Dutchman will drive if granted Super Licence by FIA
Saturday 20 September 2014 12:25, UK
Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost says the team hope to give Max Verstappen his Formula 1 debut during Practice One at the Japanese GP.
The Dutchman will celebrate his 17th birthday just three days before the session at Suzuka at the start of October, but, having completed the mandatory 300km in a Formula 1 car following a test in Italy, has now applied for his FIA Super Licence.
Should Verstappen be granted an upgraded race licence by the FIA, Toro Rosso are keen to blood their new recruit as soon as possible as they prepare him for his F1 race debut next season.
“Max Verstappen did a test at Adria last week, he completed 396km without any problems and we were really impressed with his performance,” Tost said in the FIA Press Conference.
“Now it is in the hands of the FIA as to whether he gets his Super Licence to do the Friday P1 session at Suzuka, then we will see.
“We are preparing him step-by-step and I am convinced he is the right driver for us for 2015.”
Verstappen will become the youngest driver in F1 history when he replaces Jean-Eric Vergne next season and the Frenchman would seem the most likely to sit out P1 at Suzuka given team-mate Daniil Kvyat will be experiencing the circuit for the first time.
