Max Verstappen once revealed why making his F1 debut never felt like a ‘very big jump’

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Max Verstappen hit the ground running when he made his Formula 1 debut back in 2015. It caught some people by surprise.

Before that campaign started, all the talk was about how he was too young to be making his Formula 1 debut at 17 years old.

He proved the doubters wrong pretty quickly, and heading into 2016 with Toro Rosso, was really ready to kick on. Looking back, Red Bull might have promoted him a little sooner had they known what they do now.

It took a handful of races in 2016 for Verstappen’s swap with Daniil Kvyat to be confirmed, but if anything, it was the smallest step up he had taken in years.

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Sebastian Vettel spotted that Verstappen was ‘something special’ immediately, and could see that he would go on to have a lot of success after his Red Bull debut.

Niki Lauda knew Verstappen was ‘incredible’ after a spectacular performance in the wet at the Brazilian Grand Prix later on that year. It’s exactly when he properly announced himself on the scene.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen makes cryptic comment about Red Bull future, ‘I’m not just talking about Formula 1’

Max Verstappen felt that making his Formula 1 debut wasn’t a ‘very big jump’

Not everyone at Red Bull was convinced by Verstappen ahead of his debut, and there were doubts about what he might be able to do in a more competitive car in 2016.

Already, he had done plenty to prove that he was ready for the top gig. The only thing missing from his CV was a podium, and he had come close to one of those anyway.

Overall, it was an inspired move and one that has encouraged more teams to gamble on younger talent over the years.

Speaking about making the transition from Formula 3 in 2015, Verstappen told Mobil 1 exactly why it wasn’t too difficult for him a few years later in 2017.

“When I got out of school, I got to the workshop, and I saw my dad [ex-F1 driver Jos Verstappen] preparing my engines again, preparing my chassis. He was always letting me clean the chassis as well.

“Not only just to clean it, but also to just understand what everything was working for. When I made the jump from go-karting to F3, that is quite a big step to understand, but with all the knowledge from my dad, it never really felt difficult to explain what I needed or how I wanted to go faster.

“Then, when I made the jump from F3 to F1, even that didn’t seem like a very big jump, to be honest.”

READ MORE: Lando Norris once recalled how Helmut Marko left him speechless with Max Verstappen question

Why was Jos Verstappen’s advice so handy for Max Verstappen before his Formula 1 debut

In the mid-1990s, Verstappen’s father Jos was considered one of the most promising prospects on the grid.

He had shown on multiple occasions that he had the pace to challenge the top drivers, but struggled for consistency.

Ultimately, things never quite came together for him, but he did learn a lot that he was able to pass on to his son. Undoubtedly, some of the things he knew not to do would’ve come in handy.

Avoiding mistakes and plotting a perfect path was the key to success, and Max’s words are just as true nearly nine years later. Jos was a vital figure in his career, and he did exactly what he needed to do to get him to Formula 1.