“You’re such a rookie that there are so many things you still have to learn,” the Red Bull driver explained. “For me personally, the biggest one was actually doing a full race distance.
“In F3 at the time you did 35-minute races, so there’s a lot more involved [in F1]. Looking after your tyres is a big part of it, these tyres are so particular and sensitive compared to some other categories.
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“Going through the good moments, the bad moments, how you come out of these things, difficult weekends where it’s just not working for you or whatever… There’s so much to learn. But on the other hand, don’t try to think about it too much, just let it go.
“When you’re talented – and you can see that with Kimi, he’s very talented – I don’t think you should be too worried. Make mistakes – you have to make mistakes. Ideally you like to make those mistakes when you’re not fighting for championships or whatever.
“I also got lucky with that, starting at Toro Rosso – not many people are looking at you all the time, so you can make some silly mistakes here and there. It’s important to make them, because even though you tell yourself all the time ‘I cannot do this, I cannot do that’, you will only adapt really if you make them and then move forwards.
“Just general growing up as a person as well, I guess, even outside the car, knowing what you want in your private life. Then it’s just understanding the set-up of a racing car more and more. Over time, of course cars evolve but when you are with one particular team, you know more or less what works or not.
