Hakkinen: 'It seemed like Red Bull gave away their advantage to Mercedes'

With his victory in Monaco Max Verstappen has taken the lead as Dutchman in the drivers' championship for the first time. The Red Bull Racing driver saw Lewis Hamilton struggle in midfield, while he dominated the lead. Former world champion Mika Häkkinen enjoyed Verstappen in Monaco.

"It's great that Max is now leading the championship. Despite starting the season with a very fast car, it seemed that Red Bull had given the advantage back to Mercedes. Sunday, however, showed that consistency is so important in this business," Hakkinen starts in his column at Unibet.

"Max's second win, along with three-second places. He's on form every race and that's what you need to win a championship. It's strange to think that he's never led a championship before (in his time in the single-seaters). Between karting and F1 he only did one season F3. So I can very well imagine him enjoying this experience in Monaco."

Hakkinen himself won the Monaco Grand Prix once, in 1998. "It's a special memory. You have to be very precise, keep your focus and you can't lose concentration. So as a result, it's a great place to win". That year, Hakkinen also won his first world title for McLaren-Mercedes.