Verstappen on a cloud following maiden Grand Prix win

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With speed and style, and an incredible level of maturity, Max Verstappen conquered his first ever F1 victory in Barcelona, becoming in the process the youngest ever Grand Prix winner at 18 years and 229 days.

The sensational Dutchman produced a faultless drive for his first drive with Red Bull Racing, perfectly managing his two-spot strategy all afternoon.

Verstappen initially inherited the lead early on when team mate Daniel Ricciardo made his first pit stop.

When leaders Ricciardo and Vettel, who had chosen three-stop strategies, stopped for a third time, Verstappen again led the field on lap 44 from an incisive Kimi Raikkonen.

The Finn, half of young Max's age, shadowed the Red Bull driver for over 20 laps, pulling out all the stops in an attempt to gain an upper hand over the young prodigy.

But Verstappen never put a foot wrong, oblivious to the pressure applied by his Ferrari rival behind him, taking a fairy tale and remarkable maiden win.

When all was said and done, the youngest Grand Prix winner could hardly believe his achievement.

"It feels amazing. I cannot believe it," said Verstappen.

"It was a great race. I have to say thanks to the team for making such a great car. To win straight away in the first race is an amazing feeling.

"On the first stint on the soft tyres I could keep up quite well, but at some point when you are so close behind the first you strat to destroy the tyres. So I lost a bit of ground and decided to pit.

"On the medium tyres, the car felt great and from there on I just managed my speed and tyres, and it was a case of not making mistakes.

"This race felt like an endurance race to me, especially the last 10 laps. I couldn't believe I was leading the race.

"Today everything went well, I could hold onto the tyres, we did the best strategy possible."

The day's winner naturally paid tribute to his father Jos Verstappen who has been instrumental in inspiring his son and managing his successful steps up the motor racing ladder.

"From a very young age my dad helped me a lot and to achieve this is amazing."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.