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Who is the youngest F1 driver? In 2015, Max Verstappen made past by becoming the youngest Formula One operator to commencement a contention astatine conscionable 17 years old. The sport has since welcomed different rising stars similar Lance Stroll and Oliver Bearman. Discover the youngest F1 drivers and however aged they were erstwhile they made their debut.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Max Verstappen holds the grounds arsenic the youngest operator successful Formula 1, making his debut astatine 17 years, 5 months, 13 days.
- Notable names among the youngest debutants see Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel.
- In caller years, much drivers person entered F1 earlier the property of 20, reflecting a increasing openness successful the athletics to nurturing young talent.
Who is the youngest F1 driver?
Many skilled drivers person entered Formula 1 astatine a young age, showing that endowment can radiance careless of age. Below is simply a database of the youngest F1 drivers astatine the clip of debut.
| Driver | Age astatine debut | Grand Prix (year) |
| Max Verstappen | 17 years, 5 months, 13 days | 2015 Australia |
| Lance Stroll | 18 years, 4 months, 25 days | 2017 Australia |
| Oliver Bearman | 18 years, 10 months, 1 day | 2024 Saudi Arabia |
| Jaime Alguersuari | 19 years, 4 months, 3 days | 2009 Hungary |
| Lando Norris | 19 years, 4 months, 4 days | 2019 Australia |
| Mike Thackwell | 19 years, 5 months, 29 days | 1980 Canada |
| Ricardo Rodriguez | 19 years, 6 months, 27 days | 1961 Italy |
| Fernando Alonso | 19 years, 7 months, 3 days | 2001 Australia |
| Esteban Tuero | 19 years, 10 months, 14 days | 1998 Australia |
| Daniil Kvyat | 19 years, 10 months, 18 days | 2014 Australia |
10. Daniil Kvyat
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- Full name: Daniil Vyacheslavovich Kvyat
- Date of birth: 26 April 1994
- Age: 31 years aged (as of 2025)
- Place of birth: Ufa, Russia
- Current team: Scuderia Toro Rosso
Daniil Kvyat made past arsenic 1 of the youngest Formula 1 drivers erstwhile helium debuted at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix astatine conscionable 19 years, 10 months, and 18 days old. He impressed instantly by finishing ninth, scoring 2 points, and breaking Sebastian Vettel’s grounds arsenic the youngest points scorer astatine the time.
His promising commencement led to a promotion to Red Bull Racing successful 2015, though helium was replaced by Max Verstappen successful 2016 aft a rocky commencement to the season. The F1 operator aboriginal returned to Toro Rosso and secured a memorable podium astatine the 2019 German Grand Prix. His aboriginal breakthrough highlighted the rising power and endowment of young drivers successful the sport.
9. Esteban Tuero
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- Full name: Esteban Eduardo Tuero
- Date of birth: 22 April 1978
- Age: 47 years aged (as of 2025)
- Place of birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Esteban Tuero became 1 of Formula 1's youngest drivers erstwhile helium debuted for Minardi astatine the 1998 Australian Grand Prix astatine 19 years, 10 months, and 14 days old. Despite constricted acquisition successful top-tier inferior categories, helium secured a spot with the backmarker squad and qualified 17th successful his archetypal race. Throughout the season, Tuero managed to decorativeness lone 4 of 16 races, with his champion effect being eighth astatine the San Marino Grand Prix.
His last contention successful Japan ended successful a clang that caused cervix injuries, and helium amazed galore by retiring from F1 earlier the 1999 season, citing idiosyncratic reasons. The F1 driver returned to Argentina, wherever helium enjoyed a palmy vocation successful touring car championships, including winning the Turismo Nacional Clase 3 rubric successful 2008.
8. Fernando Alonso
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- Full name: Fernando Alonso Díaz
- Date of birth: 29 July 1981
- Age: 43 years aged (as of May 2025)
- Place of birth: Oviedo, Spain
- Current team: Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team
Fernando Alonso became 1 of Formula 1's youngest drivers erstwhile helium debuted for Minardi astatine the 2001 Australian Grand Prix astatine conscionable 19 years, 7 months, and 4 days old. Despite the team's constricted competitiveness, Alonso impressed by finishing 12th successful his archetypal race. His show caught the attraction of Renault, starring to a trial operator relation successful 2002 and a full-time spot successful 2003.
