Scuderia Toro Rosso announced on 18 August 2014 that young rookie Max Verstappen will drive for the team in 2015.

Verstappen (16), will drive alongside fellow rookie Daniil Kvyat. Which means long standing Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne will be without a racing seat in 2015.

The young dutchman is currently competing in the Formula 3 European Championship where he has won 8 out of the 27 races to date, which has also put him in contention for the F3 title. Verstappen will become the youngest F1 driver on the grid next year at the Australian Grand Prix at 17 years of age. The previous record holder was Jaime Alguersuari who made his debut for Toro Rosso as well at 19 years of age.

“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 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,” said Verstappen

“We are happy to welcome Max into the Toro Rosso family,” said Team Principal Franz Tost.

“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,” he added.

“I would also like to thank Jean-Eric Vergne for all his hard work. He has produced strong performances, but unfortunately he was also hindered by some reliability problems.”

“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.”