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F1 is a very demanding sport, which not only requires extreme dedication from the first day or the need for drivers to excel in extremely difficult circumstances, but it also requires the stars to align as well when it comes to sponsors and everything else.
When it comes to Formula 1, if one wants to be a world champion one day then they have to start early and put all the eggs in one basket knowing that the basket could break and they could end up with nothing in their hands.
Even if we keep that aside these F1 cars are beastly in their own ways, they're not only fast but the kinds of G-forces in play when you're in these cars are something else.
More often than not one has to gain a decent amount of experience before they are ultimately capable of taming these beasts. In the history of the sport though, there have been a few drivers who have made light work of these challenges and reached the topmost level in F1 in their teens.
On the current grid, the rookie Oscar Piastri made his debut in his 20s. What if we told you there are drivers that have made their debut in their teens?
In this feature, we are taking a look at just that. In this feature, we will talk about the top five youngest drivers to take part in a race. So without further ado let's get straight to it.
#5 Mike Thackwell - 1980 F1 Canadian GP
19 years, 182 days
Mike Thackwell got a chance to race with Tyrell in 1980 in Canada and for many, it did come as a surprise. The Kiwi was just a teenager at the time and the cars were quite physical in that era for a youngster to get on top of.
As a result, even though Thackwell got the opportunity to take part in the race, not much came of it as he retired from his first race.
As it turned out, the driver was thrown into the deep end a tad too early and could not accomplish much in the sport.
#4 Jaime Alguersuari - 2009 F1 Hungarian GP
19 years, 125 days
Jaime Algersuari was one of the bigger surprises and a result of an experiment by Helmut Marko at Red Bull. The Austrian was in charge of the driver academy and the brand was always after the best young talent that could become a world champion in the future.
Algersuari was the first driver that Marko threw into the tough arena of F1 to see if he can survive. The young Spaniard was just a teenager at 19 years of age when debuted.
He drove for Toro Rosso for a couple of years but will then get booted out as the potential of a frontrunner was just not there. Algersuari did, however, end up breaking the almost three-decade-old record held by Thackwell with his debut.
#3 Lando Norris - 2019 F1 Australian GP
19 years, 124 days
The fact that Lando Norris has never looked inexperienced in any which way compared to his contemporaries is why many mistake him to be much older.
The young driver progressed through the categories with the likes of George Russell and Alex Albon and what many didn't realize was that he was much younger than all of them.
When he debuted in F1 in 2019, he became the third-youngest driver to do that. Looking at the way he has been progressing, the kid will be sticking around for a while in F1.
#2 Lance Stroll - 2017 F1 Australian GP
18 years, 148 days
Not many people remember that Lance Stroll came into the sport on the back of a surprisingly impressive F3 championship campaign. The Canadian had won the title and beat the likes of George Russell in the process. Stroll made his debut as a Williams driver (backed by his father's funding as well).
Since then the driver has had a few shining moments including his first podium in his debut season. He is now an Aston Martin driver, a team owned by Lawrence Stroll, and his future in F1 continues to be contentious with a lack of results proving to be a major factor.
#1 Max Verstappen - 2015 F1 Australian GP
17 years, 166 days
Max Verstappen is arguably the driver who led to the introduction of super license points after the unbelievable Fastrack he was given.
The young driver at the tender age of only 17 was considered to be good enough to drive a Formula 1 car against the best drivers in the world.
What was somewhat contentious about his debut was how he only had one year of car racing under him, a season in F3 which then shoehorned him into a Toro Rosso seat.
As it turned out, the doubters (which were many at the time) were proved wrong as Max became the youngest driver to start a race in Formula 1.
