Hakkinen doesn't think Verstappen is selfish: 'He is faster than Perez'

According to Mika Hakkinen, Max Verstappen sent an important message to Sergio Perez after refusing team orders in Brazil. The Dutchman was called selfish by the media after the incident, but the Finn disagrees.

Verstappen was asked by Red Bull at the Brazilian Grand Prix to let his teammate pass for sixth place in the race. Perez is still battling for second place in the championship with Charles Leclerc. The two drivers left for Abu Dhabi with an equal number of points.

The Dutchman faced a lot of criticism after his action, as Perez also helped the two-time world champion several times on the track. In Abu Dhabi, both drivers stressed that the situation had been discussed and resolved internally. According to rumours, Verstappen still has a bone to pick with Perez, as the Mexican driver allegedly admitted to deliberately putting his car into the wall in Monaco.

Hakkinen does not think Verstappen was selfish in his choice. "He’s living in a life where he remembers yesterday and he’s focusing on the future. And when there’s a situation in the race track and the team gives him an order to give a chance to Perez to score points. He keeps the positions [as] he remembers that yesterday and Max [told the] team and was like no way, it’s payback time", the Finn explains in conversation with The Race.

Hakkinen thinks Verstappen wanted to send an important message to Perez to settle the account. That does not mean he will not help his teammate in Abu Dhabi to take second place. "At the moment, Max is a double world champion, he’s faster than Checo out there. So a team knows they need this driver called Max. They need him. Checo cannot at the moment win the championship but Max can", says the former Formula One driver.