Max makes motorsport racedebut in Florida Winter Series
Published on 16 January 2014 by Stefan Meens
Max Verstappen is on the brink of his motorsport debut. The karting world champion KZ (manual transmission karts) and double European champion KZ and KF (automatic transmission karts) will, after several successful Formula Renault 2.0 tests and two days in a Formula 3 car, participate in his first single seater races during the Florida Winter Series.
Every round of the four tier championship, supported by the Ferrari Driver Academy, will consist of three days, set out in four hours of free practice, two qualifying heats and three 30 minute races. The starting field will see a maximum of fifteen contestants who will all take to track in a FA010B Formula Abarth.
The rapid Dutchman is very much looking forward to making his debut in the prestigious series: "Ferrari's head of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Luca Baldisserri, contacted me and invited me to take on the Florida Winter Series. Without hesitation we accepted the invitation as it is a fantastic way to gain loads of racing experience in a single seater."
Verstappen junior's ambition is clear: "I want to learn as much as I can. I will be able to experience loss of downforce when trailing other cars closely, I will be able to practice starts and study and analyze data with experienced engineers. In short, I will be able to experience a proper racing weekend in which I will contest against several big names in open wheel racing!"
A crucial part of the events will see Ferrari Driver Academy engineers and mechanics lecture the drivers on topics such as the handling and set up of the cars. Furthermore, they will maintain and set up the cars which means there are no separate teams contesting.
Luca Baldisserri: "It's not a championship, but a way to let drivers train during the winter, especially those from Europe where it is difficult to find representative weather conditions. It's competitive, because at the end of the day there's always competition when drivers are racing together, but there's no prize. The big value is the opportunity for the driver to learn in parallel with the track time."
The concept of the Winter Series is unique as the program prepares drivers by actually racing them against each other in a relaxed but professional environment, without the focus lying on winning or losing. The climate and excellent racing accommodations will provide the ideal setting to drive the 195 bhp strong and 525kg (incl. driver) heavy formula cars to their full potential.
Max will take on a competitive and varied field of drivers, some of whom are part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, such as: Lance Stroll (karting), Antonio Fuoco (2013 Formule Renault 2.0 Alps champion) en Raffaele Marciello (2013 FIA European Formula 3 champion). However the biggest name revealed by the series organizers is without a doubt Jules Bianchi. The Frenchman drove his first full Formula 1 season last year for Marussia in 2013 and will contest the full F1 championship again this year.
Other drivers include Ed Jones (2013 European F3 Open Championship champion), Dennis van de Laar, Nicholas Latifi and Tatiana Calderon who all contested the FIA European Formula 3 championship in 2013. The provisional list is concluded by Alex Bosak (Formula Renault 2.0 Alps) and kart drivers Vasili Romanov and Takashi Kasai.
The Florida Winter Series will provide Max with strong competition, excellent conditions and professional support. Without a doubt, this a wonderful opportunity for Max to push himself to the limit and gain valuable experience.
Program Florida Winter Series 2014:
• January 22: Collective test, Homestead Speedway • January 25-27: Round 1, Sebring Raceway • February 3-5: Round 2, Palm Beach International Raceway • February 12-14: Round 3, Homestead Speedway RC • February 17-19: Round 4, Homestead Speedway RC (Mod)
Niels Hendrix / Stefan Meens
