Ricciardo: Sainz Jr is “very well prepared” for F1

Carlos Sainz Jr will drive alongside Max Verstappen with the Toro Rosso team next season, after winning the title in Formula Renault 3.5 with the French team DAMS. Daniel Ricciardo, who himself went through FR3.5 before joining Toro Rosso, believes that the Spaniard has enough talent to make a mark in F1.

« I think he is very well prepared to change categories. He is impressive in terms of driving and has talent, so he will not encounter much difficulty behind the wheel. The real challenge will be managing the rest of Formula 1: handling the demands outside the car – but he is well-balanced so I think he will get used to all that quite quickly, » Ricciardo shared, as quoted by Crash.net.

Ricciardo went through FR3.5, finishing as vice-champion in 2010, before joining Toro Rosso, and the Australian believes that the choice made by Carlos Sainz’s son is the right one: « Clearly [it was the right choice]. It was for me, and since then the cars have become really faster, so it’s even better than it was a few years ago. In terms of adapting to the physical speed of Formula One, I think it’s much closer now. I don’t expect it to unsettle Carlos too much. »

Toro Rosso will thus field two rookies for the 2015 season, and Ricciardo believes that the Italian team is the right place for a young driver on the path to success: « It’s clearly a good place to come into F1 because there are a lot of experienced people in the team and I think that’s what you need. You need guidance from people who have that experience. In a way, what you really need is to talk to them. Landing an F1 seat is quite exciting! You want people who can minimize that, keep you grounded, and slowly nurture you. Obviously, they’ve done a lot for my career, and I’m confident they’ll guide Carlos in the same way. I think he’ll find a lovely home there. »