Nico Hulkenberg tried "too hard" during his grand prix debut in Bahrain last weekend, but Rubens Barrichello backs the young German to get up to speed.
22-year-old Hulkenberg, with A1, F3 and GP2 titles all under his belt, was outpaced in qualifying to the tune of a half-second by his Williams teammate Barrichello at the 2010 season opener.
After an early spin, Hulkenberg then finished a lap behind in the race, while the veteran Barrichello scooped the final point in the sister FW32.
Barrichello set the sixth fastest lap of the race, while Hulkenberg’s was nearly 2 seconds slower, and the youngster also lost time on the way into the pits.
"Sometimes, Nico wants too much," his manager Willi Weber is quoted as saying by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.
Barrichello, 37, agrees: "Nico is a very good driver, but he is also very young. In formula one you can try too hard.
"It was his first qualifying," added the holder of a record 289 grands prix. "In qualifying it is not just about driving, but also your head, and this is what he has to get used to.
"It would be unfair to expect more," Barrichello said.