Former two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen has taken back his initial opinion on Max Verstappen racing in F1.
The Finn had claimed the then 17-year-old Dutchman was too young to make the transition from F3 to Toro Rosso, however, 31 races into his career, Verstappen has already been promoted to Red Bull and won his first Grand Prix in Barcelona back in May.
While not every teenager will have the natural talent the now 18-year-old possesses, Hakkinen accepts he shouldn’t have doubted Red Bull’s decision adding the young drivers of today are much better prepared than before.
“I was really happy I was wrong,” the former McLaren driver said of Verstappen. “It has strengthened my understanding that young girls and young boys they are much more ready in this world. You have to let them speak, you have to listen what they have to say.
“Max, obviously, it’s great what he has been doing and when I was a young kid – 16, 17 – when [I was] go-karting, it was amazing. It was incredibly competitive: the materials, discipline, physical efforts – what I needed to perform was at a very high level.”
The ‘Flying Finn’ added that during his own karting days he too had the confidence to believe he could race at the highest level, but back in the late 1980’s – early 1990’s the thought of anyone under 25 in F1 was incredible let alone in their teens.
He praised young people in general for stepping up to the plate in motorsport and beyond pointing at the role of technology in the modern world.
“Time has changed. Young people, more and more they are going in higher sport categories, including business, including everything,” he said.
“And people are developing much faster by time, simply because of the tools that are available today for them to study and understand what is happening in this world.
“You can go for it and study as much as you want on the internet if you find the right information. So the life is much more in the fast lane these days. That explains why these young drivers are entering in such high positions.”
Hakkinen also believes the way F1 teams operate have allowed the wave of young drivers to come through but admits Verstappen is still the most special he has seen.
“Yes, of course, the teams are much organised today than in the past, more management, the concept is much more organised. It’s a little bit easier to join in this big world.
“But nevertheless, you need great talent and commitment, great discipline to be successful and Max obviously has done a great job.”
Comments.
Loading comments…