Verstappen impressive in 2014: "All the boys looked at Max's dates"

"I think everyone there already saw that Max was on a different level," says Buxton about the Florida Winter Series in 2014 in which he participated together with Verstappen. In that championship, every driver will have the opportunity to take a closer look at competitors' dates and learn from them. "The other guys there were already looking with big eyes at the dates of Max, a kid who had only just passed a test with a Formula Renault. It was ridiculous."

Buxton remembers that Antonio Fuoco, now a member of the Ferrari training team, was annoyed by Verstappen. "Fuoco hated him right from the start. You knew from day one that Max was special," said the Formula 1 journalist, who enjoys watching the 22-year old Limburger race. "He's a little wizard."

Verstappen becomes a complete racer

With Verstappen in Formula 1 a lot of things have changed. Not only the experience of it in the Netherlands, but the impact of Verstappenen's presence in the king's class of motorsport goes much further than that, according to Buxton. He goes on to say: "His impertinence, his self-confidence - some call it arrogance - that he knows he is good... He knows he has it in him to become world champion," says Buxton, who continues to see an upward trend among Red Bull Racing drivers. "Nowadays he also learns from his mistakes and knows how to adapt himself. You can see he's going to be the complete racer."