#toro rosso

"And, well, in the future, of course I hope to become a word champion. Because that's also a dream."

Stumbled upon this video of Max, filmed just a week after he signed with Toro Rosso & completed his first F3.5 test (12th August, 2014)

Some thoughts & observations:

The Formula Renault 3.5 Max was driving is actually sort of a middle-ground between a F3 and F1 car: it has a V6/V8 engine, 500+ horsepower and carbon brakes, so it was a stepping-stone to get Max F1-ready.

Tricky conditions as it was raining on his first test day; he ended up completing 30 laps of the Red Bull Ring. He later returned on September 24th to do another 70 laps in the same car, when it was fortunately much drier. But at least we got some action-movie clips of Max driving in the rain.

You can always count on Red Bull for the dramatic driver shots even if it's only a test day (and not even in an F1 car). And the rock music too. Very on-brand.

It's been so long since I've seen the driver's blood-type embroidered into their suit. Fun fact - Max has O+ blood!

Look at the twinkle in his eyes as he recounts signing the deal and talks about his dream to become a champion.. it's so sweet being able to watch this in retrospect because yes, Max, yes!! Your talent is otherworldly and you will be able to showcase it sooner than you think. You will not only win championships, but you will become synonymous with excellency in F1 and in motorsport.

This video was also more evidence that he's just always had that Intense Listening Gaze

The ending is also very endearing; "... the second Verstappen name now. So, yeah I think that will be very cool" :)