Gabriel Bortoleto, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, Ollie Bearman, maybe Franco Colapinto or Isack Hadjar… a fresh wind will blow through F1 next year! A quarter of the grid could, at once, be renewed.
Some well-established drivers, like George Russell at Mercedes F1, will therefore team up with a rookie next year.
Personally, for example, what advice would George Russell give to his future teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli? There is a big difference between the two men, since the Briton first started at the back of the grid, at Williams F1… but all the same, what would the young Russell have liked to hear in Antonelli's place today? today?
“Have fun, to be honest. It's such a special moment. Arriving in Formula 1 is… For all of us, it's like every step of your journey, you climb a ladder. And when you reach F1, it's a huge milestone and a huge source of pride. Savor these moments. »
“Flying, honestly, is probably the easiest part of the job. Everything else that comes with Formula 1 is much more intense. There is a lot more attention compared to F2. It's a big leap in that regard. But just enjoy it. » –
” I don't know “ responds for his part the second most experienced driver on the field, Lewis Hamilton, who made his debut in F1 in 2007, when Andrea Kimi Antonelli was… one year old!
“Don’t do absolutely everything everyone tells you to do. Ask lots of questions. Take your time. Don't let negativity get to you because, you know, people are so negative these days, judging you all the time. Stay away from social media and keep your family and closest friends close to you, because they are the only true friends and they will be there for you when things get tough. »
Hamilton warns rookies against social media negativity
Do Lewis Hamilton's comments echo what he himself has experienced in recent years on social networks? Or does he remember having a hard time taking, from his first years in F1, the strong criticism against him, particularly from fans of Fernando Alonso (in his F1 debut with McLaren)?
“We are talking about young drivers. We are talking about 18 year olds. And I remember when I was 22 and I was thrown into the deep end. You received training as a young driver through the lower series, but most of them probably don't have a PR person. The team will have a person for communication, but they will not watch over you. She watches over the team. »
“And so you're thrown in at the deep end and you try to be nice, and people take advantage of it. And so my advice, if I had a young rider that I had to take care of, would be to put a lot of support around him so that no one can get to him. Social media and the media should not be able to affect this young person's state of mind. And I think protecting that is really important. »
“We must not first give people an opportunity to take down rookies when they make mistakes. Which of you or anyone here, at 18 or 19 years old, didn't make mistakes? It's just that when you make those mistakes being in the spotlight, it's really, really hard. And so, we should support these rookies and give them not one chance, but two chances, and continue to support them without taking them down… because that's just not nice. »
