Some drivers on the current grid went through a somewhat unnatural path to Formula 1.
The natural path to Formula 1 is through karting, Formula 4, Formula 3 and finally Formula 2 equivalents. However, some drivers were able to jump straight to Formula 1 after competing in the Formula 3 classes.
1. Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen’s junior career is unique to the rest of the grids. The Dutchman skipped Formula 2, as he had received a call-up from Red Bull to drive for their junior team Toro Rosso just after his first season in Formula 3.
Having joined F1 as a teenager, it took a while for Max Verstappen to display some maturity in his driving. Nine years following his debut, Verstappen is now a three-time F1 World Champion, fighting to win his fourth title this year.
Karting
Max Verstappen’s journey in motorsport began at the age of four when he started racing karts. When he was seven, he was competing in championships, showcasing his natural talent and determination. In 2005, he was runner-up in the Mini Junior championship of Limburg, Belgium, and clinched the VAS Championship title. This success continued into 2006 when he once again emerged victorious in the VAS Championship.
Between 2007 and 2009, Verstappen won several championships which included the Cadet, Mini Max and KF5 classes. Among the teams he raced for were under the Verstappen name.
Verstappen’s international karting career began in 2010 when he started racing in the KF3 category. He won 3 titles that year. In 2011, he added 1 title to his KF3 catalogue. In 2012 and 2013 he competed in the KF2 category, winning 6 titles.
By the time he completed Karting in 2013, he won 23 titles. The Dutchman was runners-up five times and was third once.
Formula Three
Max Verstappen did not compete in Formula 4 racing as part of his junior career. He transitioned directly from karting to Formula 3.
Verstappen made his debut in single-seater racing in 2014, competing in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing. He had an incredible season, racking up 10 out of 33 wins – the most out of any driver on the grid. Following his 10 wins, 16 podiums and 7 pole positions, Verstappen finished 3rd in the championship, 67 points behind title winner Esteban Ocon.
Towards the end of 2014, Max Verstappen competed in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix where he finished 7th overall. Earlier in the year, Verstappen had also competed in the Masters of Formula 3 race at Zandvoort. Verstappen dominated the weekend, securing pole position in qualifying and winning the race dominantly. By doing so, he had become the youngest winner in the race’s history, aged 16.
His commanding performances that year solidified his status as a promising young talent in motorsport. So much so, that the next year in 2015, at age 17 he made his F1 debut. As part of the Red Bull Junior Team, he joined Red Bull’s junior team, Toro Rosso. This made the Dutchman the youngest driver ever to start a World Championship race.
Max Verstappen went on to finish his debut season at the pinnacle of motorsport P12 in the standings.
2. Carlos Sainz
Just like Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz did not participate in Formula 2 before joining F1. As part of the Red Bull Junior Team since 2010 (until 2015), Sainz was given the opportunity to drive for Toro Rosso after a successful Formula Renault 3.5 season.
The Ferrari driver is now a 3-time race winner in F1, with his most recent victory coming from the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. Sainz is set to join Williams for the 2025 season after Ferrari announced earlier in the year that Lewis Hamilton would be replacing the Spaniard at Ferrari from the 2025 season onwards.
Karting
Carlos Sainz started his career in karting in 2006, participating in the smaller series. In 2007, he moved up to the KF3 class, competing in the class until 2009. In 2008, he won the Asia-Pacific KF3 title and finished as runner-up in the Spanish Championship. In 2009, he also won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup and was runner-up in the European KF3 Championship.
Formula BMW
Carlos Sainz moved up to single-seater racing by competing in the 2010 Formula BMW Europe season, where he had a great season. He had 1 race win and three further podium finishes. The young Spaniard finished P1 in the Rookies Class of the competition and finished P4 in the overall Drivers’ Championship standings.
He also competed in the 2010 Formula BMW Pacific season. He won 1 race and was P2 twice, however, he was ineligible to earn championship points.
Formula Renault (2.0) and European F3
In 2010, Carlos Sainz did not race as much. He competed in a few rounds of the 2010 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and the 2010 European F3 Open Championship. However, he was ineligible to score points in both championships.
He was however able to score points at the 2010 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship, despite only participating in one round. He finished P6 in the first race and retired in the second.
2011 was a spectacular season for Carlos Sainz. At the 2011 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, it was 4 pole positions and 10 podium finishes including 2 wins for the Spaniard. He finished P1 in the Junior Class and P2 in the overall Drivers’ Championship. The 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup had Carlos Sainz as champion. He had 8 pole positions and 17 podium finishes including 10 race wins.
He competed in the final round of the 2011 Formula 3 Euro Series, but he was ineligible to score points. At the 2011 Macau Grand Prix, Sainz was P20 in the qualifying race and unfortunately retired from the race.
Formula 3, GP3 and Formula Renault 3.5
In 2012, Carlos Sainz stepped up to Formula 3 and competed in all but one of the rounds at the British Formula 3 International Series. He won 4 races and had 9 podium finishes, allowing him to finish P6 in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
At the 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series, he had 2 podium finishes and was P9 in the Drivers’ Championship standings. He had 1 race win and 5 podium finishes in the 2012 FIA Formula 3 European Championship, finishing P5 in the Drivers’ Championship. Sainz qualified P2 at the 2012 Masters of Formula 3 and finished the race P4. And finally, at the 2012 Macau Grand Prix, he was P4 in the qualifying race and P7 in the main race.
For the 2013 season, Sainz competed in the GP3 Series. It was 2 podium finishes and P10 in the Drivers’ Championship for him in the competition. He competed in a few rounds of the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 Series and was P19 in the Drivers’ Championship. At the 2013 Macau Grand Prix, Sainz was P9 in the qualifying race and crossed the line at P7 in the main race.
