F1: 5 BEST MOMENTS OF MAX VERSTAPPEN IN GRAND PRIX RACING

Max Verstappen is one of the most enthralling talents in the realm of F1 racing. Driving in only his fourth season, he's been lauded for possessing raw speed and showing mercurial talent- a rare combo expected only from truly gifted drivers.

At the same time, few names bring as much interest as they fuel an impassioned debate other than Verstappen, chided for his rather risky, brash driving and regarded for possessing imperious pace and a heart for a great battle.

Currently sitting on P6 on the driver's standings for 2018, he's expected to catch Raikkonen and close on others ahead by the time the season wraps up.

But importantly, having already clinched 3 impressive race victories in a hitherto brief career, what have been Max' stand-out moments in F1? In which Grands Prix has the flying Dutchman impressed the most?

Let's find out:

2015 Malaysian Grand Prix

Max made his F1 debut in the 2015 season; has come a long way since then

Back in 2015, Max Verstappen was a rookie teenager in a Toro Rosso bursting with an ambition to make heads turn in his debut year in F1 racing.

And must it be said; he achieved just that in running a brilliant Malaysian Grand Prix, a track where he would clinch an emphatic win, three seasons later in 2018.

However, the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix would always be a race that shall always be remembered for Verstappen’s commitment to fighting for a valuable point finish.

Having qualified fifth, depicting stoicism in a somewhat sedate machine, Verstappen would combine measured aggression with pinpoint driving to collect a decent seventh at Sepang.

The 2015 Grand Prix, however, would show early signs of Max’ grit, the Dutchman keeping an attacking troika of Sainz, Kvyat and Ricciardo at bay.

In becoming the youngest ever F1 driver in F1 history to score points, Verstappen would better Russian contemporary Daniil Kyyat’s record of being the youngest to collect points in Grand Prix racing.

2018 Monaco Grand Prix

Having been rebuked for Saturday's crash, Max delivered a solid drive on Sunday

While the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix will always be remembered for Daniel Ricciardo’s showing a master-class in defensive driving, an important constituent of the Grand Prix at the Principality of Monte Carlo, however, was the force in the other Red Bull driver: Max Verstappen.

Although Verstappen didn’t enjoy a fantastic qualifying on Saturday, somehow managing to crash in the opening practice session into the barriers at the very same spot where he’d collided in previous runs, he would make amends during the race.

But, it didn’t inspire much confidence to note that Verstappen would begin the 78-lap Grand Prix beginning as a backmarker, beginning from the pits, right from the behind.

However, right at the start of the race, Verstappen would jump a couple of places, passing both the Haas drivers- Grosjean and Magnussen- with furious speed inside the opening lap.

A brilliant moment would come a few laps later, when Verstappen would dive into the outside of a struggling Lance Stroll in his Williams, within inches from the entry of the legendary tunnel to move up into 15 by Lap 7.

From there on, the battles further down the grid would be a complete Max Verstappen show. Engaged in a feisty contest with the likes of Hulkenberg and Sainz, the Red Bull driver, who’d begun from P18, would bounce back inside the top ten.

At a track where overtaking is next to impossible, Verstappen would demonstrate great skill, moving up nine places to put his Red Bull on P9 by the checkered flag to annihilate the dubious tag his critics had painted him in: “Crashstappen.”

2017 Mexican Grand Prix

One of the memorable wins of Max' career came at the Formula One Grand Prix of Mexico 2017

There was no denying Max Verstappen’s racing thunder at Mexico City, a magnificent Grand Prix weekend that crowned Lewis Hamilton as the winner of the all-important 2017 World Championship.

You could say- even as the moment belonged to the Briton, the race most certainly belonged to Max.

Having had an excellent run all Saturday, Max qualified second, just behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, the gap between the Ferrari and the Red Bull under half a second.

Even as Max secured the second best place on the starting grid, the challenge up ahead would be to counter Vettel’s dominant pace, the German then driving the imperious SF-70H, a dream car.

But as the five red lights would turn green, Verstappen would put Vettel under pressure at the immediate start, going past the Scuderia driver by Turn Two, making a daring move that put him up in first. This would also bring third-placed Hamilton within a fighting distance of Sebastian.

However, Verstappen’s arguably feisty move would see Vettel clipping the rear right tyre of the Red Bull driver as the two came close, Verstappen somehow managing to run unscathed.

Coming under increasing pressure, Vettel would then be passed by Hamilton. By this time, Max would’ve moved further ahead, enjoying a gap to the second-placed driver by over one and a half second inside the opening lap.

