Max Emilian Verstappen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɑks vɛrˈstɑ.pə(n)]; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian and Dutch[3] racing driver competing in Formula One under the Dutch flag for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won three Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles, which he won consecutively from 2021 to 2023 with Red Bull.
Verstappen is the son of former Formula One driver Jos Verstappen, and former go-kart racer Sophie Kumpen. He had a successful run in karting and single-seater categories – including FIA European Formula 3 – breaking several records.
At the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, when he was aged 17 years, 166 days, he became the youngest driver to compete in Formula One. After spending the 2015 season with Scuderia Toro Rosso, Verstappen started his 2016 campaign with the Italian team before being promoted to parent team Red Bull Racing after four races as a replacement for Daniil Kvyat. At the age of 18, he won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix on his debut for Red Bull Racing, becoming the youngest-ever driver and the first Dutch driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix.[4][5]
After winning ten Grands Prix during the 2021 season, Verstappen became Formula One World Drivers’ Champion for the first time, being the first Dutch driver and the 34th driver to do so.[6] He won the next two consecutive Formula One championships in 2022 and 2023. As of the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen has had 59 victories, 39 pole positions and 32 fastest laps. In addition to being the youngest Grand Prix winner, he holds several Formula One records, including the most wins in a season, the most podium finishes in a season, the most consecutive wins, and the most consecutive pole positions. Verstappen is set to remain at Red Bull until at least the end of the 2028 season after signing a contract extension.[7]
Personal life
Max Emilian Verstappen was born on 30 September 1997 in Hasselt, Belgium to Jos Verstappen and Sophie Kumpen.[8][9] Verstappen’s parents separated when he was young, after which he lived with his father. His younger sister, Victoria, lived with their mother.[10] Verstappen has three younger half-siblings from his father: a sister, Blue Jaye, from Jos’s second marriage, and a brother and sister, Jason Jaxx and Mila Faye, from Jos’s current marriage.[11]
His family has a long association with motor sports: his father is a Dutch former Formula One driver, his Belgian mother competed in karting,[12][13] and his first cousin once removed, Anthony Kumpen, competed in endurance racing and is a two-time NASCAR Whelen Euro Series champion currently serving as the team manager for PK Carsport in Euro Series.[12] Although Verstappen has a Belgian mother, was born in Belgium and resided in Bree, Belgium, he decided to compete with a Dutch racing licence. He stated he “feels more Dutch”, having spent more time with his father than with his mother during his upbringing, and was always surrounded by Dutch people while growing up in Maaseik, a Belgian town at the Dutch border.[13] Verstappen said in 2015: “I actually only lived in Belgium to sleep, but during the day I went to the Netherlands and had my friends there too. I was raised as a Dutch person and that’s how I feel.”[14] In 2022, however, Verstappen stated that he appreciates both sides and is “half-half at the end of the day”.[15]
He competed in Formula One for more than a season before obtaining a road driving licence on his 18th birthday.[16] Verstappen moved to Monaco the day after, in October 2015, and has lived there since and has said it was not for tax reasons.[17] In November 2020, Verstappen bought a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft from Virgin Galactic. The aircraft is registered PH-DTF and operated by Exxaero.[18]
In his free time, Verstappen enjoys sim racing. Having taken part in many sim racing competitions, Verstappen stated that it helps him with his real life racing keeping him “ready to go”.[19] Verstappen is a member of Team Redline; a multinational sim racing team.[20] Verstappen is a supporter of FC Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven.[21] Verstappen speaks three languages, Dutch, English and German, the latter of which he learned while karting with Michael Schumacher.[22] In September 2022, he was made an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau in recognition of his racing achievements.[23] Verstappen has been dating Kelly Piquet publicly since January 2021.[24]
Junior career
Karting
Verstappen started racing in karts at the age of four and competing in championships at the age of seven. In 2005 he competed in the Mini Junior championship of his home province of Limburg, Belgium[25] and won the VAS Championship in the same category. In 2006, he repeated his success. In 2007, Verstappen graduated to the Rotax Max Mini Max class and won the Rotax Max Challenge Belgium[26] and the Dutch Championship[27] in that category. In 2008, racing in a CRG kart entered by his father, Verstappen won the Belgian Cadet Championship,[28] as well as the Rotax Max Challenge Belgium[29] and Benelux Karting Series in Mini Max class.[30] In 2009, Verstappen joined Pex Racing, a CRG customer team. That year, he defended his titles in the Mini Max championships[31][32] and won the Belgian KF5 Championship.[33]
Verstappen was signed by CRG to race in their factory team and stepped up to international karting in 2010. At the KF3 World Cup, Verstappen finished second to the more experienced Alexander Albon (who would eventually become his Formula One teammate at Red Bull Racing)[34] but beat him at the WSK Euro Series[35] and also won the WSK World Series, beating Robert Vișoiu.[36] He finished fifth in the European Championship and won the WSK Nations Cup[37] as well as the final of the Bridgestone Cup where during a 28 laps’ race in the rain he beat Dennis Olsen by over 11 seconds.[38] In 2011, Verstappen won the WSK Euro Series ahead of Esteban Ocon in a Parilla-powered CRG kart.[39] However, it was not a successful year for him, as he finished 14th in the European Championship and got taken out in the World Cup by Charles Leclerc.
In the following year, Verstappen joined the Intrepid Driver Program to race in the KF2 and KZ2 classes. He won the WSK Master Series in the KF2 class, beating the CRG driver Felice Tiene.[40] Verstappen won the South Garda Winter Cup in the KF2 class, beating Dennis Olsen and Antonio Fuoco.[41][42] He finished sixth in the WSK Euro Series.[43] He was the youngest driver taking part in the World Championship in KF1 class and finished eight.[44]
In July 2012, it was announced that Verstappen would leave Intrepid. After a short stint with CRG-built Zanardi karts, Verstappen returned to the factory CRG team.[45] He finished second at the World Cup in the KF2 class[46] and competed at the SKUSA SuperNationals in the KZ2 class in a CRG, finishing 21st.
In 2013, Verstappen completed a record-breaking season in karting. Aged 15, Verstappen won the South Garda Winter Cup in KF2[47] class and WSK Euro and Master Series in KZ class.[48][49] He won two European Championships and a World Championship (the European and World KF and World KZ championships); an unprecedented feat in the history of the discipline.[50] Verstappen won the 2013 World KZ Championship at Varennes-sur-Allier, France, beating Charles Leclerc[51] and becoming the youngest driver ever to win the KZ World Championship.[52]
