At just 20 years of age, Max Verstappen has already emerged as one of the best drivers in Formula One. Will he ever become a world champion?
Max Verstappen, 20, began his Formula One career in the 2015 season as a 17-year-old driving for Toro Rosso. His top finishes were 4th place efforts in Hungary and the United States that season en route to a 12th place finish in the final drivers standings.
The following season as an 18-year-old, Verstappen began the season driving for Toro Rosso. But after four races, he replaced Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull Racing and ended up winning his first race as a driver for the team at Spain. He ended up finishing in 5th place in the final drivers standings with that win and six more podium finishes.
While Verstappen has been solid this season by winning his second career race at Malaysia and finishing on the podium in two other races, he hasn’t even come near his potential yet. His car has been completely unreliable, which is the reason he has sustained seven retirements through 16 races so far this season.
Yet he still sits in 6th place in the drivers standings with a chance to finish in the top 5 for the second year in a row. At 20 years old, Verstappen seems to have an extremely bright future in front of him. Will he be able to win at least one Formula One championship one day?
Max Verstappen winning a Formula One championship: BUY
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Let’s be real here. Max Verstappen is already one of the best drivers in Formula One. The closest driver to him in age who currently sits above him in the drivers standings is Valtteri Bottas, who is more than eight years older than him.
Within the next few seasons, don’t be surprised at all if Verstappen starts driving for Mercedes, the top team in the sport over the past four seasons.
Not only do I think Max Verstappen will be a Formula One champion one day, but I also believe he can be a multiple-time Formula One champion. And that day may not be too far down the road with the way things look right now and how well he has been performing.
Next: Which drivers will drive for Mercedes and Ferrari in 2019?
In the 2018 season, Max Verstappen will definitely be back at Red Bull Racing given his contract as well as the fact that there are no seats open at Mercedes or Ferrari. But while his contract at Red Bull Racing goes through the 2019 season, there has been serious speculation that he will be leaving the team after the 2018 season, which could potentially put him in a position to become a Formula One champion as early as 2019 as a 22-year-old.