F1

Max Verstappen: Youngest Ever to Score F1 Points

At just 17, Verstappen is already making waves in the world's biggest racing championship.
By Matt Youson
3 min readPublished on
Hot stuff: Max Verstappen on track in Malaysia

Hot stuff: Max Verstappen on track in Malaysia

© Clive Mason/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

While it may be an unprecedented feat, not a soul in the house was caught off-guard when Toro Rosso rookie driver Max Verstappen became the youngest driver ever to score a Formula 1 championship point at the Grand Prix of Malaysia.
The 17-year-old took the record off Daniil Kyvat, who he also beat on track. Verstappen finished seventh, ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz in eighth, and both Red Bulls.
After the race, Verstappen, looking suspiciously fresh for someone who had just survived the heat of Malaysia, told us how it went. It turns out the person at Sepang least bothered by his record-breaking feats is Verstappen himself.
Toro Rosso driver Max Verstappen talks to the press at the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix

Max Verstappen meets the press at the Malaysian GP

© Peter Fox/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

Max, to get it out of the way, you're the youngest points scorer in the history of F1. It's quite an achievement. How does it make you feel?
Ah, for me, being the youngest doesn't really matter. I'm just really happy to have scored points. I'm happy to be seventh, and also happy to be in front of the Red Bulls. I think we did a great job as a team today.
It didn't appear to be the most straightforward race for you, particularly at the start. Was the car difficult to drive?
Yeah, but only at the start. In the early laps I was struggling a lot with the brakes, so I didn't have a lot of confidence in the car. I had to brake quite early into corners. I couldn't be very aggressive and it cost me some places. We were also struggling with the [used, medium] rear tires. So we boxed early to go onto the hard tires and that worked much better for me. As the race went on, at around lap 15, the brakes started to work and everything got much better. From there I could push and manage the tires. Suddenly the car was perfect, I could find a good balance in the car and a good rhythm, and I made some good moves.
Dutch driver Max Verstappen talking with a Toro Rosso team member at the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen is F1’s youngest points scorer

© Peter Fox/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

Before the race you said the temperatures here in Malaysia wouldn't bother you. With the track temperature hitting 64° Celsius [147 degrees Fahrenheit], would you care to revise that?
It was quite hot at the end, but I was able to manage it and be consistent. Actually, at the end of the race I was quite happy with how I felt.
What does today mean for the team?
I think it’s a good boost for us. P7 and P8 ... yeah, I don’t think we could have done a better job. The feeling is really good at the moment. I think P7 was the maximum today. Mercedes, Ferrari and Williams were in front of us, and they are still a bit too fast at the moment — but we were best of the rest. So I think we did a very good job. We had a good race with Red Bull Racing and I had a good fight with Daniil at one point for position. We were able to finish ahead of them, which is a big achievement. I was smiling, for sure.
You had a good battle with Carlos Sainz as well. Teammates are obviously the first driver to beat, so it must be very satisfying to come out of that battle in front.
He was on older tires, so it really wasn't comparable. I think we both did a good job.
Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen

Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen

© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

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Max Verstappen

The son of former Formula One driver Jos Verstappen, Max Verstappen is the youngest race-winner in F1 history and a three-time world champion.

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