Franz Tost reveals how Max Verstappen ‘convinced’ Red Bull to make him the youngest F1 driver in history

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It has been over a decade since Max Verstappen made his Formula 1 debut as a fresh-faced teenager at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Since then, he has achieved four drivers’ championships and led Red Bull to one of the greatest spells of dominance in Formula 1 history. He’s going to be a permanent fixture in the history books for a long time to come.

For now, it looks as though Verstappen will remain at the Milton Keynes-based outfit, despite rumours that he could join Mercedes. 2025 marks the first season that he hasn’t been in title contention since 2020, and his frustration at times has been visible.

‘Everyone’ at Red Bull wanted Verstappen to beat Carlos Sainz during his rookie season, and he did so by a comfortable margin. Nowadays, Verstappen’s camp reacted to a ‘declaration of love’ from Ferrari fans, as rumours continue to circulate about his next move.

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Max Verstappen ‘convinced’ Red Bull to make him the youngest Formula 1 driver with Formula 3 performances

Verstappen proved he’s the smartest F1 driver by winning the latest race at the Italian Grand Prix. He has been racing for over 20 years now, since his father helped to guide him into a go-kart and set him on a path towards success.

Verstappen’s latest win wasn’t a ‘one-off’ and shows why he’s still the best driver on the grid. His racing IQ is a level above everyone, and comes courtesy of years spent under the wings of Franz Tost and Helmut Marko at Red Bull.

Tost has now revealed how the Dutchman managed to convince him to make him the youngest driver in history back in 2014.

“Then it was clear that he would be driving with us next season, and we said, OK, we’ll go straight away, and Suzuka was next,” he said. “Suzuka is difficult, but that was absolutely no problem for Max.

“Why? Because he simply has such control of the vehicle, because he was not overwhelmed by the speed and because he was very, very good on the brakes and because he really had everything under control. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have done it. I was convinced that we weren’t taking any risks.”

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How did Max Verstappen fare during his Formula 1 debut at the Japanese Grand Prix?

Impressively, Verstappen finished 12th in Free Practice ahead of the likes of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez, driving a very quick Force India car, powered by the mighty Mercedes engine.

Being just four-tenths behind Sebastian Vettel, who was the reigning four-time champion at the time in a Red Bull, was also very admirable.

Just a few weeks later, at Brazil, he would run again, producing an impressive save and finishing sixth in practice, ahead of both Red Bull drivers.

It was the perfect reminder of why the team were promoting him for 2015, and since then, he has only proven that it was more than warranted.