‘Only fast guys are allowed to crash’

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Experience is especially important on Friday morning. If the 20 drivers have to get used to the car within 60 minutes for two qualifying sessions and two races. Especially when the team arrives with some updates. Like in Baku, where Alpine (which suddenly ended up in a slump) and McLaren-Mercedes (which suddenly woke up from a deep sleep) compete with new underbody plates.

Tost: “Crash not so bad, but…”

There really isn’t room for newbies. No place for an expensive driving school. In his 18 years as team principal at Toro Rosso and Alpha Tauri, Tyrolean Franz Tost (67) has experienced the most new pilots. The man, who retires at the end of the season, saw the emergence of Vettel and Verstappen, who went on to claim 75 wins (Vettel 38, Verstappen 37) for Red Bull.

“If you want to lead a rookie to the top, you need about three years. Lots of patience and even more money. Because I’ve always said: ‘A crash isn’t that bad, but the young driver has to be very fast.'”

Probably mental trainer for Tsunoda

You often see accidents, but very fast beginners almost never. The current exception: Oscar Piastri in the McLaren Mercedes. And another extremely fast driver in his third grade has another problem: the mental side.

Now a mental trainer must help the insecure Yuki Tsunoda in the Alpha Tauri-Honda. It starts today at the GP Baku from seventh position.

Of the current Formula 2, there are actually only three “stars”. The Norwegian Dennis Hauger (20) and the Japanese Ayumu Iwasa (21) from the Red Bull Academy. And to a lesser extent Théo Pourchaire (19) of the Sauber juniors.

Source : Blick