“Charles and Max – made mistakes”- Ross Brawn judgement explains why the inform young drivers conceded advantage against old guards.
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The young drivers in the paddock- Lance Stroll, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc all had their chances of securing a podium position during the Turkish Grand Prix.
However, all three of them blew it due to the harsh weather factors and conceded their advantage against the set of present veteran drivers in F1- Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez and Sebastian Vettel.
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Speaking on the fact, Formula 1 boss Ross Brawn has claimed that Verstappen and Leclerc’s inexperience made them choke their chances of securing a podium on last Sunday.
“What we saw was the old guard demonstrating their experience and the young pretenders showing they have a bit more to learn,” Brawn said in his column for the official F1 website.
“It was fascinating to watch Sebastian’s performance this weekend, people are quick to write any type of sportsman off if they have a quiet period.
“Sunday reminded us of his deep talent. He’s been a bit in the shadow of Charles this year and coming to the end of his Ferrari marriage is not easy, so I think the Turkish GP was a great day for him.
“He didn’t put a foot wrong and was ready to pounce when an opportunity came up. In contrast, the younger drivers – such as Charles and Max – made mistakes. They wouldn’t have experienced a race like this before.
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“It was a real challenge to judge how the tyres would behave, how they would evolve and anticipating where the tyres will be in 10 or 20 laps time – this was where experience came in.
“But this will be another reference point in these young drivers’ data bank. If we did another race in Turkey tomorrow, I’m sure a lot of them would approach it differently.”
Countering slippery track criticism
Debunking the criticism ade by drivers over the slippery track in Turkey, Brawn has argued that it is unrequited and the driving conditions rather it allowed drivers to showcase their talents.
“The promoter and country have done a fantastic job to put the circuit in a position to host a sensational Grand Prix,” he said. “I appreciate drivers were not happy with overall grip levels, but it was a consequence of the late decision to race there as the calendar was revised to respond to COVID-19.
“I think drivers sometimes need to remember it’s a competition of who crosses the line first, so while grip levels weren’t high, it was the same for everyone.
“Some drivers got their head down and came to terms with it, others found it a distraction. Having a challenging surface as we had this weekend was no bad thing. It showed a driver’s talent to the max. I don’t think grip levels are a measure of the level of competition you will have.”
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