F1 News

Hakkinen sees changes in F1: 'Red Bull has proven itself now too'

Hakkinen sees changes in F1: 'Red Bull has proven itself now too'

28-03-2022 14:54 Last update: 16:09
10

GPblog.com

In 2021, the battle for the championship ran to a climax, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton providing fireworks and spectacle on several occasions. This year, the Dutchman is once again embroiled in a title fight, but this time with Charles Leclerc. After two races, the drivers have already been battling each other for the lead on several occasions, which has only produced great duels so far.

According to two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen, F1 fans are the big winners from the battles between Leclerc and Verstappen. "We saw the very best of Charles and Max out there, and it’s great to see how evenly matched they are. There is clearly a good level of respect between them, and they trust each other when racing so closely," explained the Finn at Unibet.

Definitive change of power in F1

After fifty laps on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit the difference between Leclerc and Verstappen was minimal. The difference was half a second and we haven't seen that in a long time. According to Hakkinen this shows once again how exciting the fights were in Jeddah. He also thinks that after two Grands Prix we can definitely talk about a changing of the guard in Formula 1.

"We knew from the opening race in Bahrain that Charles Leclerc is looking incredibly strong at Ferrari. But now that Red Bull seems to have solved the fuel vaporization problem which caused both cars to DNF from the first race, they are just as competitive." So if it's up to Hakkinen, this season will be between Ferrari and Red Bull for the titles.