That year, helium became the youngest operator to execute a rod presumption and a podium decorativeness astatine the Malaysian Grand Prix, and aboriginal the youngest Grand Prix victor astatine the Hungarian Grand Prix astatine 22 years and 26 days old. According to Formula 1, Alonso went connected to triumph back-to-back World Championships successful 2005 and 2006, becoming the youngest treble satellite champion astatine the time.
7. Ricardo Rodriguez
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- Full name: Ricardo Valentín Rodríguez
- Date of birth: 14 February 1942
- Age of death: 20 years old
- Date of death: 1 November 1962
- Place of birth: Mexico City, Mexico
Ricardo Rodríguez became 1 of Formula 1's youngest drivers erstwhile helium debuted for Ferrari astatine the 1961 Italian Grand Prix astatine conscionable 19 years, 6 months, and 27 days old. In that race, helium qualified second, making him the youngest front-row starter successful F1 past astatine the time—a grounds helium held until 2016.
Tragically, his promising vocation was chopped abbreviated erstwhile helium died successful a clang during signifier for the non-championship 1962 Mexican Grand Prix astatine the property of 20. His bequest endures, with Mexico City's Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez named successful honour of him and his member Pedro.
6. Mike Thackwell
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- Full name: Michael Christopher Thackwell
- Date of birth: 30 March 1961
- Age: 64 years
- Place of birth: Papakura, Auckland, New Zealand
Mike Thackwell became 1 of the youngest drivers successful Formula 1 past erstwhile helium made his debut astatine the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix astatine conscionable 19 years, 5 months, and 29 days old. Racing for Tyrrell, helium qualified for the event, but a multi-car clang astatine the commencement led to a restart successful which helium was incapable to instrumentality part.
Thackwell's Formula 1 vocation was brief, totaling lone 2 contention starts, but helium achieved occurrence elsewhere, astir notably by winning the 1984 European Formula 2 Championship. He retired from racing successful 1988 astatine the property of 27 and went connected to pb a quiescent life, moving successful assorted roles including chopper aviator and teacher.
5. Lando Norris
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- Full name: Lando Norris
- Date of birth: 13 November 1999
- Age: 25 years aged (as of May 2025)
- Place of birth: Glastonbury, United Kingdom
- Current team: McLaren
Lando Norris entered Formula 1 arsenic 1 of its youngest drivers, making his debut for McLaren astatine the 2019 Australian Grand Prix astatine conscionable 19 years, 4 months, and 4 days old, ranking arsenic the fifth-youngest starter successful F1 past astatine the time. While helium didn’t people points successful his archetypal race, his awesome qualifying and dependable contention gait rapidly marked him arsenic a endowment to watch.
He earned his archetypal podium successful 2020 and claimed his maiden rod presumption astatine the 2021 Russian Grand Prix astatine 21 years and 316 days old. After respective adjacent calls, the racing driver secured his archetypal Grand Prix triumph astatine the 2024 Miami Grand Prix and has since added much victories to his name.
4. Jaime Alguersuari
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- Full name: Jaime Alguersuari Tortajada
- Date of birth: 23 March 1990
- Age: 35 years aged (as of 2025)
- Place of birth: Barcelona, Spain
Jaime Alguersuari made past arsenic the youngest operator to commencement a Formula 1 Grand Prix erstwhile helium debuted at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix astatine conscionable 19 years and 125 days old. He earned this milestone aft being promoted from Toro Rosso’s reserve operator to regenerate Sébastien Bourdais mid-season.
Despite his constricted experience, Alguersuari finished 15th successful his debut contention and went connected to contention for Toro Rosso passim the 2010 and 2011 seasons, achieving a champion decorativeness of 7th spot and scoring a full of 31 points. After Toro Rosso fto him spell astatine the extremity of 2011, helium shifted his absorption to music, becoming a DJ and shaper nether the sanction DJ Squire.
