He was born to be fast: Who is Max Verstappen?

Born in Hasselt, Belgium, in 1997, Max soon found himself on the race tracks. He had already started appearing in karting races in Genk in 2003.

He won his first championship in 2005 in the Belgium Championship Mini (VAS) organization. And by winning all 21 races. Max did not win any championships in karting until 2013, including the 2013 World KZ championship in Varennes-sur-Allier, France.

Max, who met a Formula car for the first time in the Florida Winter Series, soon signed with the Netherlands-based Van Amersfoort team and started competing in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.

Max Emilian Verstappen ( born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian and Dutch racing driver and the 2021, 2022, and 2023 Formula One World Champion. He competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One with Red Bull Racing.

Max, who made his mark in F3 at the age of 16, achieved his first victory in the sixth race of the season. He then went on a magnificent streak in which he won six races in a row. He finished the season in third place in the drivers' standings.

Max joined the Scuderia Torro Rosso team in 2015, becoming the youngest driver in the history of Formula 1. He was almost two years younger than Jaime Alguersuari, who previously held this record. Max collected an impressive 49 points in his first season and managed to achieve fourth place twice.

Max, who was promoted to Red Bull Racing from Scuderia Torro Rosso after the first four races in 2016, became the partner of Daniel Ricciardo. In his first race with Red Bull Racing, in Spain, he went beyond all predictions and maintained his lead despite the attacks of 2007 Formula 1 Champion Kimi Raikkonen and achieved his first GP victory. Max, who reached the podium six more times in the remainder of the season, finished the Formula 1 2016 season in fifth place and became the most remarkable talent of F1.

In 2017, in addition to victories in Malaysia and Mexico, he finished the season in sixth place, taking second place in Japan and third place in China.

In 2018, he moved up a gear and finished the season in fourth place. Victories in Austria and Mexico and podium finishes throughout the season summed up his performance.

Max's development continued in 2019. Max, who achieved unforgettable victories at the Red Bull Ring and Hockenheimring on top of his podium successes in Australia and Spain, finished the season in third place.

Proving that he is one of the brightest pilots of Formula 1 with his performance, Max left behind a great season in 2020 and made his real breakthrough in 2021.

2021 was the season in which Max evolved from a pilot who appeared at the top from time to time into a real world championship contender.

In this season, Max achieved many firsts in his career. While achieving his first victory on the famous streets of Monaco; He also achieved the first hat-trick of his career with consecutive wins in France, Styria and Austria.

Max, who won his first victory in the US GP, took pole position in his home race at Zandvoort in September and managed to win the race in front of the orange crowd.

Max, who won 10 of the races he competed in the 2021 season, won the last round of the Abu Dhabi GP, the breathtaking last race of the season, and declared the first championship of his career.

The defining moments of Max Verstappen's 2023 championship

Max Verstappen probably had a good feeling when he started testing the 2023 car. After winning the championship with 15 wins in 2022, he did not say enough and continued to work. He constantly provided feedback for the development of the 2023 car.

This step forward by Red Bull has helped Verstappen rise to another level in 2023. The championship was built on dominance, with a record-breaking 10 consecutive victories from Miami to Monza leaving their opponents unable to fight back.

Even during Verstappen's dominant year, the season was not devoid of defining moments. Races that could easily have turned in another direction shaped Verstappen's march to the championship.