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Formula 1 Japanese GP
Verstappen impressed with turbo V6 power
No driving license, but already in F1.
Pavel Surdin
Edited: Oct 3, 2014, 4:39 PM
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The young Dutchman turned 17 only a few days ago, but already made history today driving for Toro Rosso in FP1, becoming the youngest driver to participate in a GP weekend.
He is also set to replace Jean-Eric Vergne next year at Toro Rosso, a move by Red Bull Development Program that received a lot of controversial feedback.
Max Verstappen
"Today for me it was all about getting experience in the car, especially on a difficult track like Suzuka. I was impressed with the engine power. The car is bigger compared to the one I'm used to in Formula 3 and there are a lot more things to think about while you're driving, so I had to use some laps to get confident with such a different car. I was not taking any risks and I drove within my limits for all the session, doing as much mileage as possible."
"I have to thank Red Bull and Scuderia Toro Rosso for giving me the possibility to be in the car already this year on Fridays and get well prepared for next year. I find myself very comfortable in this team and I like my working group. I hope to drive also in Austin, Sao Paolo and Abu Dhabi. Now that I know what it means to drive a Formula 1 car, I'm looking forward to it even more."
Max's experience was interrupted by an engine failure, but even those 22 laps that he did were enough to gain a pace just a few tenths slower than his future teammate, another young Toro Rosso rookie.
Verstappen says he felt that there was more difference in driving kart and Formula 3, than to jump from Formula 3 to F1.
Maybe F1 is really easy to drive now?
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