Dutch teenager Max Verstappen is set to become the youngest Formula One driver in the history of the sport next season after Italian racing team Toro Rosso announced the 16-year-old will replace Jean-Eric Vergne, The Guardian reported Monday.
Verstappen is the son of the former F1 driver Jos Verstappen and will turn 17 at the end of September. He has been racing this season in the European F3 Championship and graduated from karts last year. The young driver joined Red Bull's junior program at the beginning of August, but he was announced as Vergne's successor for next season on Monday. Toro Rosso is one of the racing teams owned by Red Bull.
Since he was seven, becoming a Formula One driver has been his career goal, Verstappen told The Guardian.
He will break the record for the sport's youngest driver by almost two years when he debuts next year, according to the BBC. Jaime Alguersuari, of Spain, was 19 years old when he raced for Hungary, also for Toro Rosso, in 2009. He left Toro Rosso and Formula One at the end of the 2011 season.
Verstappen was a successful kart racer before driving in this year's Formula Three Championship. He won six consecutive races when he made the transition to Formula Three and has eight victories in 27 races so far this season. He said he is not fazed by his fast progress and feels the biggest hurdle has been passed.
"I think the biggest step I had was karting to Formula Three. I think Formula Three to Formula One will be a smaller step," Verstappen told the BBC.
He added: "I'm not that worried about it. The cars are really safe. I think it's more dangerous to bike through a big city than race in an Formula One car."
But Verstappen wouldn't be able to drive a regular automobile in his home country. The minimum age for driving a car in the Netherlands is 18.
