Max Verstappen just took Belgium's brightest young racing talent under his wing
A world champion backs the next Belgian F1 hopeful
Belgium has a serious new motorsport talent, and now he has serious backing to match. Verstappen Racing, the management company of four-time world champion Max Verstappen, has signed 15-year-old Dries Van Langendonck, one of the most exciting young drivers in Europe, with Formula 1 firmly in the crosshairs.
A remarkable CV for a 15-year-old
Van Langendonck, who turns 16 at the end of August, already has a resume most drivers would envy. He was a European and World karting champion before graduating to single-seaters, and joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme back in July 2024. In September 2025, shortly after turning 15, he became the youngest Formula 4 race winner in history. He then dominated the Formula Winter Series with nine wins from 15 races to take the title, and now leads the British F4 championship after a recent double victory at Zandvoort.
Two powerful allies
The clever part is that signing with Verstappen Racing does not replace his existing support. Van Langendonck remains part of McLaren's development programme while adding Verstappen Racing's management expertise and its Pro Simulation resources. Having both a leading F1 team and the camp of a reigning great in his corner is about as strong a foundation as a teenage driver could ask for.
In their own words
Both sides sound genuinely enthused. "Verstappen Racing offers the support I need to elevate my career, and is an important step toward Formula 1," Van Langendonck said. Verstappen himself was equally complimentary: "I'm impressed by Dries' quick development and the talent he has shown in karting and the open formula classes," adding that he believes the youngster "has all the potential to become a future great driver."
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As a Belgian outlet, this is exactly the kind of story we love to tell. Home-grown Formula 1 talent does not come around often, and Van Langendonck's rise has been genuinely extraordinary: world karting titles, the youngest-ever F4 win, and championship-leading form, all before his 16th birthday. To then earn the backing of Max Verstappen's operation is a serious stamp of approval.
The road to Formula 1 is long and unforgiving, and plenty of prodigies have faded on the way up, so a note of caution is only fair. But with McLaren and Verstappen Racing both invested, Dries has the platform and guidance to give himself the best possible shot. We will be following his career very closely, and quietly daring to dream of a Belgian on the F1 grid. Keep an eye on this name.
