Controversial Max Verstappen announcement that sparked F1 debate revisited

August 18, 2014, marked a historic day for F1, as Toro Rosso announced 16-year-old Max Verstappen would join the team the following year. At the time, Verstappen was still racing in his first full season of single-seater racing, racing in the European Formula 3 Championship alongside such names as Esteban Ocon, Antonio Giovinazzi and Nicholas Latifi. The announcement caused a stir as it would make Verstappen by far the youngest driver to ever race in F1. The Dutchman had no racing experience yet in a formula car with more than 230 horsepower, let alone an F1 car. However, he convinced Red Bull chief Helmut Marko with an extraordinary performance at the Norisring, after which Red Bull recruited Verstappen to the junior team and offered him an F1 seat for 2015. "We are happy to welcome Max into the Toro Rosso family," stated then-Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost.  "It's great to see how the Red Bull Junior Programme continues to find talented young drivers and gives them the opportunity to come into Formula 1." However, the move did lead to discussions over being signed to an F1 seat so early in his career. "It's too young because in F1, the risk is high," said two-time champion Mika Hakkinen. "In F1 you don't go to learn, you have to be ready. F1 doesn't allow you to do too much learning." Even the president of the FIA, Jean Todt, concurred that the Dutchman was "too young" for a full-time drive. The FIA took action in the months that followed, introducing a more robust set of criteria that a driver had to meet in order to be considered eligible for a full-time drive. Other former drivers, including Jacques Villeneuve and David Coulthard, also questioned whether Verstappen could deal with the pressure of a full-time seat in F1. He made his debut at the Australian Grand Prix the following year and just over one year later, found himself promoted to the Red Bull seat, where he remains today. At Red Bull, Verstappen fashioned himself into one of the sport's most successful drivers with four titles and over 60 grand prix wins.