Max “Rookie of the Year” at Autosport Awards 2015

Published on 07 December 2015 by Mike Motilall

Having won three awards Friday at the FIA Prize-Giving gala in Paris, Max Verstappen was also ‘crowned’ “Rookie of the Year” 2015 at the Autosport Awards in the Grosvenor House hotel in London. “I cannot complain”, says Max regarding his weekend.

In the race for the title “Rookie of the Year”, Max had to compete with the likes of the other Formula 1-rookies Carlos Sainz and Felipe Nasr, rookie Le Mans winners Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber and DTM-star Tom Blomqvist. Martin Brundle presented the trofee to “the man who really lit up Formula 1 tracks this year and has given us so much to talk about.” Brundle continues: “The feeling Max has for the car and the brake pedal… you see overtaking moves and think, I wish I had those on my CV. And he is just a teenager!”

Max on his overtaking prowess: “It is very difficult to explain how you do it. You see the gap and you try to go for it. Some are more risky than others.” Looking forward at 2016, when Scuderia Toro Rosso will start with a 2015 Ferrari-engine, Max says: “We’ll definitely have more horses next year, and we’re very happy about that. We had a great car this year and it is a shame we didn’t get the results we wanted. Next year, I’ll just try to do my best on track and overtake some people.”