Max Verstappen is the youngest driver to stand on the podium and the first Dutch race winner since the championship started in 1950. (Reuters Photo)
Dutch teenager Max Verstappen made Formula One history as the youngest race winner on Sunday in a sensational Spanish Grand Prix that saw dominant Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collide and crash out on the opening lap.
Verstappen, only 18 and making his debut for the former world champions after being promoted from junior team Toro Rosso a week earlier, beat Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen -- at 36 twice his age -- by 0.616 seconds.
Verstappen was also the youngest driver to stand on the podium and the first Dutch race winner since the championship started in 1950.
His proud father Jos, who was twice on the podium with Benetton as Michael Schumacher's team mate in 1994 and raced against Raikkonen later in his career, declared it the best day of his life.
"This is really something unbelievably special," he told reporters while others acclaimed an exceptional talent.
Four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel, the previous youngest race winner thanks to his astonishing 2008 Italian Grand Prix victory for Toro Rosso at the age of 21, was third for Ferrari.
Rosberg had his lead trimmed to 39 points, with Raikkonen moving up to second ahead of Hamilton.
The German's dream of an eighth successive win, and fifth of the season, had disappeared in the gravel on the opening lap as he and reigning champion Hamilton crashed out while battling for the lead.
That looked like being the talking point of the day at a circuit that has seen processional races in the past, until Verstappen rewrote the script.
His was a remarkably assured performance for a youngster who could not drive on public roads until last year and whose precocious entry into the sport was questioned by many.
"I was targeting a podium but to win straight away is an amazing feeling," said Verstappen, who had qualified fourth with Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo third.
Ricciardo might have joined him on the podium but a late puncture left him fourth.
Unbelievable Job
"I can't ever remember seeing a debut performance like that," gushed Red Bull team principal Christian Horners, with the energy drink brand's billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz also in attendance.
"The kid's just done an unbelievable job. Max hasn't put a wheel wrong all weekend. To win the race, I don't think anyone can have dreamed of that."
While Red Bull celebrated, and Ferrari rescued a race that had looked like being one to forget after Raikkonen and Vettel qualified fifth and sixth, dominant champions Mercedes were licking their self-inflicted wounds.
Triple world champion Hamilton had started on pole position, with Rosberg alongside, but their race imploded after three corners.
The German passed Hamilton around the outside of turn one and the Briton was then squeezed on to the grass as he tried to regain the lead.
His car skewed sideways and smashed into Rosberg's, with both drivers ending up in the gravel and the safety car deployed.
"It is stupid, we could have won this race," Mercedes' non-executive chairman Niki Lauda told the BBC. "Lewis is too aggressive. I need to talk to them and hear their explanation and then we will see what happens."
Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff refused to apportion blame, however.
"From a team's perspective we've looked at the pictures and the data and it's not clear cut. Nico had a really good turn one and turn two, Lewis tried to dive in, Nico closed the door.
"I'd say let's wait and see what the stewards say. It's not a situation where you can attribute 100 percent of the blame."
The collision ended Mercedes hopes of extending the team's winning run to 11 races and equalling McLaren's 1988 record streak of success.
Finland's Valtteri Bottas was fifth for Williams with Spaniard Carlos Sainz sixth for Toro Rosso. Mexican Sergio Perez was seventh for Force India and Brazilian Felipe Massa eighth for Williams.
Britain's Jenson Button scored for McLaren in ninth with Russian Daniil Kvyat, the man who had to cede his Red Bull place to Verstappen, 10th for Toro Rosso.
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Fast Facts About Max Verstappen
* Given his first go-kart at the age of four. Competes in first kart race at age of seven. A Belgian champion in the mini category at eight. He won all 21 races the following year to retain the title.
* Moves up to mini-max karting category in 2007. He wins every race on the calendar and also wins a Dutch title. In 2008 he won three karting titles and does it again in 2009.
* European and world karting champion in 2013.
* Moves into single seaters in 2014 and stands out in the FIA European F3 championship, qualifying fourth in his first race and winning his sixth. He also won the F3 Masters at Zandvoort.
* Signed by Red Bull for their junior programme in 2014 while still 16-years-old, with a seat at Toro Rosso for 2015. The governing FIA subsequently changes the rules to ensure nobody else can debut younger than 18.
* Makes Formula One debut with Toro Rosso in Australia 2015 as Formula One's youngest driver at the age of 17 years and 166 days.
* Becomes the sport's youngest points scorer with seventh place in Malaysia 2015 at the age of 17 years and 180 days.
* Ends the 2015 season with awards for Rookie of the Year, Personality of the Year and Action of the Year. Two fourth placed finishes.
* Starts 2016 season with Toro Rosso but after four races is promoted to Red Bull, while Russian Daniil Kvyat takes his place at the junior team.
