In many regards, it’s a lot more challenging to be a rookie driver in Formula 1 in the modern era. Testing is considerably more limited than it ever was, and the days of newcomers being granted endless track time in closed-door sessions away from the prying eyes of the media offered a low-pressure environment for them to learn their craft.
Consider some of the great rookie performances of the last 20 years, and the context of unadulterated odometer-ticking days at Jerez or Barcelona perhaps knocks some of the shine off – Lewis Hamilton’s podium first time out in Melbourne and Sebastian Vettel’s points-scoring run at Indianapolis were aided considerably by testing …
- March 8, 2023
