A few days ago, during the drivers’ weekend break before their return to the track in Montreal for the fifth round of the Formula 1 World Championship, we at Formula1.it had the pleasure and honour of interviewing Davide Valsecchi exclusively.
Much loved by the Italian public, a former Sky face and a very fast driver, he addressed several topics during our conversation, above all the start to the season of Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. When we asked him whether he had expected the young driver from Bologna to be so immediately “on it”, especially considering the enormous pressure he is under, he replied straight away: "I'll tell you something: I don't know about the pressure, but I wasn't expecting Antonelli to be this strong. So hats off to him, he is more than earning everything he is getting".
"Last year he had shown flashes of talent, but only a few, and not as dazzling as this year. Last season he occasionally fought with Russell, even staying slightly ahead of him, but never like this year, where he has displayed dazzling talent and incredible speed. In the second weekend he destroyed Russell from the first to the last lap. In Miami there was never any comparison between the two in terms of speed. Throughout the whole weekend he was always giving him three tenths, so I don't know whether he will handle the pressure or not. But even for Russell, whom I imagined fighting for the World Championship if Mercedes had a strong car, given that he is more experienced and over the years has shown himself to be among the top five in the world... Now I look at the results and say: can you remember, in recent years, a driver who has always been three or four tenths behind his team-mate? Hamilton, when he won the World Championships, never had a weekend in which, in every session, he suffered that kind of gap to his team-mate. Verstappen, we don't even need to talk about it: it has simply never happened. If his team-mate beat him a few times, it was by mistake".
"This thing of being beaten from the first to the last minute on two different tracks, because it happened in China, not quite as clearly, with the Safety Car also helping him a bit, but then in Miami it was obvious, in every run, in every session, from the Sprint to the race. So, will he withstand the pressure? I can't say, but given what he is doing, let him get on with it quietly. In my opinion he is not doing a masterpiece, he is doing more than that. He is a young lad and he is beating someone who, for the last two or three years, has been considered among the top five drivers in the world. Let him do his thing, cheer for him and that's it".
Continuing to talk about Kimi, we then asked Davide what advice he would give him if he had the chance. Without thinking twice, however, he replied: "No, no, no. You can't give him any advice because everyone who talks gets it wrong. Let him do what he is doing, because he is doing it very well".
"Nobody can give him advice, except Toto Wolff and perhaps his family, because they have raised a jewel. Maybe his father, who is involved in racing and also took him to Misano last weekend with his team, has put all the right things in his head over the years to keep his feet on the ground and, above all, to go fast in a racing car".
"This matters a lot because, if you think about it, Rosberg came along, perhaps not a crystal-clear talent, and still became World Champion. Verstappen combined talent with the guidance of his family and became one of the strongest drivers in history. Now this thing is paying off. Antonelli, in his second year, looks like a very mature driver. The only people who can give him advice, in my opinion, are Toto Wolff and his father, because they are the ones who have done a masterpiece so far".
Continuing, the driver from Erba added: "Maybe the fact that Mercedes took him and not Ferrari was really a stroke of luck for him. Last year, when he had those seven or eight races in which he struggled, if he had been at Ferrari they would have eaten him alive. You know, even the public itself: when you are good you are the best in the world, while when you make a mistake they criticise you. The fact that a foreign team took him was lucky for him. Toto did a masterpiece".
During his career, in past years, Davide Valsecchi raced in several categories, even winning the GP2 championship, today's Formula 2, in 2012. Since then, many things have changed, including the cars themselves, both in the feeder category and in the top class.
Playing a little on this, we wanted to understand what, in his opinion, would have been the most complicated thing to manage under these new regulations if he had still been on the starting grid. This was his answer: "The driving style of the new cars is different and in fact, if you look, all the experienced drivers struggled a bit, while the youngsters pulled off the big move. It had been a while since I had seen someone beat Verstappen in qualifying".
"Now, however, Hadjar has already sunk. You catch Verstappen out once and that's it. In my opinion, though, the driving style has changed. I heard Leclerc's interviews and radio comments: ‘I brake harder, I get on the throttle earlier, how come I haven't improved?’. With this change, perhaps the young drivers adapted better. Honestly, Hamilton surprised me, but then in Miami I never saw him. Leclerc has always been faster, so with him we will wait and see".
