Who are the youngest drivers ever to race in Formula 1?
Formula 1 restrict driver below the age of 18 from making F1 debut.
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Red Bull's Max Verstappen (L) and McLaren's Lando Norris (R)
Formula 1 is quickly becoming a ‘young man’s sport’. It’s just the simple reality. The fact is, it’s easier to have a longer career, and you have more opportunities when you’re younger. When you have age on your side, you can afford to learn for some years. So, it’s become the standard that young ‘rookie’ drivers take some time getting used to motorsport. But when/if they do, there’s a bigger payoff: You have a more long-term asset at your hand.
In general, almost all F1 drivers make their debut by their early to mid-20s, like record champions Lewis Hamilton and Michale Schumacher. But some are truly exceptional and stand out. Age in and of itself isn’t an indicator of just how good an F1 driver can be. But performing well at a young age does raise eyebrows. It also means there’s more potential for growth.
A select pack of F1 drivers makes their debut while they’re still teenagers. The ‘select pack’ is actually rather exclusive. As of 2023, only 12 drivers have started a race as teenagers. This ‘club’ includes multiple-time world champions Fernando Alonso (19 years and 218 days old) and Sebastian Vettel (19 years and 349 days) made their debut well before their 20th birthday. Still, neither of them is in the top five youngest drivers in history.
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Here is a list of 6 youngest drivers ever to race in Formula 1
6 – Mike Thackwell
Date of Birth: 30 March 1961 (in Auckland, New Zealand)
Age at Debut: 19 Years and 182 Days
Debut Race: 1980 Canadian Grand Prix
Before he truly made his debut, Mike Thackwell unsuccessfully attempted to qualify for the Dutch Grand Prix with Arrows, replacing the injured Jochen Mass. The car was entirely set up for Mass, but he got permission from Tyrell to drive for them. He ended up second last in the qualifying session, just above Keke Rosberg, who was driving for Fittipaldi.
He started his first race at the Canadian Grand Prix, in the third Tyrell, and qualified 24th (out of 28 drivers). At the start of the race, there was a massive collision, which also involved the other two Tyrell drivers, Jean-Pierre Jarier and Derek Daly. Daly was out, but Jarier took over Thackwell’s car, and eventually finished in 7th place. In the next race, he tried to qualify for the United States Grand Prix but suffered a fractured brake disc.
He started just one more race in his career when he replaced Jonathan Palmer for RAM at the Canadian Grand Prix. He qualified 25th, higher than teammate Phillipe Alliot. So, Thackwell has the distinction of his F1 race career being limited to the Canadian Grands Prix.
5 – Jaime Alguersuari
Date of Birth: 23 March 1990 (in Barcelona, Spain)
Age at Debut: 19 Years and 125 Days
Debut Race: 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix
At the time of his debut at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, Jaime Alguersuari was 19 years and 125 days old, which made him the youngest Formula 1 driver ever. That is, till someone on the list broke his record. He replaced Sébastien Bourdais for the second half of the 2009 season and partnered up with Sébastien Buemi. Unfortunately for Alguersuari, no points came his way in 2009.
2010 was undoubtedly better, but not by a lot. He was outscored by his teammate by 3 (Alguersuari had 5, compared to Buemi’s 8) points, and finished 19th in the standings. 2011 was actually quite a lot better, both for the team and him, and he finally got the best of Buemi. But it was too late, and both of them lost their seats – Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Éric Vergne came in to replace them. As fate would have it, 2011 was Alguersuari’s last season in the sport.
4 – Lando Norris
Date of Birth: 13 November 1999 (in Glastonbury, England, United Kingdom)
Age of Debut: 19 Years and 125 Days
Debut Race: 2019 Australian Grand Prix
Lando Norris is one of the highly-rated McLaren prodigious talents after Hamlinton. He replaced two-time world champion – Fernando Alonso. The Briton made his debut at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix, partnering with Carlos Sainz—the beginning of a possibly great career, and also a great friendship. The two are now fondly known as ‘CarLando’. In Australia, he did not score any points and finished P12. His teammate, on the other hand, retired. Next race, he scored McLaren’s first points of the season with a P6 finish in Bahrain. 2020 was impressive as well, but he really proved his mettle in 2021 and 2022.
3 – Lance Stroll
Date of Birth: 29 October 1998 (in Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Age of Debut: 19 Years and 124 Days
Debut Race: 2017 Australian Grand Prix
Lance Stroll drove his first Formula 1 race with Williams Racing, partnering with Felipe Massa. Unfortunately for him, his Australian Grand Prix ended rather early, as he retired with a brake issue. But there was some joy in store for him. After a series of retirements and finishes outside of the points, Stroll scored his first points in his home race at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Next race, he stepped on the podium of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a P3 finish. He was only narrowly beaten to P2 by Valtteri Bottas, who happens to be the man Stroll replaced at Williams. In 2019, he moved to Racing Point, which was later re-branded as Aston Martin.
2 – Oliver Bearman
Date of Birth: 8 May 2005 (Chelmsford, United Kingdom)
Age of Debut: 18 years and 306 days
Debut Race: 2024 Saudi Arabian GP
Oliver Bearman clinched pole position for the F2 feature race in Saudi Arabia in 2024. However, the Briton would get a surprise call from Scuderia Ferrari to replace Carlos Sainz for the weekend. As the Spanish driver was diagnosed with appendicitis. Subsequently, Bearman became the second youngest driver to race in Formula 1 at the age of 18 years and 306 days.
The 18-year-old was born on May 8, 2005. Bearman delivered some impressive results in junior categories before joining the F2 grid for 2024. The Briton also became an integral part of the Ferrari driver academy.
Oliver Bearman impressed the entire paddock with a decent effort in Qualifying in Jeddah. The 18-year-old put his car in P11 for the race, narrowly missing out Q3.
Moreover, the Briton managed to showcase his skills in the Grand Prix and battled multiple cars for position. Certainly, the 18-year-old solidified his bid for a future seat at the pinnacle of motorsport.
1 – Max Verstappen
Date of Birth: 30 September 1997 (in Hasselt, Belgium)
Age of Debut: 17 Years and 166 Days
Debut Race: 2015 Australian Grand Prix
Red Bull’s ‘golden boy’. Max Verstappen, son of Jos Verstappen, made his debut for Toro Rosso at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, alongside Carlos Sainz. Unfortunately, he retired from the race. Despite this early setback, the Dutchman had a very impressive rookie season and outscored his older teammate by 31 points. Next season, he continued at Toro Rosso for four races. Then, he was promoted to the main team, Red Bull, at the Spanish Grand Prix. He won that race.
Since then, he’s gone strength from strength. In 2021, he beat out seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to win his first world championship. The next season, he defended his title in some style, and rather easily. He scored 15 victories in 2022 – an all-time record for wins in a season and sealed the title with 4 races to go. In 2023, he’ll be looking for more of the same.
There may and likely will be drivers making their debut when they’re younger than that. But Max Verstappen’s record is safe, at least if the FIA doesn’t amend the current super license rules. The current super license rules make it mandatory for a driver to be at least 18 years of age – which means that Verstappen wouldn’t have made his debut in Australia under the current rules!
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)