Max Verstappen’s F1 debut: 2014 Japanese Grand Prix
Jack NicoleOctober 3, 2021
Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images
It’s been seven years since Max Verstappen drove a Formula 1 car for the first time – just a few days after his 17th birthday. Who did Max Verstappen replace in practice at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix and what happened next?
Max Verstappen makes his debut at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix
During the summer of 2014, Red Bull announced that the Dutch teenager would play for the youth team Toro Rosso in 2015.
When Red Bull made the move, Verstappen had just one season of the car behind him.
Mercedes was also vying for Verstappen’s signature – but Red Bull promised an F1 race seat in 2015 and the deal was finally struck.
To prepare Verstappen for F1, he attended three Friday morning practice sessions at Toro Rosso.
The first of these is in Japan.
He replaced Jean-Eric Vergne in the seat for 22 laps.
Verstappen was 12th fastest in his first official F1 race at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, but was later stopped by engine problems.
He has also appeared in the United States and Brazil.
What’s next for Verstappen?
Verstappen made his F1 debut at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix – although he retired with an engine problem.
Next time in Malaysia, he became the youngest F1 points driver with a seventh-place finish.
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images
He finished his maiden season 12th ahead of the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix before being promoted to the senior team – and he won the race.
What happened to the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix?
Vergne brought back his Toro Rosso for the race – held in heavy rain when Typhoon Phanfone hit Japan.
Nico Rosberg took pole position for Mercedes in the front row with teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Due to conditions, the game was warned at the start and restarted after about 20 minutes.
On lap 29, Hamilton rounded Mercedes around Rosberg at Turn 1 to take the lead.
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images
He will never lose it.
As the situation deteriorated, Adrian Sutil drove off in his Sauber at Turn 7 on lap 40.
On the next lap, Jules Bianchi slid in place.
The Frenchman had hit a tractor and was chasing Sutil’s car.
Bianchi suffered serious head injuries and died of his injuries nine months later in July 2015.
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Jack usually writes or reads anything related to motorsport – from Formula 1 to NASCAR to British truck racing. His work as a motorsport reporter has been published in prestigious media such as Autosport, Motorsport.com and Motorsport News. In addition to racing, he is an avid amateur astronomer, podcast listener, and enjoys walks in the park with his three dogs.
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