Max Verstappen has reflected on his first Formula 1 win at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix ahead of his 100th race for Red Bull.
The Dutchman won on his debut for the Milton Keynes-based squad in Barcelona, capitalising on Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton taking each other out at Turn 4 on the opening lap.
At 18 years and 228 days, that made Verstappen the youngest winner in F1 history, a record he still holds today.
And despite the tough man image he has now, Max admits that day was quite different.
“Barcelona will always hold special memories for me,” he said. “Your first F1 win is pretty emotional, especially when it is a bit of a shock to everyone as it was my debut for the team.
Also Read:
- Hamilton & Verstappen expect clean racing but might be ‘sick of each other’ by Abu Dhabi
- Verstappen has ‘no regrets’ choosing Red Bull over Mercedes in 2014
- Immaturity meant Verstappen ‘didn’t care’ and had ‘free will’ to race – Ricciardo
“I don’t really get emotional that often but I was pretty close to tears that day and so was my Dad.
“Everything flashes through your head of how you got to Formula 1. It wasn’t all easy and people think that when you are winning it looks pretty easy but you have to do the hard work to get there.
“Like all young drivers, we spent a lot of time away from home, driving around Europe and working as hard as possible,” Verstappen noted.
“Of course, I had big help from my Dad who prepared me very well but there is no guarantee you will make it to Formula 1 but as a family that was always the goal.
“Suddenly, after the win, it all flashes through your head and it was an incredible day.
“I’ve said it many times, my first win was a shock, nobody expected it, so it will be a day I will never forget. I’m very grateful to everyone who worked with me and got to that point at such a young age.”
Fast forward to today and Verstappen now has 11 wins under his belt and has perhaps his first real chance of fighting for the championship in 2021.
And ahead of his milestone event, the 23-year-old joked about how fast his career is passing.
“Getting to 100 races with Red Bull has gone so quickly to be honest,” he said. “I didn’t know it had been that many! I must be getting old!”
