Webber takes on De Vries: 'F1 tougher than ever for rookies'

Nyck de Vries is having a fairly difficult debut season with the AlphaTauri team. The Dutchman is often slower than his teammate and has not yet managed to pick up a point. Mark Webber argues that it is not so strange that De Vries is still struggling a bit, as "F1 is tougher than ever for rookies".

Without his penalty in Barcelona, Yuki Tsunoda would have scored points for the third time this season, while De Vries has not yet finished higher than twelfth position. The Dutchman's position at AlphaTauri would even have been under pressure for a while due to the gap with his teammate.

F1 is tough for rookies

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Webber reveals that he does not find it so strange that De Vries is struggling. The Australian explained that the limited testing opportunities make it difficult for new drivers to gain experience. "It is so difficult these days for new guys coming into Formula 1. In my view, it's harder in Formula 1 now than ever before for rookies."

De Vries gets better

In Monaco and Spain, the Dutchman came out stronger than the first five race weekends, and the former Red Bull Racing driver saw that too. "He can be quite satisfied with the past two race weekends. I think he will get a bit better from now on," Webber said of the AlphaTauri driver.