Max Verstappen is a Dutch racing driver who competes in Formula One with Red Bull Racing. At 17 years, 166 days, he became the youngest driver to compete in Formula 1 at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix for Scuderia Toro Rosso. Those cars can do over 200 mph depending on the track layout. He is probably a future world champion.
Racing is dangerous. Even an "entry level" formula ford will do 130mph

not another texting and driving thing.....?

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Originally posted by bob ramberg:
Max Verstappen is...Dutch...

Although I don't agree on this issue that driving at a young age is bad, Verstappen is proof that immaturity is dangerous. Future World Champion? Perhaps, but it's my observation that most of the field would feel safer if he was not on the track. Red Bull is taking a real chance with him, no doubt hoping for a repeat of previous successes like they had with Vettel, but in the meantime losing the better, more mature Ricciardo.

Little Max is one reason I quit watching F-1 this season, after following it enthusiastically since the very early 1960's.

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It's no more idiotic to let a kid race, then let them play PeeWee Football.

I'm thinking that is probably not true

Nothing wrong with racing at 17... we send soldiers off to fight at 18 and Chuck Yeager was a fighter pilot at 19.

Time seems to slow down for top athletes, they have more time to process the challenges they face. On top of that, racers don't perceive the 200mph as much as the 1/2 mph difference between them and those around them. When things go bad, trouble comes fast but the same can be said for contact sports as well.

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Originally posted by Flyboyrv6:
Nothing wrong with racing at 17... we send soldiers off to fight at 18 and Chuck Yeager was a fighter pilot at 19.

Yep.

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Originally posted by Flyboyrv6:
Nothing wrong with racing at 17... we send soldiers off to fight at 18 and Chuck Yeager was a fighter pilot at 19.

Not directly related due to the nature of the two -- fighting for one's country versus participating in sports -- but my initial reaction to the objections here, was remembering a story that Tom Brokaw told in his book "The Greatest Generation."

I don't remember it word-for-word and couldn't find it using Google, but it involved a woman talking to an older neighbor who was objecting to some rowdy teens carrying on. She rebuked him, and asked what he was doing at 17, he replied:

"I was killing Japs on Guadalcanal."

That response has deep meaning for me, since one of my neighbors did that when he was 17, and thirty years later, nearly to the day, dropped dead in my mother's arms as a direct result of a head wound he suffered on Tulagi.

Tanner Gray competes in NHRA Pro Stock. He's currently 19.

2017 marked the first year for Tanner Gray racing in the Pro Stock class within the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series alongside his Father Shane Gray.

Gray made NHRA history 13 days before his 18th birthday at the 18th Annual Denso Spark Plug Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on April 2, 2017 by winning the final round against Bo Butner. He was 17 years, 11 months, and 18 days which was younger than 40 year record holder Jeb Allen, who was 18 years, 1 month, and 8 days.

He won the 2017 Auto Club Road to the Future Award. The award is given to the top rookie from all of the sport’s pro categories, including Pro Stock Motorcycle, Top Fuel and Funny Car.

I tend to agree that young people can handle it. My father-in-law was bombing the Nazis at 19. Maybe 18, because there weren't solid records of his birthdate, only a church baptismal certificate.

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Originally posted by parabellum:

It's a bad, bad idea. End of story.

Oh hell YEAH I agree with that! My kids would Neeeever be allowed to do this shit. I only argue she was experienced. Not that there was a modicum of sanity in it. You've got to keep your kids alive long enough for them to truly know that they can die. And with that, to competently take up the mantle of responsibility for their own lives.