On this day in 1997, Max Verstappen was born

Max Verstappen is a huge name in Formula 1 racing and is the youngest race winner in Formula 1 history.

He was born to race. Not only was his father, Jos Verstappen, an F1 driver, but his mother Sophie was also a very successful kart driver. Max was born in Hasselt, Belguim in 1997, and by 2003 he was karting. Things became more serious in 2005 when he took part in the Belgium Championship Mini (VAS), where he won all 21 races.

By the age of 16, he had won just about every karting award there was, including the World KZ championships in 2013. That same year, Max took the F3 championships by storm. He won his sixth race and then went on to take six consecutive wins in the series, placing third overall.

In 2015, he became the youngest Formula 1 driver in history, surpassing the previous record holder by almost two years. In 2016, he moved from Scuderia Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing, where he competed alongside Daniel Riccardo.

He defied all odds in his first grand prix, when he beat former world champion Kimi Räikkönen and took home a maiden victory. With several notable races in his career, Max now races alongside Red Bull Racing team-mate, Pierre Gasley. In 2019, he achieved several podium spots and wins, and achieved his first-ever pole position this year, making him the 100th different driver to sit on pole position in Formula 1.

Two other people who celebrate their birthdays today are Ezra Miller (actor) and Maddie Ziegler (dancer).