* May 15, 2016. Becomes Formula One's youngest race winner at the Spanish Grand Prix, aged 18 years and 227 days. The previous youngest was Germany's Sebastian Vettel, who was 21 and 73 days when he won with Toro Rosso at Monza in 2008.
Verstappen, only 18 and making his debut for the former world champions after being promoted from junior team Toro Rosso a week earlier, beat Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen -- at 36 twice his age -- by 0.616 seconds.
Verstappen was also the youngest driver to stand on the podium and the first Dutch race winner since the championship started in 1950.
His proud father Jos, who was twice on the podium with Benetton as Michael Schumacher's team mate in 1994 and raced against Raikkonen later in his career, declared it the best day of his life.
Max Verstappen is only 18 years and 227 days old. (Reuters Photo)
Four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel, the previous youngest race winner thanks to his astonishing 2008 Italian Grand Prix victory for Toro Rosso at the age of 21, was third for Ferrari.
Rosberg had his lead trimmed to 39 points, with Raikkonen moving up to second ahead of Hamilton.
The German's dream of an eighth successive win, and fifth of the season, had disappeared in the gravel on the opening lap as he and reigning champion Hamilton crashed out while battling for the lead.
That looked like being the talking point of the day at a circuit that has seen processional races in the past, until Verstappen rewrote the script.
His was a remarkably assured performance for a youngster who could not drive on public roads until last year and whose precocious entry into the sport was questioned by many.
"I was targeting a podium but to win straight away is an amazing feeling," said Verstappen, who had qualified fourth with Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo third.
Max started in 2016 season with Toro Rosso but after four races was promoted to Red Bull. (Reuters Photo)
Unbelievable Job
"I can't ever remember seeing a debut performance like that," gushed Red Bull team principal Christian Horners, with the energy drink brand's billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz also in attendance.
"The kid's just done an unbelievable job. Max hasn't put a wheel wrong all weekend. To win the race, I don't think anyone can have dreamed of that."
Verstappen was already European and world karting champion in 2013. (Reuters Photo)
Triple world champion Hamilton had started on pole position, with Rosberg alongside, but their race imploded after three corners.
The German passed Hamilton around the outside of turn one and the Briton was then squeezed on to the grass as he tried to regain the lead.
His car skewed sideways and smashed into Rosberg's, with both drivers ending up in the gravel and the safety car deployed.
"It is stupid, we could have won this race," Mercedes' non-executive chairman Niki Lauda told the BBC. "Lewis is too aggressive. I need to talk to them and hear their explanation and then we will see what happens."
Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff refused to apportion blame, however.
"From a team's perspective we've looked at the pictures and the data and it's not clear cut. Nico had a really good turn one and turn two, Lewis tried to dive in, Nico closed the door.
"I'd say let's wait and see what the stewards say. It's not a situation where you can attribute 100 percent of the blame."
The collision ended Mercedes hopes of extending the team's winning run to 11 races and equalling McLaren's 1988 record streak of success.
Finland's Valtteri Bottas was fifth for Williams with Spaniard Carlos Sainz sixth for Toro Rosso. Mexican Sergio Perez was seventh for Force India and Brazilian Felipe Massa eighth for Williams.
Britain's Jenson Button scored for McLaren in ninth with Russian Daniil Kvyat, the man who had to cede his Red Bull place to Verstappen, 10th for Toro Rosso.
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Fast Facts About Max Verstappen
* Given his first go-kart at the age of four. Competes in first kart race at age of seven. A Belgian champion in the mini category at eight. He won all 21 races the following year to retain the title.
* Moves up to mini-max karting category in 2007. He wins every race on the calendar and also wins a Dutch title. In 2008 he won three karting titles and does it again in 2009.
* European and world karting champion in 2013.
* Moves into single seaters in 2014 and stands out in the FIA European F3 championship, qualifying fourth in his first race and winning his sixth. He also won the F3 Masters at Zandvoort.
* Signed by Red Bull for their junior programme in 2014 while still 16-years-old, with a seat at Toro Rosso for 2015. The governing FIA subsequently changes the rules to ensure nobody else can debut younger than 18.
* Makes Formula One debut with Toro Rosso in Australia 2015 as Formula One's youngest driver at the age of 17 years and 166 days.
* Becomes the sport's youngest points scorer with seventh place in Malaysia 2015 at the age of 17 years and 180 days.
* Ends the 2015 season with awards for Rookie of the Year, Personality of the Year and Action of the Year. Two fourth placed finishes.
* Starts 2016 season with Toro Rosso but after four races is promoted to Red Bull, while Russian Daniil Kvyat takes his place at the junior team.
* May 15, 2016. Becomes Formula One's youngest race winner at the Spanish Grand Prix, aged 18 years and 227 days. The previous youngest was Germany's Sebastian Vettel, who was 21 and 73 days when he won with Toro Rosso at Monza in 2008.
© Thomson Reuters 2016
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