Pedro de la Rosa on Max Verstappen: "When he made his debut I thought: WOW"

Max Verstappen is one of Formula 1's superstars. He is the youngest ever debutant in Formula 1 and has the talent to go all the way in the sport. Former racer, Pedro de la Rosa, thinks that the Dutchman is one of a kind and is impressed with how successful he has been despite his young age. 

"Today, athletes start practicing a sport at a very young age," said De la Rosa in conversation with the Formula 1 podcast Beyond The Grid. "In the international sports world, you see more and more people breaking through at an early age. In Formula 1, you have to compete against older, more experienced racers." 

De la Rosa believes that the young talent coming through can be successful but questions their resilience and ability to stay in the sport for a long time. 

"The new generation is stronger, but will also say goodbye sooner. I don't suspect that eighteen-year-old drivers will ride around until they are resilient. They'll be burned out."

However, De la Rosa thinks that Verstappen can make it and was really impressed when watching his debut. 

"Unbelievable, when he made his debut I thought: wow," said the Spaniard. "I was much more immature and slower than him at the time. I really got going a lot later."

Verstappen will hope that Red Bull have made a fast car and that he will be competitive whenever the season actually gets underway.