For Formula 1 purists, it's a combination to savor: Max Verstappen, the best driver of his generation, with the iconic Ferrari - the most successful team in the sport ever. James Hinchcliffe would certainly like the combination, but doubts whether Verstappen would join the Italians out of nostalgia.

"I think what's interesting about Max, and this is a bit of a guess, but I don't think that he has the sort of passion that a lot of drivers have for the brand of Ferrari," the Canadian analyst said in an exclusive interview with GPblog.

“If the Mercedes is the best car, that's where Max wants to go. If the Ferrari is the best car, that's where Max wants to go. It's not emotional for him," he added.

In a Formula 1 YouTube feature alongside Sir Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Jacques Villeneuve, Mario Andretti, and Emerson Fittipaldi, two-time World Champion Mika Häkkinen spoke about how safety in the sport has evolved across generations.

Reflecting on older cars, Hakkinen said: “When you do test those mega old cars from the 50s, you seriously need big balls. You need a serious cut to maximize it.''

He contrasted that with his own era in the late 1990s and early 2000s: “Going to my era, which is 90s, late 90s, early 2000s, I mean it was fantastic. You know it was so safe, you felt really secure so you could take incredible risks.''

”Häkkinen then pointed to the dangers faced by earlier generations of drivers, including Mario Andretti and Jackie Stewart: “But again those drivers who were doing those times — and we’re talking about those two, three gentlemen there — they were in an era when the Formula One cars were mega dangerous.”