A good refactor does not change behaviour, I would like the author to start with that point.
Take many more much smaller steps while doing so.
Not touching a piece of code in the first 6 to 9 months is something I don’t really agree with. Breaking complex methods up by extracting variables and methods can really help learning the code, whilst not breaking it.
If you are worried about consistency, just pair up of practice ensemble programming instead of asynchronous code reviews. Leaving a new dev alone with the code and give them feedback about the things they did wrong after they went through everything is just not a great way to treat people in your team.