3. Oliver Bearman
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- Full name: Oliver James Bearman
- Date of birth: 8 May 2005
- Age: 20 years aged (as of 2025)
- Place of birth: Chelmsford, United Kingdom
- Current team: Haas F1 Team
Oliver Bearman made past arsenic 1 of the youngest drivers successful Formula 1 erstwhile helium debuted astatine the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix astatine conscionable 18 years and 306 days old. Filling successful for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr., who was retired owed to appendicitis, Bearman impressed by qualifying 11th and finishing seventh, becoming the youngest British operator to some commencement and decorativeness an F1 race, and the third-youngest wide astatine that time.
His beardown show earned him wide praise and secured him a full-time spot with Haas for the 2025 season, wherever helium teams up with Esteban Ocon. Bearman’s swift progression from karting to Formula 1 highlights his singular endowment and the expanding interaction of young drivers successful the sport.
2. Lance Stroll
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- Full name: Lance Strulovitch
- Date of birth: 29 October 1998
- Age: 26 years aged (as of May 2025)
- Place of birth: Montreal, Canada
- Current teams: Aston Martin Aramco, Formula One Team, Racing Point F1 Team
Lance Stroll made his Formula 1 debut astatine the 2017 Australian Grand Prix astatine conscionable 18 years, 4 months, and 26 days old, making him the second-youngest operator to commencement a contention astatine that time. Racing for Williams, Lance Stroll earned his archetypal podium decorativeness successful lone his eighth contention astatine the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, becoming the youngest rookie to scope the podium.
Stroll continued his vocation with Racing Point, which aboriginal became Aston Martin, wherever helium has secured aggregate podiums and a rod position. As of the 2025 season, helium remains a cardinal fig astatine Aston Martin, demonstrating dependable advancement and consistency successful the sport.
1. Max Verstappen
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- Full name: Max Emilian Verstappen
- Date of birth: 30 September 1997
- Age: 27 years aged (as of May 2025)
- Place of birth: Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen made past arsenic the youngest operator to commencement a Formula 1 contention astatine 17 years and 166 days old during the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, aft being promoted mid-season from Toro Rosso’s reserve driver. Max Verstappen scored his archetypal points astatine the adjacent contention successful Malaysia, becoming the youngest to bash so.
Verstappen is the youngest F1 operator to get a podium. He rapidly roseate to assertion his archetypal podium and triumph astatine the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, mounting records for the youngest achievements. Since then, helium has dominated the sport, breaking aggregate records and winning respective World Championships. As of 2025, helium remains a apical contender known for his speed, consistency, and charisma.
Who is the youngest operator successful F1 ever?
Max Verstappen is the youngest operator ever to vie successful Formula 1. He debuted astatine lone 17 years and 166 days aged astatine the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso, present known arsenic Visa Cash App RB.
Why is 17 not allowed successful F1?
Seventeen-year-olds are nary longer permitted to vie successful Formula 1 chiefly due to the fact that of concerns about information and maturity.
Over the years, Formula 1 has seen a question of young endowment emergence done the ranks showing that property is nary regulation erstwhile paired with endowment and determination. Max Verstappen inactive holds the grounds arsenic the youngest F1 driver, debut astatine 17 years, 5 months, 13 days. He paved the mode for different skilled teenagers to participate the grid.
Legit.ng besides published an nonfiction highlighting the youngest players ever drafted into the NFL. These athletes not lone showcased exceptional endowment but besides entered the league astatine remarkably young ages, mounting them isolated successful NFL history.
Among these prodigies are Amobi Okoye, who was drafted astatine 19 years and 10 months, and Tremaine Edmunds, selected astatine 19 years and 11 months. Other notable young draftees see JuJu Smith-Schuster, Elmer Angsman, and Danielle Hunter. To delve deeper into their journeys and achievements, work the afloat article.
Source: Legit.ng
