Imagine standing by the coffee machine in the Formula 1 paddock back in 2016 and hearing someone say: “That Verstappen kid? He’ll never be world champion.”
But that was the reality for Max Verstappen when, at just 17 years old, he was thrown straight into the sport with a racing license that practically still smelled of fresh ink.
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Many in the paddock were skeptical.
At Force India — now known as Aston Martin — there were doubts. The Dutchman was undeniably fast, they admitted, but also too wild, too inexperienced, and maybe a little too fond of the barriers:
“I heard people in the team saying Max would never become world champion,” recalls Bernie Collins, former Force India strategist and now a Sky Sports pundit, speaking on the Indo Sport podcast.
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Silenced Everyone
Verstappen joined Red Bull after only one year in Formula 3.
He skipped all intermediate steps and won his very first race weekend with Red Bull.
But even that wasn’t enough to convince everyone — many still thought he lacked consistency and made too many mistakes.
Today, he has four world titles to his name, and the 2025 season suggests he’s back at the front — even if the Red Bull car is no longer the fastest on the grid.
According to Collins, it’s Verstappen’s mental evolution that’s made the difference:
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“He’s matured so much in recent years. He doesn’t crash, he stays calm, and he gets the best out of the car,” she says.
The verdict from the paddock in 2016 was clear: “too unstable for the top.”
Max Verstappen has more than proven them wrong.
Today, he’s not just a champion — he’s the benchmark for everyone else.
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Source: GP33
