Verstappen signs McLaren junior driver van Langendonck
The 15-year-old Belgian will get additional support from Verstappen Racing while staying in McLaren’s junior programme, with four wins in 15 British F4 races.
- Four-Time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen signed McLaren junior driver Dries van Langendonck to Verstappen Racing on Thursday, marking his first entry into junior driver management.
- Currently leading the British F4 standings with four wins in 15 races, the 15-year-old Belgian joined McLaren's driver development programme in 2024 after sealing the 2023 World Junior Karting title.
- With simulator support via Verstappen Racing Pro Simulation, Verstappen said he is "convinced that all the signs for becoming a great future driver are there." The Red Bull driver emphasized van Langendonck's raw speed impressed him.
- Van Langendonck called the support "really amazing," emphasizing that learning from Max while maintaining McLaren Racing's backing marks a vital step toward Formula 1.
- Reports suggest Verstappen is in the closing stages of negotiations over a potential move from Red Bull to McLaren, though manager Raymond Vermeulen downplayed the claims, saying the driver wants to see out his contract.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Max Verstappen Reveals He's Mentoring a 15-Year-Old McLaren Junior Driver Amid His Own Red Bull Uncertainty
Max Verstappen has revealed he is personally mentoring 15-year-old Dries Van Langendonck, a McLaren development driver, as he tries to help guide the teenager toward Formula 1. The project comes as Verstappen himself faces growing questions over his own Red Bull future, with a contract clause now allowing him to leave the team for 2027. Verstappen refused to give a direct answer on his plans ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, saying “there’s nothi…
Verstappen's curious McLaren junior signing is a big statement
Amid all the hullabaloo about a theoretical future with McLaren and meetings with Zak Brown, Max Verstappen has signed up for co-patronage of maybe the highest-upside driver asset McLaren has in its Formula 1 junior programme.The timing is surely a coincidence, but the announcement is fascinating - and unusual - all the same.Dries Van Langendonck, a 15-year-old Belgian who currently races in Formula 4, is now a member of 'Verstappen Racing' in a…
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