Max Verstappen can be in the points from Melbourne, according to Tost
One of the great unknowns of the beginning of the season will be the performance level displayed by the very young rookie Max Verstappen. Franz Tost, his team manager at Toro Rosso, believes in his protégé to the point of seeing him finish in the top 10 from the very first race of the season.
Without ever having taken part in a Formula 1 race, Max Verstappen is already certain to break a record in Melbourne next March: that of the youngest driver ever to start a Formula 1 race. Yet, isn’t the former Formula 3 driver too young to make the big leap?
Franz Tost, the team principal of Toro Rosso, sought to temper the skeptics’ enthusiasm in the columns of *Autosport*. He firmly believes in his young protégé: “I saw [Verstappen] two years ago at the karting world championship, and I was really impressed by his speed and control of the race car. I am truly convinced that if we provide him with a good car, he will score points immediately.”
The criticisms regarding Max Verstappen’s lack of experience are far from being justified according to Franz Tost. In this respect, the example of Daniil Kvyat, who performed well right from his debut last season, serves as a strong argument for him: « It will be roughly the same story as with Daniil. I expect no problems for [Verstappen]. He will be well prepared for Melbourne. Last year, I had the same questions about Kvyat. »
The former BMW engineer, who has fifteen years of F1 experience behind him, has finally taken a step back to show that Max Verstappen is an example of the increasing precocity in the discipline: « Max arrives in Formula 1 with, I would say, ten years of experience, which never happened twenty years ago: you can now drive in Formula 1 category at 15 years old. Times have changed. It’s not the age that matters, it’s the performance displayed by the driver. »
The FIA does not quite share Franz Tost’s opinion: let us remember that new rules tightening the granting of the super license have recently been implemented. They would have even prevented Max Verstappen from participating in his first F1 Grand Prix next March.
