today, 09:25 | by Stephan Koolschijn
Mika Häkkinen saw Max Verstappen stand head and shoulders above the rest of the Formula 1 field in 2023. The Dutchman won no fewer than nineteen of the twenty-two races and grabbed his third world title in the premier class of motor racing with apparent ease. Häkkinen explains in a video from Unibet International what makes the Red Bull Racing driver so good.
Verstappen has stringed together victories this season and the 26-year-old Dutchman has broken record after record along the way. In addition, one performance was more impressive than the other, but some people claimed that this was largely due to the RB19. However, that is not entirely the case with Häkkinen.
“He must be able to handle the high pressure very well,” the Finn begins in a video from Unibet International. ‘It takes a lot of concentration to be so consistent. I don’t think it’s just because the car and the team are so good,” the former world champion refers to the RB19 and Red Bull. It also requires something special from the driver and Max (Verstappen, ed.) was able to deliver that special. He was able to perform at the same high level all season.”
Sergio Pérez proved unable to even remotely approach the level of the three-time world champion. The Mexican’s results are in stark contrast to those of his younger teammate and Verstappen himself played an important role in this, Häkkinen believes. ‘Max was simply so fast that he damaged Pérez’s self-confidence. Pérez simply couldn’t approach Max’s level.’
What makes Verstappen so good?
It is extremely impressive to be able to perform at the same high level every weekend, but not every driver is able to achieve such performances. What makes Verstappen so good? Häkkinen explains. “You need a personal trainer, a mental coach and a nutritionist,” the Finn first mentions a few important people in a driver’s immediate circle.
According to the 1998 and 1999 world champion, other factors also play an important role. “Due to the limited number of test days, it is important how seriously you take the tests in the simulator,” he says. ‘And finally, Max’s level can be explained by the fact that he started in karting at a young age. He practically lived on the go-kart track. That helped him enormously in his learning process. That paid off. He also entered F1 at a young age and that is very rare. He was able to gain experience at a young age and he can now reap the benefits of it,” said Häkkinen.
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2023-12-25 08:25:00
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