Continuing, his comments then shifted to the young drivers on the grid: "Bearman against Ocon is also turning into a beautiful duel. Ocon is a Grand Prix winner and Ollie is giving him a beating. So the complicated part, in my opinion, was precisely the driving style, which, by changing, surprised a few drivers".
"For example, Lindblad, I am not convinced he is a complete talent. I haven't seen him much in the junior categories, but he seemed to me like a talent who was still very inconsistent, a bit like Alex Dunne. I remember that last year the Irishman was put in the car in Austrian free practice and set the fourth-fastest time overall. He is a rocket".
"The surprise of last year, however, in my opinion, was Hadjar, who was consistently fast, always finishing in the top ten, so much so that he was then promoted to Red Bull. Now, however, we have to see whether he will hold up. In my opinion he has already fired his best shots and now it becomes very tough".
"Verstappen always puts you in trouble and, if he also wins this weekend at the Nürburgring, a massacre will begin, just as happened with the other drivers. Last year he also went racing with a GT3 in Germany and won. He will probably win the GT3 World Championship too. Verstappen is so strong that it is more of a psychological condition than the car they give him. Last year the single-seater looked very difficult, then he won in GT3 and in F1 too he went on a run".
"It doesn't seem to me that Red Bull is in great shape, especially because almost everyone who was there has left. There is no one left, only his engineer remains and he will leave at the end of the year. So, I say, it doesn't seem like a team in great shape to me. From this point of view Ferrari is much better, but with Max you always have to be careful, because maybe by the end of the year he will still win a few races".
To conclude our long conversation about young drivers, we asked Davide whether, in his opinion, Formula 1 teams should focus more on them, giving them a seat in the top category of single-seater racing. Discussing this theme, Valsecchi said: "Sometimes young drivers lack consistency of performance. They go in bursts, and it has always been like that in every sport. They do not always have the mental maturity to perform at their best for the whole year. Obviously, however, one thing must be said: today's young drivers are much more prepared than in the past. They arrive in Formula 1 practically at 22 years old and are already at their maximum expression. It was not like that in the past. Hamilton arrived in Formula 1 when there was still no telemetry in karting and he, thanks to his talent, immediately fought for the World Championship in his first year, losing it by almost nothing".
"The young drivers who now arrive in the important categories have been used, since they were little, to having telemetry, engineers, on-boards, cameras; they study the line, do physical training, have a psychologist, but above all the simulator, which in the generation of Hamilton, Alonso or Raikkonen did not exist. That is why I say we have to bet on young drivers, because they are proving to be very good".
"Sometimes they do not yet have the consistency of performance and maturity that also comes with age, but if a young driver is strong you have to bet on him and Toto Wolff taught us that: one year of learning and then he became a blade".
To conclude, Valsecchi then added: "Among those currently in F3 and F2, I couldn't tell you, you need to give me more races. Last year Lindblad did not win the championship, Fornaroli won it, and he is a machine. He seemed to me the most mature of the group and, in my opinion, he would have made a great impression in Formula 1".
"Now Colapinto has also nailed one race and they are already doing interviews saying: ‘Did you see? I chose the right driver’, after only one good race in two years. In my opinion Fornaroli could have done much better. This is my outside judgement".
"I wish him to get a seat and gain a lot of experience, but if you are third driver at McLaren and the two ahead of you are both capable of winning the World Championship, also considering that if one of the two leaves, at Woking they want to bet on Verstappen, they have to believe in you shamelessly. There you don't have Toto Wolff falling in love with a driver because he is a racer and taking him when he is very young, betting everything on you. Fornaroli's situation is more difficult. I wish him the best because, in my opinion, he deserved to be on the grid and, honestly, in place of one of the two Cadillac drivers he would have made a great impression".
"Fornaroli won both the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships consecutively, like Bortoleto, like Leclerc, like Russell or Piastri. He did something historic and, from my point of view, he got screwed. I hope, however, to be proven wrong and that an opportunity comes his way soon, also because mentally he is very good and he really seemed to me the most ready. With the new regulations, then, it would have been yet another car he would have changed in recent years and this seems to have worked very well for the youngsters, also thanks to the veterans who were always used to having the same car and went a bit into crisis".
We thank Davide Valsecchi for the courtesy and availability shown during the interview. Partial reproduction of this exclusive content is possible with prior citation of the author (Giuseppe Cianci) and of the source Formula1.it with a link to the original content.
