn’t he?

Croft; “Look how Rosberg’s struggling there, we don’t often see a pass on this part of the track!

“Around Chapel, there he goes! Max Verstappen moves into 2nd place, what a move that was on Nico Rosberg!”

During Croft’s commentary, Brundle can be heard simply saying, ‘What’, under his breath before declaring the move, ‘Outrageous!’

READ MORE: Nico Rosberg shares what Max Verstappen did in Hungary that left him ‘disappointed’

How Christian Horner and Nico Rosberg responded to Verstappen’s ‘sensational’ overtake

Verstappen pulled off the move just after the fastest part of the circuit, where drivers need to be fully committed, especially in the damp conditions they were dealing with that day.

Speaking about the move afterwards to the press, team principal Christian Horner said: “That move at Becketts… that was pretty sensational.

“Hopefully we can build on this momentum – hopefully we get a little closer to Mercedes in Hungary than we did this weekend.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Verstappen was happy with his driving, but in his own style, frustrated that he couldn’t win the race, saying: “It was a shame I couldn’t get past Nico in the beginning, I couldn’t see and was having to lift on the straights to see the braking points.

“But I got past and was then closing on Lewis. Even [later] on the slicks, to finish only 8.2s behind, I think was a great result for us.”

Unsurprisingly, Rosberg wasn’t particularly pleased to have lost out and explained: “[Verstappen] was a bit annoying out there! It was a good battle! I got him in the end and tried to hunt Lewis down, but it wasn’t possible.”

Max Verstappen is already one of Formula 1’s greatest wet-weather drivers

Verstappen has proven time and again that he’s a master in the rain and this season only added evidence to that case.

David Coulthard labelled Verstappen’s drive in Sao Paulo as legendary this season after he came from P17 to comfortably win the race.

He set fastest lap after fastest lap during the final stages of the Grand Prix with his rivals slipping off the track through the race.

Verstappen ended the 2016 season fifth in the Drivers’ Championship, behind the two Mercedes drivers, teammate Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel.

Jenson Button realised he needed to retire from F1 after one Verstappen moment in 2016, such was the teenager’s incredible natural talent.

Years of developing at Red Bull eventually led to his own final-race battle with Hamilton and like the German, he too got the better of the Brit in Abu Dhabi.