<\/p>\n

Happy birthday to Max Verstappen! The two-time world champion turns 26 today and can mark his birthday in style when he goes in search of his third World Championship at the Qatar Grand Prix next weekend.<\/p>\n

The Dutchman has made an almighty impact on the sport of F1 since making his debut as a 17-year-old back in 2015, breaking a host of long-standing records and sparking one of the most entertaining rivalries in modern F1 history. Express Sport<\/em> take a look back at some of his defining moments.<\/p>\n

That win in Barcelona<\/h3>\n

It was clear when he made his F1 debut in Melbourne at the age of 17 that Verstappen was no ordinary talent, but his Red Bull debut was a moment that marked him out as a potential future world champion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After a positive start to his sophomore season in F1, Verstappen was called up to the Red Bull team to replace Daniil Kvyat, who was demoted to Toro Rosso after colliding with Sebastian Vettel multiple times on the opening lap of the Russian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

Starting from fourth on the grid after a strong maiden qualifying in Red Bull overalls, Verstappen capitalised on the legendary crash between Mercedes team-mates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton to move into P2.<\/p>\n

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With his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo on an inferior strategy, Verstappen and Ferrari\u2019s Kimi Raikkonen were left to battle it out for the victory with the 18-year-old taking the chequered flag to become the youngest race winner in F1 history, and the first-ever Dutch winner.<\/p>\n

The Hamilton rivalry<\/h3>\n

After years of showing title-winning potential in unreliable and sub-par machinery, Red Bull produced a car worthy of taking the fight to Mercedes in 2021. What followed was one of the most intense rivalries in F1 history with Verstappen and Hamilton going toe-to-toe in a thrilling season.<\/p>\n

The duo traded race victories throughout the campaign, winning all but four of the 22 races that year. Tensions naturally boiled over with incidents at Imola, Silverstone, Monza and Jeddah setting up a sensational season finale in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Despite snatching pole position, Verstappen was playing second fiddle to Hamilton throughout the race and looked destined for heartbreak before a late Nicholas Latifi crash gave the Dutchman a shot with just a handful of laps remaining.<\/p>\n

The events of the final lap in Abu Dhabi remain controversial to this day, but with his audacious lunge into the hairpin, Verstappen earned himself his first-ever World Championship off the back of one of F1\u2019s all-time greatest seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Miami to Monza – Ten wins in a row<\/h3>\n

Verstappen\u2019s maiden F1 title was a battle, his second was a warning shot and his pending third World Championship has been a masterclass. With six rounds of the season out of the way, the Dutchman has 13 wins from a possible 16 to his name.<\/p>\n

Even more impressive was his response to a disappointing weekend in Baku back in April. Verstappen was well-beaten by team-mate Sergio Perez that weekend with the 33-year-old taking his second win in four races and establishing himself as a title contender.<\/p>\n

Verstappen, however, had other ideas. At round five in Miami, Verstappen cut through the field to take an ultimately comfortable race win at the expense of his team-mate, regaining control of the World Championship.<\/p>\n

Eight more race wins followed as Verstappen crushed his opposition and put a third world title beyond any doubt, sending him into the Italian Grand Prix with a shot at beating Sebastian Vettel\u2019s record of nine consecutive Grand Prix victories.<\/p>\n

Ferrari\u2019s Carlos Sainz clinched pole position for the race and defended valiantly from the Red Bull star, but when Verstappen did take the lead on lap 15 there was no stopping him as he streaked clear of the field and made F1 history at Monza.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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