Max Verstappen

Born in Hasselt, Belgium to Dutch F1 driver Jos Verstappen and Belgian karting champion Sophie Kumpen, Max Verstappen arrived in Formula 1 carrying more motorsport DNA than almost any driver before him. He bypassed Formula 3 entirely and stepped directly into F1 with Toro Rosso in 2015 at just 17 — the youngest starter in Grand Prix history at the time. Promoted to Red Bull mid-season in 2016, he won on his very first weekend in the senior car at the Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the youngest Grand Prix winner in history at 18 years and 228 days. Formula 1 has not been the same since.

What followed was the most dominant individual period in the sport's modern history. Four consecutive World Championships — in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 — placed him among the all-time greats. The 2021 title was claimed in the most controversial final lap of the most dramatic final race the sport had ever seen in Abu Dhabi. His 2023 season produced a staggering record of 19 victories from 22 Grands Prix. In 2026, amid Red Bull's new-era regulation struggles with the RB22, he has yet to win — but remains the fiercest competitor on the grid.

Raw, instinctive, and possessed of an otherworldly ability to find the limit of a racing car at any moment, Verstappen is a generational talent in a class of his own.