Max Verstappen took the world of F1 by storm by becoming the sport’s youngest-ever driver at the age of 17. According to Lewis Hamilton, however, that is a record that might not be good for an up-and-coming driver.
In an interview for Puma, Hamilton spoke about his early days in F1, and how he adapted to the sport by learning from his mistakes at McLaren. The host asked Hamilton if it took him time to adjust to F1, since he fought for the championship in his rookie season, and won it in his second year.
Hamilton revealed that when he was accepted into the McLaren young driver’s program at the age of 16, he was very restless about being given an opportunity. He was sure that he was ready to jump into an F1 car and was always in a rush. This is something he wants today’s youngsters to avoid.
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Lewis Hamilton wants youngsters to avoid rushing toward success
Hamilton spoke about he was always itching to get behind the wheel of his McLaren F1 car and chase success, even though he realizes now that he wasn’t ready. He went on to say that as a youngster, people often want everything handed out to them very quickly.
McLaren was very patient with Hamilton, as the Woking-based squad allowed him to grow into the team by making him learn from his own mistakes. This level of patience may not be shown by other teams, especially considering the huge talent pool they have at their disposal today.
The 38-year-old urges the new generation to take everything slowly, and not rush into things when they are not ready for it. This is when he added that being the first 17-year-old driver in F1 history may not be good for someone.
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Hamilton refers to Max Verstappen while talking about rushing things
Verstappen’s rise to the top in F1 has been meteoric. He became the youngest ever F1 driver at the age of 17 and just a year later, won in his debut race for Red Bull. Since then, he was labeled as a world champion in the waiting until he fulfilled that destiny by beating Hamilton in 2021.
Verstappen, now 25, is a two-time world champion and has surpassed the careers of F1 legends like Fernando Alonso and Niki Lauda. However, Hamilton feels that not everything can be achieved at a young age, even if one is extremely talented. They have to wait for the time when they are ready, and that is when they can chase success.
