“There are a lot of great young drivers coming onto the grid, and it makes you realise you are no longer the youngster.”
With three Grand Prix wins under his belt, he continued: “I am entering a new chapter in my career. I am ending my beginning and entering the mid stage.
F1 ROOKIES LOWDOWN: Your comprehensive guide to the young drivers joining the Formula 1 grid in 2025
“Lewis was 29 when he joined Mercedes and started winning all those championships, and Michael [Schumacher] was early 30s at Ferrari.
“Nowadays everyone starts younger and younger – my debut came at 20. But I feel ready now to fulfil roles at the team, but the most important part of that is driving as quickly as possible, and I feel in a good place to do that.
“I’ll continue to want to learn and be open and take nothing for granted. You either have the speed or you don’t, but there is no doubt these guys coming in are going to be competitive.”
