Max Verstappen will be F1 driver with 17

[Andres125sx]

Hi,

It´s confirmed by Toro Rosso...

http://www.f1technical.net/news/19561

I know nothing about Max, so did a search at Wikipedia to see his career

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Verstappen

According to this, one year ago he had never driven a single seater, only karts

Do you think Red Bull is going too far with their drivers? I know this annoucements provide some free advertising for the team, but I wonder if this is could be a problem for F1 itself introducing drivers with no experience at all, or how this will affect the driver. Heck, I´m not even sure this may be good for the team itself

IMHO this is going too far, a boy with 17 and one year experience on cars should not be F1 driver.

[MOWOG]

I tend to agree, Andres. But the solons at Red Bull seem to see things differently. He apparently has been tearing it up in Formula 3 since leaving karts behind. People say that simulators have become so sophisticated that actually driving a car is of secondary importance.

How can this be? Can you learn racecraft from a computer? Was Jacques Villeneuve just a harbinger of things to come, as he "practiced" for upcoming races by playing Gran Turismo on his computer?

Personally, I think this buttresses my argument that the cars have become so easy to drive that any fool can do it and that the drivers are what Flabbio and DiLuca call "taxi drivers". Pretty soon, we will have 12 year olds in the cockpit, which means the drivers will have approximately the same mental age as the rule makers and team owners!

But it's all good. Those youngsters will weigh many kilograms less than actual adults. Who would have guessed that in a sport where teams spend millions to shave a gram or two that putting smaller and smaller drivers in the cars would be the ultimate weight saving tactic?

Those who are students of American baseball may be reminded of a famous incident involving Bill Veeck and a certain midget.

Good luck to Max. He may be the first driver in Formula One history to win a race before he loses his virginity.

[SectorOne]

How can this be? Can you learn racecraft from a computer?

Yes you can learn racecraft in racing sims, given you have people to race with.
Most moves you see in F1 is done on a regular basis in simracing and lower formulas.

[lolzi]

I don't really get why it's such a big deal, drivers start (in karts and in single-seaters) a lot younger than they did 20 years ago. It's not like you really need to be able to grow a beard to be an F1 driver.
The guy won the "Masters of Formula 3" Zandvoort race and is currently in second place in European F3, right? That doesn't sound like someone who is going to be a huge danger when he gets to F1.
Hey, look at Räikkönen, he did alright after only doing Formula Renault.
If an organisation with so much to choose from chooses to invest millions in this guy, he's probably not a complete idiot.

[wesley123]

I do think it's a bit of a gamble. Not because of his age but because of his lack of single seater experience. Like said, this is his first year in a single seater, compared to where other drivers on the grid were there much longer before becoming an F1 driver(with Raikkonen as the exception).

I'd say it probably has a lot to do with market value and the lesser need to actually have a good driver. Red Bull has a solid line up with Vettel and Riccardio, and where there previously was needed for a Webber replacement, that does not seem to be the case any longer. Thus, Red Bull can pretty much dump anyone in the STR because now it has very little use anymore to be a feeder team.

Even though it has been over 10 years that Jos Verstappen drove in Formula 1 his name is something that is widely known by F1 fans in the Benelux for some weird reason. Thus, linking the Verstappen name to Red Bull can be a good way for promotion.

[Andres125sx]

But it's all good. Those youngsters will weigh many kilograms less than actual adults. Who would have guessed that in a sport where teams spend millions to shave a gram or two that putting smaller and smaller drivers in the cars would be the ultimate weight saving tactic?

Not sure if kidding, but that actually is a good point.

Considering 10kg make around 3 tenths difference, a light driver may be a similar advantage to some millions investment on aero or engine. At least with this new rules, as this seasson some teams are over minimum weight limit and physical strength is not that important either

Add to that driver talent is not so important today, and if you get a light driver who is also a good driver (not neccessary a top class driver), and maybe they get more advantage this way than they´d get with an adult with more experience


Anyone know STR car´s weight?

[Andres125sx]

I don't really get why it's such a big deal, drivers start (in karts and in single-seaters) a lot younger than they did 20 years ago.

True, but then they earned some experience in lower formulas. Max is previous step before some driver jumps directly from karting to F1

The guy won the "Masters of Formula 3" Zandvoort race and is currently in second place in European F3, right? That doesn't sound like someone who is going to be a huge danger when he gets to F1.

Danger IMHO doesn´t come from slow drivers, but from inexperienced ones

Hey, look at Räikkönen, he did alright after only doing Formula Renault.

And Formula Ford, but that´s a good point too

Anycase he was 21-22, not 17. Age counts as experience itself I think, when you´re 17 you´re not conscious of many things. Good for his team as he´ll not get scared easily, not so good for the rest of the grid


IMO lack of experience may be dangerous, but lack of maturity may be much worse. I hope to be wrong, but that´s my opinion right now.

[MOWOG]

Not sure if kidding

I'm never quite sure myself, Andres. But you point out precisely why some team might actually opt for a smaller lighter driver.

[Godius]

Verstappen did a few straight line tests today in a RB8 disguised as a Toro Rosso.

[NTS]

a RB8 disguised as a Toro Rosso

Any idea why they would do that instead of using a real Toro Rosso or just using an RB8 with the original colors?

[FW17]

in at 17 out at 19, starring a verstappen, a story by marko, directed by tost, produced by mateschitz

[garagetinkerer]

I think it is not as big an issue as it is made out to be. Let us face it, F1 as it were, the very physical, break your body and soul, is not that anymore. There are a lot of tricks to getting the best out of the car, but it is considerably easier to make a switch from lower formulae to F1 now, than it has been for 2 decades or so. I think Verstappen Jr. will be just fine.

[NTS]

I've seen him drive in karting, he is incredibly fast. He also has both his father and a manager that seem to know what they're doing. So I expect the deal with Red Bull to be constructed in such a way that it allows him maximum development.

[RicerDude]

a RB8 disguised as a Toro Rosso

Any idea why they would do that instead of using a real Toro Rosso or just using an RB8 with the original colors?

Perhaps because they don't have the funds to run their own show car so they borrow their sister teams car?

[FW17]

a RB8 disguised as a Toro Rosso

Any idea why they would do that instead of using a real Toro Rosso or just using an RB8 with the original colors?

Perhaps because they don't have the funds to run their own show car so they borrow their sister teams car?

No more Ferrari engines, so took an RB8 re-stickered it as the cheapest alternative. must have cost them a few 100 pounds for the entire work.