The FIA’s ‘stupid’ response after Max Verstappen made his Formula 1 debut 10 years ago

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Red Bull stunned the world end of Formula 1 in 2014 by announcing that Max Verstappen would race for their junior team Toro Rosso the following season. At 17, he would become the youngest driver the sport had ever seen.

Verstappen took part in an official race weekend for the first time at the Japanese Grand Prix at the start of October. He replaced Jean-Eric Vergne for the opening practice session at the iconic circuit.

The Dutchman set the 12th fastest time, 2.6 seconds adrift of pacesetter Nico Rosberg in his dominant Mercedes. Impressively, he was only two places and four-tenths behind regular driver Daniil Kvyat.

He would also feature in FP1 sessions in the United States and Brazil to prepare him for his full debut the following spring. It took him just two races to notch a record-breaking points finish as he came home seventh at the Malaysian GP.

Verstappen scored 49 in all in his rookie season, not far short of triple what Carlos Sainz managed in the other car (18). He immediately silenced questions about his readiness for the sport.

Having just turned 27, he’s on course for a fourth consecutive world championship. He leads McLaren driver Lando Norris by 52 points heading into the final six races.

Helmut Marko recalls the ‘crazy’ reaction to Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 debut

Reflecting on the signing of Verstappen for Motorsport.com’s book, Formula Max, Red Bull executive director Helmut Marko said the backlash was fierce. The FIA could do little to prevent his ascension but they changed their rules to prevent a repeat.

The sport’s governing body revised their superlicence criteria so that drivers couldn’t race in F1 until they’d turned 18. Marko feels, in light of what Verstappen achieved, that this was a ‘stupid’ move.

Mercedes regard Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the next Verstappen and engine customer Williams requested special dispensation from the FIA to field him an F1 session before his 18th birthday. In June, they agreed to let 17-year-olds compete in exceptional cases.

“We were declared completely crazy by almost everyone and had all kinds of things thrown at us,” Marko said. “The FIA ​​was even stupid enough to adjust the entire licensing system, so that someone so young could not make his debut again.”

Why the ‘rapid ascent’ of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel is a warning to Max Verstappen

Verstappen has recently passed 200 race starts, but he’s shown little interest in staying in F1 as long as Lewis Hamilton, now 39, and Fernando Alonso, 44. In fact, he raised concerns over the sport’s direction last time out in Singapore.

The FIA punished him after he swore in the pre-race press conference, with Mohammed Ben Sulayem attempting to clamp down on explicit language. Marko is taking Verstappen’s quit threat seriously, potentially a veiled warning to the rule-makers.

On track, Verstappen has enjoyed one of the highest peaks ever seen in Formula 1, if not the highest. He won an unprecedented 19 out of 22 races in the 2023 season, and his run of seven in 10 at the start of 2024 should be enough for his streak to continue.

But Alex Jacques says Daniel Ricciardo’s exit should be a warning to Verstappen. Like fellow Red Bull product Sebastian Vettel, he enjoyed a ‘rapid ascent’, followed by a sharp decline.