Verstappen to race for Toro Rosso in 2015
18 August 2014 – Max Verstappen will become the youngest driver in Formula 1 history after it was confirmed that he will race for Toro Rosso in 2015.
Verstappen, who will be 17 when he makes his Formula 1 debut, will race alongside Daniil Kvyat, leaving Jean-Éric Vergne without a seat.
The Dutch driver has been racing in the European Formula Three Championship this year and is currently in second place in the standings, having claimed eight victories in his first season of car racing after stepping up from karting.
Verstappen joined the Red Bull young driver programme only last week and will break the previous record of youngest Formula 1 driver, currently held by Jaime Alguersuari, by almost two years.
"First of all, I would like to thank Dr. Helmut Marko and Red Bull for all their trust and giving me the chance to make my Formula debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso," said Verstappen.
"Ever since I was seven years old, Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this opportunity is truly a dream come true.
"With the return of the Verstappen name to Formula 1, I hope we can relive old memories and I'm hoping to see many fans at all the Grand Prix circuits."
Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost praised Verstappen's progress this season.
"We are happy to welcome Max into the Toro Rosso family," he said. "We consider Max to be as one of the most skilled young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary maturity and mental strength to take on this challenge successfully.
"This year he has already demonstrated how well he can cope under difficult conditions. Bearing in mind that Toro Rosso was created with the aim of bringing young talent from the Red Bull Junior Team into Formula 1 and to educate them, it will now be up to us to provide Max with a competitive car, which will enable him to have the best possible start to his Formula 1 career."
