Hakkinen explains why Red Bull dipped: 'That proved to be their weakness'
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F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
Mika Hakkinen saw Ferrari excel in Mexico, which he insists will give Ferrari lots of confidence going into the Brazilian GP weekend. With just 29 points separating McLaren and Ferrari, the former world champion turned analyst believes anything is possible during the next four race weekends.
Hakkinen no longer expects Red Bull to win that Championship. With four race weekends to go, the Austrians are 44 points behind McLaren and 25 behind Ferrari. " I have always said that having both drivers perform consistently is critical for any team. That has proven to be a weakness for Red Bull Racing," Hakkinen stated in his preview for Unibet.
"Max Verstappen won 7 of the first 10 races to set up a strong championship lead, but he has not won a race since June. Meanwhile teammate Checo Perez has not made it onto the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix at the end of April, leaving Max to fight off a 2-car challenge from both McLaren and Ferrari."
Compliments for Ferrari and McLaren
Red Bull led the Championship from 2022, but lost their lead after Baku in 2024. Hakkinen says McLaren has made the biggest progression. "But Ferrari has done a brilliant job since the summer break," said the Finn, who saw the red team win three of the last five Grands Prix. He expects McLaren and Ferrari to battle for the win in Brazil.
In doing so, there are two names he thinks of first: "I expect Charles Leclerc to make a strong comeback in Interlagos, and the man who will be equally pushing for the win – and getting the McLaren team’s support to do so – is Lando Norris. He is still looking to catch Max in the World Championship, but Charles is getting closer to Lando! It’s going to be a fascinating weekend."
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton