Max Verstappen to race in Formula One with Toro Rosso in 2015 becoming the youngest ever Grand Prix driver

(Scuderia Toro Roso via Twitter)

Red Bull have officially confirmed that Max Verstappen, the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen will drive for the Toro Rosso team alongside Russian driver Daniil Kvyat in 2015 replacing Jean Eric Vergne who has been with Italian team since making his Formula One debut in 2012 alongside current Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Ricciardo.

The news comes less then a week after Verstappen joined the Red Bull Junior Driver Programme and means that he will be fast tracked to ensure that he obtains the necessary FIA Super Licence to allow him to compete in Formula One Grand Prix. 

In order to obtain the Super Licence Verstappen must complete 300KM in a current Formula One car which will mean that the Italian team are likely to run the Dutch driver during Free Practice One in upcoming Grand Prix like they did with Daniil Kvyat towards the end of last season in order for him to obtain the FIA Super Licence.

The Dutch driver will be allowed to drive a two year old Toro Rosso with demonstration tyre's which would enable him to obtain his Super Licence. That is what Sauber affiliate driver Simona De Silvestro has done, this would then allow the Dutch driver to take part in practice sessions at the end of the season should the team wish to put him in the car.

At just 17 years of age Verstappen will become the youngest driver in history to race in Formula One. It is unclear what the news means for Jean Eric Vergne's future in Formula One.

Speaking to Toro Rosso's official website Verstappen said:

'First of all, I would like to thank Dr Helmut Marko and Red Bull for all their trust and giving me the chance to make my Formula 1 debut in 2015 with Scuderia Toro Rosso, Ever since I was seven years old, Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this opportunity is truly a dream come true.

There are several people that have helped me throughout the years and still support me to this day and I want to sincerely thank them. "First of all a big thanks to my father Jos, who has always been by my side, day and night, year after year.

“We’ve all worked tremendously hard to reach Formula 1 and I will give my absolute best to be successful in the pinnacle of motorsport. With the return of the Verstappen name to Formula 1, I hope we can relive old memories and I’m hoping to see many fans at all the Grand Prix circuits.

Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost commented by saying:

'We are happy to welcome Max into the Toro Rosso family, It’s great to see how the Red Bull Junior Programme continues to find talented young drivers and gives them the opportunity to come into Formula 1.'

We consider Max to be as one of the most skilled young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary maturity and mental strength to take on this challenge successfully. This year he has already demonstrated how well he can cope under difficult conditions."

Bearing in mind that Scuderia Toro Rosso was created with the aim of bringing young talent from the Red Bull Junior Team into Formula 1 and to educate them, it will now be up to us to provide Max with a competitive car, which will enable him to have the best possible start to his Formula 1 career.

I would also like to thank Jean-Eric Vergne for all his hard work,” he added. “He has produced strong performances, but unfortunately he was also hindered by some reliability problems, especially in the first half of the current season.

“We hope that we have resolved these problems and that he will be able to end the second half of this season on a high note and thereby show that he still deserves another opportunity in Formula 1.'

© Ben Johnston 2014