Max Verstappen’s 10 biggest Red Bull moments as huge milestone hit
Max Verstappen has had a huge amount of ups and downs in his decade at Red Bull.
Ten years after Red Bull took a gamble on a teenage Max Verstappen, the decision stands as one of the most transformative in Formula 1 history.
It is easy to forget that his promotion came as something of a surprise at the time, but given all that has happened since, let us recap some of the history-making stint that has occurred in the past decade, with highs and lows along the way.
May 2016: Max Verstappen is promoted to Red Bull
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In a mid-season swap with Daniil Kvyat, Verstappen saw himself moved into a ‘senior’ Red Bull seat as Kvyat was relegated back to Toro Rosso.
It was a ruthless move from Red Bull’s perspective, with the Russian having been within range of Daniel Ricciardo all season and even finishing on the podium two races earlier in China.
A collision with Sebastian Vettel at his home race in Sochi, however, proved to be the last action Kvyat would take as a Red Bull driver, with the team having summoned its driver for post-race talks in Russia before making the swap.
Already the youngest driver on the grid who had scored points in every race with Toro Rosso in 2016, it was Verstappen’s time to shine as he stepped up to the main team.
May 2016: First race win, in his first Red Bull race
After the dominant Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collided, Verstappen, who had started fourth, used a different strategy to help put himself into the lead.
He had champion company as Kimi Raikkonen looked to put the pressure on in the closing stages, but Verstappen held firm to become the youngest-ever race winner in Formula 1, as well as the youngest-ever podium finisher, at 18 years and 228 days old.
To prove a point or otherwise, Kvyat set the fastest lap of the race.
Verstappen would not earn another race win in 2016, but he took six more podiums along the way.
Speaking of which…
November 2016: The world takes notice
The first of two visits to Interlagos in this piece, while there are lots of race wins to choose from, Verstappen’s true credentials were on display in the wet in Brazil.
Pitting for full wet tyres after a failed gamble on intermediates with 16 laps to go, Verstappen dropped to 16th place on the road, but that would not stop him from carving through the field.
So much so, in fact, that every driver appeared up for the taking as he moved inside, outside, around anyone in his path as he moved his way into the podium places by the finish of the race.
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April 2018: A high-profile collision in Baku
Not one of the Dutch driver’s best moments, but one of the most important nonetheless.
Verstappen and Ricciardo slowly began to wrestle for supremacy at Red Bull, tensions rose on track as they increasingly jostled for position in races.
That all came to a head in Azerbaijan when, spectacularly, both their races came to an end.
Verstappen had overcut Ricciardo heading into the final stint, which led to a close battle over fourth place.
The Australian looked to move to the inside at Turn 1, Verstappen cut him off, before Ricciardo locked up and piled into the back of his teammate.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was not best pleased, to put it mildly, about the incident, and while the two drivers have since remained firm friends, that marked a key flashpoint in their time together in the garage.
July 2021: The youngest-ever Grand Chelem
Having so often been the ‘other’ driver on the podium in Mercedes’ all-conquering 2020 season, including two wins that year, 2021 saw Verstappen set up for a season-long title battle against a seven-time world champion in Hamilton.
Trading wins in the first half of the season, Verstappen underlined his title credentials at Red Bull’s home circuit at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Pole position, race victory, fastest lap and leading every lap of the race followed, which in turn saw Verstappen become the youngest driver to achieve a Grand Slam [or Grand Chelem, if you prefer].
A huge crash into Copse Corner would follow at the next round at Silverstone, while looking to play games near the final DRS zone in Saudi Arabia bit Verstappen, who received a 10-second penalty. But that title fight was not yet over, going into the season finale with equal points.
December 2021: The first title is won
Having been overtaken at the start by Hamilton, it had looked for all the world like the Mercedes driver would wrap up an eighth championship in Abu Dhabi.
A late crash from Nicholas Latifi would bring out the Safety Car and, with nothing to lose, Verstappen pitted for a set of soft tyres.
The lapped cars separating Hamilton and Verstappen were allowed past the Safety Car and the race would restart for one final lap.
With the Red Bull driver on much fresher rubber, he made his move into Turn 5, and the rest is history.
Hot on the heels of that dramatic race, Verstappen would sign a mammoth seven-year contract extension with his team.
October 2022: More championship glory, including more records
Verstappen found himself 46 points down on the fast-starting Charles Leclerc in 2022, with retirements either side of victory in Saudi Arabia.
However, from there, it was one-way traffic in the Dutchman’s favour.
A rain-affected Japanese Grand Prix would see the race shortened, and with four rounds still to go, the reduced points tally awarded meant Verstappen was crowned champion – with the largest points deficit to a leader overturned in the process, alongside 15 race victories.
But, this would prove an aperitif to what would come next.
2023: Wins, wins, and more wins
The fact that Max Verstappen scored more than double the points of his nearest rival speaks to just how dominant a season he had in 2023.
So much so, he won 19 out of 22 races, finished second in two more, and Red Bull’s ‘bogey’ race of the Singapore Grand Prix saw him all the way down in fifth.
Winning 92.74% of the points available to him [another record], his average of 26.14 points per weekend is more than what was handed out for a race win with what was also a fastest lap bonus point.
He led just over 1,000 laps, took in an unprecedented run of 10 race wins in a row, and seemingly won the title at a canter.
November 2024: A victory for the ages
Already on his way to a fourth consecutive world championship, life was made tough for Verstappen at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Starting 17th after a Q2 exit and grid penalty, the wet conditions at Interlagos would be difficult for every driver to navigate.
Three formation laps would take place as the drivers traversed the tricky track surface, but Verstappen climbed six places on the opening lap as he fought back.
Rain would continue to play its part at Interlagos, with showers re-wetting the track midway through the race and, with Verstappen second on the road, a red flag would force a stoppage after Franco Colapinto collided with the wall while making his way up the hill towards the start/finish line.
The Red Bull driver trailed Esteban Ocon at the restart, with the Alpine driver’s lead not making it past the first corner as Verstappen made his move into Turn 1.
Navigating conditions expertly where others struggled towards the end of the race, the Dutchman ended up winning by 19 seconds in one of his greatest drives.
December 2025: ‘Chucky’ falls just short of another championship
Having been 104 points off the lead of the championship with nine races to go, Verstappen oh-so nearly took full advantage of an inter-McLaren battle at the front to win another title.
After taking a podium at the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen did not finish another race in 2025 outside the top three.
He gradually reeled in the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri until it became a three-driver battle at the final race in Abu Dhabi, with Verstappen joking he could be called ‘Chucky’, after Zak Brown likened him to a character from a horror film lurking in the background.
Verstappen was on the back foot this time, needing Norris to drop points – and he did his part by winning the race at Yas Marina, but Norris’ second place was enough for him on the night to earn his first title.
The Red Bull driver, meanwhile, had clawed back 102 of those 104 points to the leading driver. So near, yet so far.
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