Two-time Formulation 1 champion Mika Hakkinen has warned McLaren towards pursuing Max Verstappen, advising his former workforce to guard its inside workforce spirit and keep away from “rocking the boat” amid midseason driver market hypothesis.
Talking on the Up To Pace podcast alongside his former McLaren team-mate David Coulthard, the Finnish legend addressed the continuing F1 ‘foolish season’ and protracted rumours linking Purple Bull’s Verstappen with a possible transfer to the Woking outfit.
Coulthard raised the subject whereas discussing driver actions. Noting that Hakkinen stays very a lot a McLaren particular person, Coulthard requested how he would strategy the state of affairs if he have been appearing as McLaren workforce principal.
Particularly, Coulthard questioned whether or not making an attempt to put a driver such because the four-time champion alongside Lando Norris would inevitably result in inside problems and friction.
“It’s extremely fascinating,” Hakkinen defined. “It is not solely Max on the market, after all, however there are lots of different drivers. However what I’ve seen [with] how McLaren operates, they need to actually take a look at the general workforce bundle on a regular basis. As a result of that is the one option to obtain success — to construct unimaginable workforce spirit energy inside.
“For those who would ask me what I might do, I wish to minimise that danger — that means you’ll lose this sort of workforce spirit if the workforce has two nice drivers. Why rock the boat?”
Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / LAT Pictures through Getty Pictures
The Finnish driver drew upon his personal tenure at McLaren. Hakkinen and Coulthard spent six seasons collectively as team-mates at Woking. He argued that when wholesome workforce dynamics exist, administration ought to prioritise continuity over driver market gambles.
“And naturally McLaren having a world champion… and we have been the longest team-mates in Formulation 1,” Hakkinen famous. “That signifies that if there is a good concord inside a workforce, why have anyone else there?”
F1 returns for the Dutch Grand Prix from 21-23 August at Zandvoort.
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