Max Verstappen win announces arrival of a new F1 superstar

Tell me honestly: Did you see this one coming?

Did you sleep fitfully on Saturday night dreaming of Total Football? Was the Tango man running around in your head in a giant pair of clogs, sporting orange marigolds, muttering something about pancakes? When the kettle boiled on Sunday morning did Max Verstappen's face appear in your tea leaves... or do you not believe in premonitions?

He was starting fourth, so surely your subconscious told you the young Dutchman had a chance?

Back in 2012, Pastor Maldonado won the Spanish GP for Williams on the occasion of Sir Frank's 70th birthday. Few saw that one coming, but in hindsight there was a celestial whiff about it.

It was a victory as unlikely as it was popular, but whilst that day centred around the grand contribution of an iconic figure (Sir Frank, by the way), Verstappen's maiden win was celebrated for revitalising a championship.

Entirely different in their manner and relevance, yet they seem to have one thing in common - fate. Some things are meant to be.

Who wasn't tempted to have a flutter when Max made the step up to Red Bull? Before the race, our floor manager and former McLaren chief mechanic Marc Priestley sat down next to Damon Hill and myself in the Williams motorhome and we asked him what he thought would happen. Without blinking he stated that Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton would take each other out and Verstappen would win the race.

If only we had popped a few quid on his prediction before lights out…

We had been following the story of the Red Bull swap all weekend and the decision to shuffle their pack had undoubtedly energised a team whose chassis always performs well in Barcelona.

Christian Horner had intimated that it was a collective decision by senior management and that the contracts within their junior and senior teams were interchangeable. This gave them a freedom to act and act they did, swiftly and with a singular aim - to get the best drivers into their top team.

The moment Verstappen climbed into the car he looked ready and Horner was already drawing comparisons with Sebastian Vettel in manner and style.

Williams' Pat Symonds described the Red Bull as frightening in the slow corners this weekend and as a consequence, when it mattered, Max was able to keep Kimi Raikkonen at bay through sector three and into the DRS zone on the start-finish straight.

The race pace of the Red Bull was on a par with Ferrari but what impressed the most was Max's maturity and calmness under pressure on his debut. It seemed as natural as his undoubted skill.

I thought it was telling that Dr Helmut Marko went up to collect the constructors' trophy alongside his young protege. He is the one who makes the tough decisions with regards to young men's futures in the Red Bull junior programme.

Quite often he gets painted as the villain of the piece; a ruthless butcher of fledgling careers. It must be hard to mentor teenagers, help them fulfill their lifelong dream only to shatter them when you deem them not good enough - but maybe I'm soft.

Marko's job is to find drivers capable of becoming world champion. He has access to all the data, has skin thicker than rhino hide and isn't afraid to cull when the need arises. His decision to swap Daniil Kvyat for Max has been vindicated in the most emphatic fashion and for that he must receive credit. It doesn't stop me feeling sympathy for Kvyat though. Talk about rubbing salt…

In becoming the youngest-ever winner of a Grand Prix by over two years a superstar has been born. It is not just Red Bull who have been reinvigorated by this victory, so too has the sport itself.

Verstappen has demonstrated the restorative power of youth. The narrative of this year's championship took an unexpected twist this week. A couple of hours after F1's aging masters met to squabble once again about the future of the sport, an 18-year-old stood on top of the podium with his arms aloft whilst the Spanish fans chanted his name.

It was enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Isn't this what it's all about? I simply cannot wait for Monaco, how about you?