Max Verstappen has already received many words of praise for his victory but Mika Hakkinen is the latest name to praise the Dutchman's performance.
Fantastic display
"Max Verstappen produced a fantastic display," began Hakkinen in his column for Unibet. “This was a perfect way for Red Bull Racing to finish off a season in which they have provided the only serious opposition to Mercedes.”
Verstappen took not only the victory, but also the pole position. "This was Max's tenth Formula 1 win, but only his third pole position, which shows the extent to which Mercedes traditionally dominates qualifying and set themselves up for another win on Sunday.”
Not so dominant anymore
ADVERTISEMENT
Hakkinen, however, did comment on Mercedes and their display in comparison. "Mercedes stopped development on their car some time ago, switching their attention to the 2021 and 2022 car projects, and I suspect this has played its part in them not being quite as dominant at the end of year.“
What is more, in Abu Dhabi, Mercedes is said to have reduced the engine performance. "But none of this takes away from Max’s great drive.“
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on GoogleRead more about:
latest news
Austrian Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 26.06.26
Practice 1
11:30 AM
Practice 2
03:00 PM
Saturday 27.06.26
Practice 3
10:30 AM
Qualification
02:00 PM
Sunday 28.06.26
Race
01:00 PM
Friday 26.06.26
Practice 1
Fri 11:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 03:00 PM
Saturday 27.06.26
Practice 3
Sat 10:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 28.06.26
Race
Sun 01:00 PM
Times are in your local timezone
Rumors
Popular on GPBlog
1
Kevin Magnussen tells NASCAR driver to "f*** off" in heated debut confrontation
616 times read
2
Lawson appreciates Verstappen: 'He was very supportive'
604 times read
3
Red Bull tipped for podium contention in Austria as new updates are on the way
591 times read
4
Valentino Rossi reacts to Marco Bezzecchi ban after Brno controversy
520 times read
F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 156 | |
2 | FerrariFER | 115 | |
3 | MercedesMER | 106 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 75 | |
5 | McLarenMCL | 73 | |
6 | McLarenMCL | 70 | |
7 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 55 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 37 | |
9 | AlpineALP | 32 | |
10 | Racing BullsRCB | 28 |
Loading