Running a clean and controlled race, there would be no stopping the Red Bull driver in the 71-lap competition who would ace the Mexico challenge to clinch his third race win.

2016 Spanish Grand Prix

Max' maiden Grand Prix win came as an 18-year-old in Spain

For any racing driver, the foremost ambition is to collect a Grand Prix win. For Verstappen though, that dream would be realized within a year of beginning his F1 career.

The 2016 Spanish Grand Prix would pit the experience of stalwarts like Vettel, Raikkonen and Hamilton against the exuberance of young Max Verstappen.

And as spectators, you were simply thrilled by the triumph of the latter.

With the titanic rivalry between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton being at its peak, the ebullient Red Bull driver would steal the Mercedes and Ferrari thunder to register a thrilling weekend at Catalunya.

But it wasn’t always going to be easy for Max, who’d endured a rather sedate qualifying run on Saturday to clinch a P4 for Sunday.

Inside the opening lap, as Raikkonen, sitting on Max’s tail would yield a few places; his teammate, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel would pressure Max, and would pass the Dutch driver easily.

However, around Turn Four, Verstappen, ever willing to fight, would manage to heroically put Vettel behind.

Within minutes, however, pole-sitter Hamilton would be passed by Rosberg, which would lead Hamilton to re-attempt at taking clinching the lead from his German teammate.

But, instead of it being a clean manoeuvre, the two would come together at Turn Four, skidding into the grass. This meant, by lap 4, the two solid drivers running in contention of podium places would retire, bringing in the Safety Car.

The pecking order- changed thanks to the shenanigans of the Mercedes drivers- meant the starting grid would read Ricciardo, Verstappen, Sainz, Vettel and, Raikkonen.

But as Ricciardo pitted on Lap 13, Verstappen would take the lead of the race, hitherto never seeming to be in control of dictating terms in the race. This would immediately change as on Verstappen would pit on Lap 14 for the first of his eventual two-stops, although benefitting from Vettel diving into the pits two laps later.

By Lap 16, the front of the grid saw Ricciardo leading from Verstappen and Vettel.

But under immense heat and increasing tyreware, it was nearly mandatory for drivers to pit again for an unscheduled stop.

This would mean that on Ricciardo would dive into the pits on Lap 28, Vettel following on Lap 30, meaning the control of the race once again coming to Verstappen, who would lead from Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

A race utterly dominated by pit strategies, seeing an out and out Ferrari versus Red Bull battle, would see Ricciardo pit for a third-time on Lap 39, followed by Vettel four laps later.

The track position, once again, would fall into Verstappen’s command, who would be trailed by Kimi Raikkonen. His teammate, Ricciardo, however, would emerge behind Vettel.

From Lap 43 to 66, however, Max Verstappen would demonstrate superior race pace and the quintessential fighting abilities to hold onto the leadership position. At the closing stages, he would enjoy a gap of 2.1 seconds over Kimi Raikkonen.

While the battles further back of the grid seeing Ricciardo trying valiantly to move past Vettel, at the front of the grid- Verstappen led dominantly.

As he would run past the checkered flag, upon the completion of 66 laps, he would have become the youngest ever Grand Prix winner, a record that remains in his ebb to this day.

2016 Brazilian Grand Prix

Max ran from the back of the pack to clinch an epic 3rd

There haven’t been many in Formula 1 racing who’ve embraced comparisons with the mighty Ayrton Senna, the regenmeister.

But back in 2016- only a year since his highly anticipated debut in the sport- did Verstappen prove why the comparisons with the Brazilian great weren’t, after all, unfounded.

On a skiddy, slippery Interlagos afternoon, Verstappen produced a stellar wet weather run under torrential rains.

With rains playing a constant havoc, against a backdrop of Nico Rosberg starting from pole, the scenes at the Interlagos would undergo a complete makeover as Verstappen burst onto the scene.

Within 16 laps, Verstappen, who had fallen way back of the grid, would jump 13 places and make scintillating moves on the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, before finally challenging Nico Rosberg of Mercedes right at the front.

In producing an epic drive, combining resilience and menacing speed in situations that were averse to overtaking- it was a complete Mad Max show in Brazil back in 2016, as a 19-year-old inexperienced driver stunned onlookers to clinch a breathtaking podium finish.

There’s a little irony then that amongst the most enthralling finishes to a Grand Prix took place in the famous Senna-land.