Franz Tost, former director of Toro Rosso / AlphaTauri who has mentored many young drivers, gave words of encouragement to Andrea Kimi Antonelli, future Mercedes F1 driver. The Austrian trusts Toto Wolff to allow the young Italian to have a less difficult start.
“The speed is there – you can see it” Tost told F1.com. “It’s always a bit difficult for a young driver to join a factory team, especially a team like Mercedes, because you’re really focused there.
“But I am sure that Toto and his team will prepare him in the best possible way for next season. From a driving point of view, I think there is absolutely no problem for him. He is fast, he is very competent and he will perform well.”
According to Tost, the most difficult thing for a driver starting out in the premier class is not behind the wheel. It details the areas which are difficult to manage for a young talent, and which may have an impact on their learning.
“The question is a mental one, because as a young F1 driver you have to collaborate with a lot of different parties. The technical side, the chassis engineer, the engine engineer, the engineer aerodynamics, all data engineers, and that means there are a lot of questions that arise.”
“You also have to take care of marketing and press, which is a lot for a young driver. Teams must always be careful not to overload young drivers, so that on Sunday, when the red lights go out, They are not tired.”
Asked what advice he would give to Andrea Kimi Antonelli about her future debut, Tost got straight to the point: “Let him be eager to become an F1 driver, be focused, and get the job done!”
