Two-time System 1 champion Mika Hakkinen has warned McLaren in opposition to 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 continued F1 ‘foolish season’ and chronic rumours linking Crimson Bull’s Verstappen with a possible transfer to the Woking outfit.
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Coulthard raised the subject whereas discussing driver actions. Noting that Hakkinen stays very a lot a McLaren individual, Coulthard requested how he would method the state of affairs if he have been appearing as McLaren workforce principal.
Particularly, Coulthard questioned whether or not trying to position a driver such because the four-time champion alongside Lando Norris would inevitably result in inside problems and friction.
“It is very attention-grabbing,” Hakkinen defined. “It is not solely Max on the market, in fact, however there are numerous different drivers. However what I’ve seen [with] how McLaren operates, they wish to actually have a look at the general workforce package deal on a regular basis. As a result of that is the one strategy to obtain success — to construct unbelievable workforce spirit energy inside.
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“When you would ask me what I’d do, I wish to minimise that danger — that method you’d lose this sort of workforce spirit if the workforce has two nice drivers. Why rock the boat?”
Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing
Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing
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.
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“And naturally McLaren having a world champion… and we have been the longest team-mates in System 1,” Hakkinen famous. “That signifies that if there is a good concord inside a workforce, why have someone else there?”
F1 returns for the Dutch Grand Prix from 21-23 August at Zandvoort.
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