F1: 5 BEST MOMENTS OF MAX VERSTAPPEN IN GRAND PRIX RACING

2016 Spanish Grand Prix

Max' maiden Grand Prix win came as an 18-year-old in Spain

For any racing driver, the foremost ambition is to collect a Grand Prix win. For Verstappen though, that dream would be realized within a year of beginning his F1 career.

The 2016 Spanish Grand Prix would pit the experience of stalwarts like Vettel, Raikkonen and Hamilton against the exuberance of young Max Verstappen.

And as spectators, you were simply thrilled by the triumph of the latter.

With the titanic rivalry between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton being at its peak, the ebullient Red Bull driver would steal the Mercedes and Ferrari thunder to register a thrilling weekend at Catalunya.

But it wasn’t always going to be easy for Max, who’d endured a rather sedate qualifying run on Saturday to clinch a P4 for Sunday.

Inside the opening lap, as Raikkonen, sitting on Max’s tail would yield a few places; his teammate, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel would pressure Max, and would pass the Dutch driver easily.

However, around Turn Four, Verstappen, ever willing to fight, would manage to heroically put Vettel behind.

Within minutes, however, pole-sitter Hamilton would be passed by Rosberg, which would lead Hamilton to re-attempt at taking clinching the lead from his German teammate.

But, instead of it being a clean manoeuvre, the two would come together at Turn Four, skidding into the grass. This meant, by lap 4, the two solid drivers running in contention of podium places would retire, bringing in the Safety Car.

The pecking order- changed thanks to the shenanigans of the Mercedes drivers- meant the starting grid would read Ricciardo, Verstappen, Sainz, Vettel and, Raikkonen.

But as Ricciardo pitted on Lap 13, Verstappen would take the lead of the race, hitherto never seeming to be in control of dictating terms in the race. This would immediately change as on Verstappen would pit on Lap 14 for the first of his eventual two-stops, although benefitting from Vettel diving into the pits two laps later.

By Lap 16, the front of the grid saw Ricciardo leading from Verstappen and Vettel.

But under immense heat and increasing tyreware, it was nearly mandatory for drivers to pit again for an unscheduled stop.

This would mean that on Ricciardo would dive into the pits on Lap 28, Vettel following on Lap 30, meaning the control of the race once again coming to Verstappen, who would lead from Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

A race utterly dominated by pit strategies, seeing an out and out Ferrari versus Red Bull battle, would see Ricciardo pit for a third-time on Lap 39, followed by Vettel four laps later.

The track position, once again, would fall into Verstappen’s command, who would be trailed by Kimi Raikkonen. His teammate, Ricciardo, however, would emerge behind Vettel.

From Lap 43 to 66, however, Max Verstappen would demonstrate superior race pace and the quintessential fighting abilities to hold onto the leadership position. At the closing stages, he would enjoy a gap of 2.1 seconds over Kimi Raikkonen.

While the battles further back of the grid seeing Ricciardo trying valiantly to move past Vettel, at the front of the grid- Verstappen led dominantly.

As he would run past the checkered flag, upon the completion of 66 laps, he would have become the youngest ever Grand Prix winner, a record that remains in his ebb to this day.