Hakkinen savours rivalry between Verstappen and Norris: 'Perfect!'
Red Bull Content Pool
F1 News
- Estéban den Toom
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris lost out together on a victory last weekend in Austria, but this weekend they will get another chance to battle at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Mika Hakkinen, the Finnish Formula One world champion, thinks the battle between the two friends off the track is very exciting.
"The rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris is fantastic for F1. There is anger, emotion, fans taking sides, particularly after the collision in Austria on Sunday. A battle like this is great for the sport because I love close, hard racing between equally matched drivers and cars. So long as the racing stays between the white lines and the tactics are hard but fair, it’s just perfect," Hakkinen writes in his column for Unibet.
Hakkinen on the Grand Prix at Silverstone
With Verstappen and Norris driving each other out of the race, Mercedes driver George Russell was able to run away with victory. At Silverstone, Hakkinen sees the same two teams leading the field that did so in the past two races: Red Bull and McLaren. The Finn may be expecting a surprise from Norris.
"Silverstone is quick, a fantastic track with some high-G corners, and we have to expect a continue fight between Red Bull and McLaren, wth Mercedes and Ferrari right behind. That’s the competitive order at the moment," said Hakkinen, who does see Norris having a chance at his home Grand Prix. "He could have won in Spain and Austria, so in my opinion his second win of the season is not far away."