When Max Verstappen was ‘thrown in the deep end’ by Red Bull at the 2014 Japanese GP


When Max Verstappen was ‘thrown in the deep end’ by Red Bull at the 2014 Japanese GP

Max Verstappen (IMAGO / Crash Media Group)

Max Verstappen is now well on his way to his second world championship, with this time turning out to be far more comfortable for the Dutchman. It’s very apparent that he’s currently the best driver for the best team on the grid, even despite the small, yet likely insignificant blip in Singapore.

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This weekend, Formula 1 returns to the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Circuit after 3 years. This is a very significant race to Red Bull, and especially so for their engine manufacturer Honda. But it’s also an important race in the history of Max Verstappen, as it was here that he made his race weekend debut, back in 2014. At just 17 years and 3 days old.

Back then, Max Verstappen was still just a prospect – but what a prospect he was. Easily one of the most exciting young drivers at the time. He was ‘thrown in the deep end’ in Japan, as Helmut Marko admitted: “We deliberately chose to throw Max in the deep end. Suzuka was designed by a Dutchman, so a circuit for guys, huh. That was a nice challenge for Max.”

Also Read: ‘Wouldn’t survive a week’: F1 Twitter opines on what Max Verstappen at Ferrari would be like

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Helmut Marko: ‘Max Verstappen did nothing wrong in that training’

Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso STR9 (IMAGO / Crash Media Group)
Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso STR9 (IMAGO / Crash Media Group)

Max Verstappen replaced Jean-Éric Vergne in FP1 Japan for his preparation for the Toro Rosso seat he would be occupying in 2015, partnering Carlos Sainz. He finished 12th in the season, just around 4 tenths behind Daniil Kyvat. Not bad for his first driver in the new generation of Formula 1 cars.

Helmut Marko, speaking to formule1.nl said that Verstappen was completely spotless: “But I believed that with him we had found someone who would become the new normal. And in Suzuka we got confirmation of what I already knew: Max did nothing wrong in that training, was competitive from the first moment he got into a Formula 1 car.”

It’s apparent that Max Verstappen passed the test with flying colours. After just 1 impressive year at Toro Rosso, he replaced Kyvat in the hot seat of the main team and did not even take very long to get his first victory. It was not as if the Russian driver had been bad – he outscored Daniel Ricciardo in 2015. Verstappen was simply a superior talent.

This weekend, the Dutchman returns to the site of his race weekend debut. He has not won at the circuit, as of yet. But now he has a golden opportunity in Suzuka to seal the title. All he needs to do is outscore Charles Leclerc by 8 points, and Sergio Perez by 6 points.

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Also Read: How can Max Verstappen seal the title at the Japanese GP?

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