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Renault's Jolyon Palmer has extended a warning to teenage Williams rookie Lance Stroll, saying that he could find F1's increased physical and mental demands very difficult to deal with.
The young Canadian took part in his first official test in Barcelona this week, having been extensively prepared for his maiden season in a 2014 car, but crashed three times - and the damage sustained in the third incident forced Williams to miss an entire day's running on Thursday.
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These mishaps have gained the otherwise impressive Stroll an abundance of unwanted attention, and Palmer now wonders how ready he really is to tackle the top tier of single-seater racing, despite his success in junior categories.
"He is only 18 and there are a lot of physical demands in Formula One," the Briton said to Press Association Sport. "I am not sure you have physically finished developing at 18 and that is tough. I was still at school studying for my A-Levels. The toughest bit may also be the psychological pressure because he has had a bad start. I know from myself last year, where the start was not easy, that people get on your back and you need to blank it out."
Stroll may find it particularly hard to adjust this year due to the new regulations that have prompted a total overhaul in F1 design. These have been brought in with the intention of making the 2017 cars significantly faster than their 2016 counterparts.
"He is very young and still inexperienced," continued Palmer. "Max did a very good job when he came in, but I do think he is a very special talent. He also had a lot of nursing with Red Bull and it was a different era in F1.
Palmer also believes that Stroll can turn his performance around, thereby justifying the immense hype directed at him ahead of his debut. "I would say it is unfortunate the timing Lance has come into Formula One because the cars are so much quicker this year, but it is only one week and if he has a great test next week and gets on top of it no-one will care that he has crashed."
Mason Hawker
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calle.itw
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Palmer should probably stop worrying about how the other drivers will perform and focus more on improving on his own.