Not the sexiest picks (other than the Bott-ass calendars

) but I think they were smart choices. As a new team, there will be tons of potential variables as they try to get things straightened out. Perez and Bottas will give them consistent quality driving so that can at least remove one big variable. They’ll also be able to give lots of data plus valuable feedback about the car that rookie drivers wouldn’t necessarily be able to give.
As the car progresses, they’ll be able to develop some young drivers to take over when Perez and Bottas are moving on.