Age is just a number, insists schoolboy F1 driver Max Verstappen
Dutch teenager will become youngest in F1 history, but shrugs off pressure ahead of debut
He may be only 16, but Max Verstappen told the world that age is just a number - and he is ready to be Formula One's youngest boy racer of all time.
The Dutchman will not be 17 until September and is still at school.
At the end, age is just a number. At the end, what is most important is I think you have to be fast on the track
But he is sure that classrooms and exams will not stop him following in his father's wheel tracks to show his speed with the Toro Rosso team.
Toro Rosso, sister team to Red Bull, signed Verstappen, son of Jos Verstappen, earlier last week and confirmed he will replace Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne as a racer next year.
"I think I'm ready for it," the teenager said at his first news conference. "At the end, age is just a number. At the end, what is most important is I think you have to be fast on the track."
He said he had been in contact with Mercedes as well as Red Bull. "With Mercedes, we had some conversations, just to see what was possible," he said. "I was already a long time talking to Red Bull, since 2010 really, I had a really good feeling about it."