Button warns Kvyat about the difficulties of Formula 1
The signing of the 19-year-old Russian driver Daniil Kvyat by Toro Rosso was a surprise to many Formula 1 observers. Jenson Button, one of the veterans on the grid, has warned the new youngest driver in the discipline about the challenges that may lie ahead.
Following Daniil Kvyat’s signing with Toro Rosso for the 2014 season, there have been numerous reactions regarding the driver’s youth and relative inexperience. However, in recent history, several drivers have proven that one can have talent with almost no single-seater experience, such as Kimi Räikkönen, who jumped directly from F3 to Formula 1, or Jenson Button, who entered the discipline at only 20 years old behind the wheel of a Williams.
But for the British driver, today’s Formula 1 has nothing in common with what he experienced at the start of his career, and Kvyat’s adaptation might be more challenging as he confides to Autosport: « It’s certainly more difficult now. There’s a lot less testing today than there was before. »
But the 2009 world champion understands well the enthusiasm of his young colleague: « Of course, he thinks it’s a big step forward to race in Formula 1. But if you’re given the choice at 19 to enter Formula 1 after just one year in GP3 or F3, or to spend one or two additional years in a different category, then maybe you should choose the latter option. In this way, you can learn much more about the behavior of tires or wings, as well as about the circuits and how a team functions. It’s so different from everything else! In most teams, you have a dozen people working for you. In Formula 1, you have 700 guys behind you. It’s a very different atmosphere. »
Here is something to worry the young Kvyat who, even if he has been praised by Helmut Marko and Franz Tost for his speed and technical return, will need time to adapt to give clear proof of his talent. At the start of his career, Jenson Button also had to take the time to learn: “There are a lot of things to learn that I didn’t understand when I arrived in this sport. It’s a real shock for a 19-year-old who also has to learn to drive a Formula 1 and use a power unit, with the new KERS in 2014, which will be unfamiliar to everyone.”
In order to help the Russian driver with his preparation, the Toro Rosso team decided to have him run during the free practice 1 sessions in Austin and Sao Paulo, which will give him a taste of the work required during a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
