Formula 1 legend Alain Prost has said that Max Verstappen has been impressive beyond his mere age of 18.
Some pundits are warning the F1 world not to go overboard in praise for the sport's youngest ever winner, but Frenchman Prost is not among them.
A winner of 51 grand prix wins and four titles, and the former teammate of the legendary Ayrton Senna, Prost said of Verstappen: "What we saw in Barcelona was amazing.
"It is almost frightening, considering that he started at four in karts, so he has been in racing almost all of his life," he told Auto Motor und Sport.
"In my time, you could only race once you had a driver's license. I did my first Formula 1 race at 25, but these days you are already on the scrap heap.
"I sometimes talk with him and the amount of race experience he has at 18 years is unbelievable. He is 18 years old and knows all the tricks of an experienced driver. From my generation with Senna to Schumacher, Alonso to Vettel and now Max, it was always in the same direction: the drivers getting younger.
"Verstappen on the other hand does not act like an 18-year-old. But the rules and the cars today allow a young driver to do a good job, which was not possible in my generation because it required a lot more experience and kilometres to succeed."
Nonetheless, Prost is particularly impressed with Verstappen.
"We have never seen a driver at his age who can withstand the pressure like he can," the 61-year-old told Auto Bild Motorsport.
"We have seen drivers who are very strong in mediocre teams, but then suffered with the pressure in a top team. But [in Barcelona] he made no mistakes all weekend."
Verstappen is sixth in the driver rankings ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.
