It was exactly nine years ago today that Max Verstappen made his debut in Formula 1. The Dutchman competed on behalf of Toro Rosso at the Australian Grand Prix. A look back at how that debut went in 2015.

In early 2015, the Formula 1 world had just recovered from a supreme season by Mercedes. The German team won 16 out of 19 Grands Prix that year. In retrospect, it will be seen that Mercedes often did not even need to fully unscrew the engine, so as not to make the competition, F1 and FIA any wiser. With the new hybrid engine, a period of Mercedes dominance had begun.

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton fought it out among themselves at Mercedes as to who would run away with the world title, the rest of the field being little more than padding. Part of the grid that year included Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado, Will Stevens, Alexander Rossi, Jenson Button, Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr. At Toro Rosso, two debutants were at the start of their F1 careers: Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen.

Verstappen's debut in Formula 1

Toro Rosso, the current Visa Cash App RB, had finished seventh among constructors with 30 points in 2014. Daniil Kvyat got a promotion to Red Bull Racing, Jean-Eric Vergne was parted from.

The 2015 Formula 1 season began after winter tests in Jerez and Barcelona, with the Australian Grand Prix. The Grand Prix was run on Sunday 15 March 2015, but qualifying had to be done first on Saturday. Mercedes was still supreme. Hamilton grabbed pole position, almost six tenths ahead of teammate Rosberg. The gap to the first competitor was huge: Felipe Massa took P3, 1.4 seconds behind Hamilton.

Verstappen made it to Q2 in his first Formula 1 qualifying. With a 1.28.868, he fell short of advancing to Q3. Team-mate Sainz did make it to Q3 and eventually qualified eighth. Verstappen qualified twelfth. Both drivers started one place forward on the grid due to the loss (injury) of Valtteri Bottas.

Only 15 drivers appeared at the start of the race. Roberto Mehri and Will Stevens were in Australia on behalf of Marussia, but would not run a practice, qualifying or race. The car was simply not ready for the season. Kevin Magnussen and Daniil Kvyat also did not start due to engine and gearbox problems, respectively. With Valtteri Bottas also out of the running, only 15 drivers remained.

This is how the Formula 1 debut went for Verstappen

After the start, there were only 13 left, when both Lotus drivers had to clear the field. Pastor Maldonado crashed on the opening lap and was unable to continue. Romain Grosjean was forced into the pits after one lap and was unable to get out due to a lack of power.

With only 13 drivers left in the race, there was a good chance for Verstappen to score points on his debut. The Dutchman drove a handsome race and after a final pit stop, Verstappen was ninth and thus in the points. Verstappen was also driving on the soft tyre, unlike some competitors.

Verstappen could not enjoy those soft tyres for long. At the end of the first lap, Verstappen reported smoke in his cockpit. A problem with the Renault engine. Verstappen did not make it to the end of the lap and had to park the smoking car on the side. Jos Verstappen 's displeasure was evident as the direction switched to Toro Rosso's pit box.

After Verstappen, Kimi Raikkonen also crashed out with a loose wheel. Eleven drivers only crossed the finish line as a result. Carlos Sainz scored his first F1 points with a ninth place. The Spaniard was 12th when Verstappen crashed out, taking advantage of some bad luck ahead of him.

Hamilton won the Australian Grand Prix, more than a second ahead of his teammate. Sebastian Vettel finished third, 34 seconds behind the winner. Only the top five finished on the same lap as the Mercedes duo.