Max Verstappen admits he was glad to start his F1 career with the Toro Rosso team in order to build up experience before joining the main Red Bull squad. There will be several new faces on the grid in 2023, as Logan Sargeant, Oscar Piastri and Nyck de Vries step up to Williams, McLaren and AlphaTauri respectively. While Verstappen is only 25 years old – younger than the 27-year-old de Vries – the two-time World Champion is now one of F1's more experienced drivers, having first made his debut as a rookie back in 2015. As such, the Dutchman has offered some words of advice for Sargeant, as well as the other drivers entering the sport for the first time.
Verstappen glad to start at Toro Rosso
"Enjoy it," Verstappen told US broadcaster NBC . "He's in a team where he's not going to fight for wins, but it's maybe good because, in the first year, you don't necessarily need that or want that. "Of course, everyone wants to win, but when you have very little experience... "I'm also very happy that I started at Toro Rosso, for example. You just build up experience, you can make mistakes and nobody really pays a lot of attention to it." Verstappen remains the youngest driver to have ever started an F1 race, having made his debut at the age of 17 for Toro Rosso. One year later, he broke another record following his promotion to Red Bull after winning the Spanish Grand Prix, making the then-18-year-old the youngest ever winner of a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Verstappen offers advice to F1 rookies
Verstappen hopes that Sargeant will not put too much pressure on himself, as well as enjoying the fact that he will have three home races in the United States. "I just hope he learns a lot in that first year – don't put too much pressure on yourself, because it's an amazing opportunity," Verstappen continued. "There are a lot of amazing drivers out there, but you're there on merit, you deserve it. "And, of course, as an American, I think it's an amazing opportunity for himself but also to drive three American Grands Prix, so I wish him the best."
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