Pujolar full of praise for Max Verstappen at Toro Rosso - MotorSportsTalk

Toro Rosso race engineer Xevi Pujolar has heaped praise upon 17-year-old Max Verstappen, calling the Dutchman “the best I’ve seen so far”.

Verstappen will become the youngest ever driver to start a Formula 1 race in March at the Australian Grand Prix, smashing Sebastian Vettel’s existing record by over two years.

However, his rise to F1 has prompted criticism from many due to his age and relative inexperience, having completed just one year of single-seater racing prior to 2015.

Pujolar is not concerned though, telling GP Update that Verstappen is far beyond his years in terms of professionalism and has the potential to be one of the greatest in the history of the sport.

“He’s the best I’ve seen so far,” Pujolar said. “You can see the potential is there. You can see he’s going up.

“Some guys might be 10 or 15 years in motorsport, or even in F1, and their level of professionalism will never be as good as Max’s is at the moment.

“He wants to be the best and he works 100% for that. He wants the people around him to work just as hard. He’s pushing the engine guys, he’s pushing me and he’s pushing the team.”

Verstappen’s quick promotion led to the introduction of new criteria for the award of an FIA super licence required to race in F1. As of 2016, drivers will have to be at least 18 years old and hold a valid driving licence in their home country, meaning that Verstappen’s record may never be beaten.

During his first test for the team in Jerez at the beginning of the month, Verstappen put in a very impressive display to finish ninth in the final standings from the test with a good amount of track time under his belt.

Time will tell whether Verstappen’s rapid rise to F1 has been justified, but the early signs from the Dutchman are certainly encouraging.

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Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”