Verstappen looks back: 'Not really a highlight of my career'
F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
For many, it will always be a dream. Coming out in Formula 1 is only for the few. Since last Saturday, Oliver Bearman is among the select few drivers who have a Grand Prix to his name. The substitute at Ferrari did very well, finishing seventh in Saudi Arabia. It could also have all gone very differently, like the debut races of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, for example.
The latter made his debut with Sauber in 2011 and in Melbourne it was an instantly memorable race for him. Unfortunately, not in a positive sense. Although Perez crossed the line seventh (and thus in the points), a nasty announcement followed later in the day: "The worst memory was that we got disqualified! Because a millimeter or so with the rear wing. So, yeah, I realised how politics works in Formula 1 straight away."
On the other hand, Perez told the likes of GPblog: "And the positive was making it into the points in my first ever race. I think I was the only one on one stop, and it worked really well. So fighting some Ferraris on my debut was very enjoyable," the Red Bull Racing Mexican looks back.
Verstappen was the youngest ever in Formula 1
His current teammate Max Verstappen became the youngest ever F1 driver in 2015 at 17. A happy event, but it was unfortunately overshadowed for the Dutchman: "The car broke down, so probably that was the worst of it. To be honest, when I look back at it now, it was probably my worst general feeling in F1 because you're quite nervous. You don't know really what to expect."
"I'd never done a longer race than 35 minutes because in F3, it was like 30, 35 minutes. So I think the race itself was actually going quite well. We were fighting for points. But to be honest with you, I prefer not to think about it too much. It was not really a highlight in my career," Verstappen says now.