In the next season, Carlos Sainz went on to win the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series title. He won 7 of 17 races allowing him to win the title 35 points ahead of runner-up Pierre Gasly.
As a reward for his title, Carlos Sainz drove the Red Bull RB10 in the post-season test after the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Even better, he became a Formula 1 driver in 2015. He joined Toro Rosso, alongside Max Verstappen and finished his debut F1 season in P15.
3. Lance Stroll
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll joined F1 in 2017. His path into the sport is similar to that of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz as the Canadian also advanced straight from the Formula 3 tier to racing in F1.
Since joining the sport, Stroll has yet to win an F1 race. He however acquired pole position at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix whilst driving for Racing Point. Also in 2020, he finished on the podium twice. First at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza and second at the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain.
Karting
Lance Stroll began his motorsport career in karting at the age of 10. He recorded numerous race and championship wins in his native Canada and North America in 2008 – his first year of karting. Stroll won the Federation de Sport Automobile du Quebec Rookie of the Year award and Driver of the Year in 2009.
In 2010, Stroll became a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, and they supported him through the rest of his karting years. Stroll kept karting till 2013, and he added a number of wins to his name.
Formula 4
In 2014, the Canadian stepped up to Formula 4. His first single-seater competition was the 2014 Florida Winter Series, a non-championship series that the Ferrari Driver Academy organized. Among those he raced against were Max Verstappen and Nicholas Latifi. Lance Stroll managed 2 podium finishes as well as a pole position at the Homestead–Miami Speedway.
That same year, Stroll took part in the 2014 Italian F4 Championship. Despite missing the final round due to injury, Stroll was named champion. Driving for Prema, Stroll had 7 race wins, 13 podium finishes, and 5 pole positions. Impressively, he won the title by 94 points, despite retiring and withdrawing from the final four races of the season.
Formula 3
In early 2015, before making his Formula 3 debut, Lance Stroll took part in the 2015 Toyota Racing Series. He won 4 races and took the championship title by a healthy 108-point gap.
Almost two months later, Stroll made his Formula 3 debut. He competed in the 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. Having won 1 race and consistently finishing in the points, the Canadian finished P5, just below Charles Leclerc, and just above George Russell and Alexander Albon.
Towards the end of that year, Stroll took part in the 2015 Macau Grand Prix. He was P13 in the qualifying race and P8 in the main race.
The following year in January, Stroll participated in the first round of the 2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship. Stroll finished 5th at the 2016 24 Hours of Daytona, driving for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing.
Stroll returned to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship for the 2016 season. The Canadian performed well that season, collecting 14 race wins and poles and 20 podium finishes. Lance Stroll was named champion, winning the title by an incredible 187-point margin.
In 2017, Lance Stroll drove for the Williams team for the 2017 F1 season, alongside Felipe Massa. Reportedly, Stroll’s father Lawrence Stroll paid $80 million to Williams prior to his F1 debut.
4. Valtteri Bottas
After Stake F1 Team Stake Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas won the GP3 title, his next seat was in a Williams for the 2013 F1 season. Over a decade since his F1 debut, Bottas is now a 10-time race winner. He has been runners-up in the World Drivers’ Championship twice – in 2019 and 2010 – driving for Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton.
Karting
Valtteri Bottas was in professional karting from 2001 to 2006. He competed in the Raket, ICA Junior, ICA and Formula A classes progressively.
In 2004, he won the European Championship – Northern Region Qualification in the ICA Junior class. That same year, he won the Finnish Championship in the same class. He won the Viking Trophy in the ICA class. In 2005 and 2006, he won the Finnish Championship in both the ICA and Formula A classes, as well as the WSK International Series in the Formula A class.
Formula Renault 2.0
Valtteri Bottas made his single-seater racing debut at the 2007 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup. Having won 2 races and consistently finishing in the top 5, Bottas was able to secure P3 in the Drivers’ Championship. At the 2007 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Cup, having 3 of 4 races, he would have won the title had he been holding an MSA-registered licence for the championship.
The Finnish driver’s first title in single-seater racing came at the 2008 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. With 10 podium finishes including 5 wins, Bottas won the title 3 points ahead of Daniel Ricciardo. He also won the title at the 2008 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup. Bottas competed in all but one round, winning 12 of 16 races. He won the title by a healthy margin of 86 points.
Formula 3 and GP3
Bottas moved to the Formula 3 tier, joining the Formula 3 Euro Series 2009 season. With 6 podium finishes, he finished P3 in the overall Drivers’ Championship and was the best of the rookies. Also in 2009, he competed in two rounds of the British Formula 3 International Series, finishing on the podium in one of the races.
He started the 2009 Masters of Formula 3 from pole and went on to win the race. As for the 2009 Macau Grand Prix, he came P4 in the qualification race and finished the main race in P5.
Valtteri Bottas was in the Formula 3 Euro Series for the 2010 season again. Just as the previous season, he finished P3 in the Drivers’ Championship. At the 2010 Masters of Formula 3, he started he went on to win the race from P2. He was P4 in the qualification race of the 2010 Macau Grand Prix and finished the main race in P3.
The 2011 GP3 Series had Valtteri Bottas as the champion. The Finn won 4 races and had 3 further podium finishes. He competed in one round of the 2011 British Formula 3 International Series, winning 1 of 3 races. It was another P4 qualification race result for Bottas at the Macau Grand Prix (2011). He unfortunately retired from the main race after 4 laps due to an accident.
After spending 2011 and 2012 as a test and reserve driver for the Williams F1 team, Bottas finally got a chance to compete for the team at the 2013 F1 season.
