Former McLaren world champion, Mika Hakkinen believes there is “no way” Max Verstappen will be ready to compete in Formula 1 season, at the tender age of 17.
Hakkinen made his F1 debut, at the age of 23, back in 1991 and has insisted that 17 is too young for someone to compete in Motorsport’s premier class.
The announcement that the teenager would be racing for Toro Rosso in 2015, did not go down well with most fans, however Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has said that no-one should judge the Dutch driver until he competes at next year’s season opener, in Australia.
Hakkinen still believes that 17 is not a good age for someone to be making their Formula 1 debut.
“There is no way a driver can be ready for Formula 1 at the age of 16 or 17,” he is quoted as saying after an interview with .myhermes.de.
“I would never, either as a manager of father, let a driver as young as that race in F1. It’s too early, and if it fails, it can cause a lot of damage.”
