D-6: Should we be afraid of Max Verstappen?

At just 18 years old, the Dutchman is shaking up habits, blurring codes and opening a new era. Youngest driver to debut in F1 and youngest Grand Prix winner, he doesn't care about conventions and only listens to his instinct. Reckless for some, dangerous for others, but fast for everyone, he was able to gain respect from everyone in just a handful of races. Before trying it, even the most seasoned think twice! Last year, he managed to shake Kimi Räikkönen off his hinges while no one had ever managed to defrost “Iceman”, that's saying something. He, who considers himself a potential world champion, waits with impatience, sometimes turning to annoyance, for the mount that will allow him to assume his destiny. But it is precisely this eagerness that can be dangerous.

An undeniable spearhead of the next generation, he arouses all the more interest as there is a lack of elements of comparison with him since no driver has yet gone so far so quickly. Educated from a very young age by a father, Jos, a former F1 driver who is as experienced as he is demanding, Max has within him this confidence and this determination which are the mark of the greatest. In Brazil last year, in Dantean conditions, which were reminiscent of those of the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, where the young Senna splashed the Principality with his talent, Verstappen completed a race that will also go down in history. That of a pilot set out to break all records. No offense to the F1 aristocracy…

Discover the challenges of the 2017 season in the AUTO F1 Guidehebdo, still available in digital version on all platforms and on kiosks.