The young drivers who started during the season since last year, namely Liam Lawson, Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto, have impressed the actors and observers of the F1 paddock. Alex Albon, who works with Colapinto from Monza, admits that his young teammate is very strong and fast.
“I’m impressed. I wouldn’t say surprised. I think he was already fast in the test he did at Silverstone this year and he took the race very comfortably.” said Albon about his new teammate.
“It looks like he’s not tense. He’s relaxed, which is the best thing you can do when you get into a Formula 1 car in the middle of the season. So, yeah, I’m not not surprised, but pleasantly impressed.”
Lawson admits to being well prepared for the driving profession thanks to his presence in a program like the Red Bull academy, but he also recalls that drivers in the past had much more time behind the wheel of a single-seater thanks to the thousands of kilometers in testing .
“We can’t really do testing. I know many years ago you could do testing whenever you wanted, you had test cars and things like that. It would really be very, very cool. Obviously, that’s not the way the sport looks today.” notes the New Zealander.
“That’s why driving in the simulator and the work we do behind the scenes with the data and preparing for a weekend, it’s mostly simulator work, I would say. Each team has its own simulator that ‘she develops and with which she tries to work.’
“It’s basically about trying to make it as realistic as possible. So as a reserve driver we spend a lot of time, even going through Formula 3 and Formula 2, familiarizing ourselves with the job of Formula 1 and to prepare ourselves for a Formula 1 race.”
“I think that’s why the access that we have now is getting closer and closer every year. And I think that’s why it’s becoming, let’s say, easier or more obvious for us to be able to intervene. But it’s a challenge and there are probably a lot of things that people don’t see.”
“Driving fast is the easy part”
Lando Norris responded to the question of whether starting in Formula 1 during a season was a risk, both for the driver and for the team that trusts him: “Is it a risk? I think it is “It’s always a risk, for sure. I think what we’re seeing is some very talented drivers coming through.”
“I feel like I’m older when I say it, but, you know, like Liam, like Oscar, like Franco, I think you’re going to see a lot of drivers coming in and doing a good job, performing well, qualifying well etc. I think that’s what’s most natural for drivers.”
“But I think Formula 1 is not just about one, two or three weekends. It’s about 24 races, a whole season and the development of the car over the seasons. There’s a lot of drivers who can come in and drive a Formula 1 car quickly.”
“I think that’s the easy part, to come in and drive a car quickly. That’s what we’re born to do, that’s what we live for, to drive as fast as we can. And I think that the easy part is getting there and driving a car quickly.”
“The hardest part is the longest part. It’s the 24 races, not crashing your car every weekend, not making those stupid mistakes, helping your team, to be a team leader, to not just look at this season, but to look at next year and know when to make sacrifices.”
“There are a lot of things that make a driver more complete than someone who can just come in and perform one weekend. And I’m not taking anything away from those guys. When you see Franco come in and do the job what he did in the middle of the season, it’s pretty impressive.”
“And I think everyone recognizes that, but it’s another job to do that every weekend, not to make mistakes, not to crash the car, especially now in a championship where the costs are capped, it’s even trickier to push and find those limits.”
“So there are pros and cons, but being a Formula 1 driver is not just about driving a car fast, which a lot of people can do, but it’s also about doing it every race, every qualification, working together as a team.”
“I think that’s what makes a good driver in general, not just a fast driver. So there are those two aspects, but I’m always impressed. And I think it’s always impressive to see the rates of speed with which these young pilots can be hired today.”
“I’m not talking about my age, but these young drivers like Franco are coming in and reaching the level that they reached so quickly. So it’s due to different reasons, but also the simulators and that sort of thing, and the preparation that can be done today is more advanced than a few years ago.”
