Verstappen impressed: "He was a cut above, and everyone knew it"

Two-time world champion Max Verstappen had a very high level to live up to at a young age, so too did Will Buxton. The Formula 1 presenter came up against him in 2014 in the Florida Winter Series and even then, he did not know what he was experiencing, telling Formula1.com.

Buxton stressed that he himself stood little chance against Verstappen. Where Ferrari had set up the event for their juniors, it was the current Red Bull Racing driver who took the races to himself, leaving the competition disillusioned.

"Max was doing things the others simply could not," Buxton explained. "He got up their noses, frustrating them with his pace and raw, sometimes borderline racecraft, a trait which would create so many early headlines. He was a cut above, and everyone knew it."

It would not then take long for Verstappen to make the switch to Formula 1. Indeed, the driver started at Toro Rosso in 2015. Over a year later, he left for Red Bull and managed to secure his place in the team as Daniel Ricciardo's teammate straight away.