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Fifteen-year-old Belgian racer Dries van Langendonck has joined Verstappen Racing, adding the management and guidance of four-time Formula 1 drivers’ champion Max Verstappen to a junior career already supported by the McLaren Driver Development Programme.
Van Langendonck, from Zolder, currently races for Rodin Motorsport in the British Formula 4 Championship. The agreement will provide support as he progresses through the junior single-seater categories, while he remains a McLaren junior driver. The dual backing gives the Belgian a significant development platform, with Verstappen and his management team set to work alongside McLaren Racing.
“Verstappen Racing provides the support to take me to the next level in my career and marks an important step on my path to Formula 1 as the ultimate goal,” Van Langendonck said.
“To be able to learn from such an experienced driver as Max and to have the support of his professional management team, alongside that of McLaren Racing, is really amazing. I am very thankful. I will keep pushing to maximise my performances while doing what I like best: racing.”
Van Langendonck’s rise has been marked by a sequence of strong results. Before moving into single-seaters, he won seven karting championship titles. He then made an immediate impression in British F4, taking pole position and victory on his debut weekend last year.
The Belgian followed that performance by winning the Formula Winter Series title, recording nine victories from 15 races. He subsequently began his first full F4 campaign this season.
At the halfway point of the 2026 British F4 Championship, Van Langendonck leads the standings. His latest momentum came at Circuit Zandvoort last weekend, where he secured a double victory.
That progression has now attracted a more formal link to Verstappen’s operation. For further context on the wider management structure around the four-time champion, see Verstappen’s manager insists Red Bull contract will be fulfilled.
Verstappen said Van Langendonck had already demonstrated the talent and progress required to continue climbing the single-seater ladder.
“I am impressed by the steep progress that Dries has made during his career and the talent he has shown both in karting and in his first steps in open formula racing,” Verstappen said.
He added that, after getting to know Van Langendonck and his family, he believed the signs were in place for the Belgian to become a future driver of considerable ability. Verstappen Racing’s management team will assist the teenager, including through simulator support from Verstappen Racing Pro Simulation, as he pursues Formula 1 as his ultimate objective.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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