Despite being in his 20s, Max Verstappen is already in the history books for his fearless determination and skill on the Formula 1 circuit. He’s won the championship and holds other records in the sport. Formula 1? Formula Won, more like! Here’s everything you need to know about the man who’s as fast as Billy Whizz!

1. He was born in Belgium

Max Emilian Verstappen was born in Hasselt on September 30, 1997. Even though he was born in Belgium, he races under the Dutch flag as he has dual-nationality. He’s a household name in Holland!

2. Driving fast is in his DNA

It’s not surprising that Max Verstappen became a famous Formula 1 driver. His dad is former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen and his mum is Belgian karting champ Sophie Kumpen!

3. He started go-karting when he was 4 years old!

In a podcast called ‘Beyond the Ordinary’, his dad Jos says that he started driving go-karts when he was very young. “It wasn’t that nerve-wracking, as when he was two he was driving a quad bike, so he had experience with speed, how to steer,” said Jos.

4. He was the youngest driver to compete in Formula 1!

In 2005, he became the youngest person to take part in Formula 1. He made his F1 debut at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix with Scuderia Toro Rosso aged 17 years and 166 days!

5. He didn’t have a driving license when he started in F1

Amazingly, despite his skills on the racing track, Verstappen wasn’t qualified to drive on normal roads. It led to something called ‘the Verstappen rule’ and drivers had to be at least 18 years old to take part in Formula 1 races. The rule has since been scrapped.

6. He was the youngest person to win a F1 race

When he was 18, he made F1 history when he won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló, beating Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel.

7. He won his first Formula 1 World Championship in 2021

He became the first Dutch driver to win a Formula 1 championship, winning during the last lap of the final race in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 12, 2021! He also was the FQ champ in 2022 and 2022 as well!

8. He plays video games to relax before big races

His former Red Bull team mate Alex Albon says that Max would play games like FIFA before a race. “I admire it, I wish I could be that relaxed,” said Alex.

9. In 2023, he had the 10 wins from pole position

In 2023, he also led the most laps (769) and won 10 times in a row, beginning with the Miami Grand Prix and ending with a victory at the Italian Grand Prix. A pretty good season!

10. He’s really good at football games

Verstappen must have really put all that pre-race time to good use when he relaxed with a game of FIFA. In 2018, he was ranked 31 in the world of the FIFA Ultimate Team placings and climbed 10 places the following year!

11. It comes as no surprise he’s an ace at Esports too

It’s not just FIFA where this racing driver is handy with a gaming controller. He sometimes competes in the official Formula 1 game and iRacing, winning the virtual 24 Hours of Daytona in 2024 with 194 points, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 56 points!

12. Verstappen is multi-lingual

The racing legend can speak Dutch, English and German fluently and also knows a bit of French too. Handy for all those post-race interviews with the world’s media!

13. He owns a private jet

Verstappen’s private jet is black and orange and while it’s not especially kind to the environment, he uses it to travel to his races around the world in comfort.

14. He has a collection of classic cars

Verstappen’s first car was a Renault Clio and has added other flashy cars to his collection, including a Renault R.S.01, an Aston Martin DB11 and a V12-powered DBS Superleggera. He can only drive one car at a time, despite being one of the greatest F1 drivers in racing history.

15. He’s won lots of awards

Over the course of his career, Verstappen has won many awards for his skills and bravery on the racing track. In 2023, he was named as Best Driver ESPY Award, he’s won the Autosport International Racing Driver of the Year and Dutch Sportsman of the Year three times each. We’d list the others, but it would take ages.