Perez: Verstappen must have confidence in his talent

Sergio Perez believes that the new recruit Max Verstappen of the Toro Rosso team must trust his talent and not worry about what the media say about his youth. The 17-year-old Dutchman is replacing Jean-Eric Vergne in the Italian team for the 2015 season, making him the youngest driver in history to line up for an F1 race.

Starting in 2016, to obtain a super license that allows racing on F1 circuits, one must be 18 years old. This is why Max Verstappen will most likely remain the youngest driver in history to debut in F1.

For *Checo*, Force India driver, Max Verstappen must ignore the controversy around his age, as he told *Autosport*: « Red Bull saw something special in him. I’ve heard very good things about him, it will be nice to see how a nice boy handles the pressure. He is making history. This kid must be very special because he is the youngest in the history of this sport. If you’re good enough and Red Bull bets on you and lets you race, then why not? It’s good for the sport and the fans. »

Author of a podium in Bahrain, Sergio Perez cited examples of drivers who arrived in F1 very early and succeeded: « There is no direct way to get into F1. You have seen many drivers like Kimi [Räikkönen] for example, after even less than one season in F3, but in Formula Renault, he arrived directly in Formula 1. The media is something external, but when you drive, you think about different strategies, the tires, the fuel loads throughout the weekend, it’s something you don’t encounter in F3. There are several things [to learn], but no matter, if you are good enough, you can handle them. »

Sergio Perez spent two seasons in British F3 and two seasons in GP2 before making his Formula 1 debut in 2011 at the age of 21, and he believes he benefited from this time spent in the lower categories: « When I was 17, I won in F3 but if I look back, it was good for me to have been able to race in bigger single-seaters, like in GP2. I learned a lot there with the strategy, the pit stops, but at that time I was never involved in a Formula 1 team. It helps you understand Formula 1. »