Sixteen-year-old Max Verstappen has the "mental strength" to cope with life in Formula One, according to Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost.

The son of former F1 driver Jos is set to become the youngest F1 driver in history after joining Toro Rosso for the 2015 season.

Verstappen, who turns 17 in September and currently competes in Formula Three, will replace Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne.

Tost described the former karting world champion as "one of the most skilled young drivers of the new generation".

He said on the Toro Rosso website: "We believe he has the necessary maturity and mental strength to take on this challenge successfully. This year he has already demonstrated how well he can cope under difficult conditions."

He added: "It will now be up to us to provide Max with a competitive car, which will enable him to have the best possible start to his Formula 1 career."

Verstappen said: "First of all, I would like to thank Dr Helmut Marko and Red Bull for all their trust and giving me the chance to make my Formula debut in 2015 with Scuderia Toro Rosso. Ever since I was seven years old, Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this opportunity is truly a dream come true.

"We've all worked tremendously hard to reach Formula 1 and I will give my absolute best to be successful in the pinnacle of motorsport. With the return of the Verstappen name to Formula 1, I hope we can relive old memories and I'm hoping to see many fans at all the Grand Prix circuits."

It's great to see new talent coming through. I hope with testing and practice he can compete with the big boys.