Hakkinen: If Max can’t win, Sergio will replace him

Sergio Perez took a landslide victory at the Singapore Grand Prix and took the lead from the start, after which Charles Leclerc, the owner of pole position, was unable to pull back. Mika Hakkinen, two-time world champion, commented on the events of the past weekend in his own way.

For races that take place in Singapore and were once held in neighboring Malaysia, it is quite typical that tropical rain can affect their outcome as in such conditions it is very easy to make a mistake.

We started racing in this region of the planet over 20 years ago and we know it’s impossible to prepare for local downpours. Actually, you can’t drive in this rain.

Last weekend Max Verstappen was able to secure the title earlier than planned, but his team’s mistake in qualifying cost him dearly. The team rarely asks the rider to interrupt the fast lap, especially if this lap is developing well. But suddenly it turns out that there is not enough fuel in the car’s tank and there is a risk that it will not be possible to return to the pits.

All this caused amazement as the Red Bull Racing team has been very effective all season. I think a lot of people expected Max to bounce back even from 8th position, but in such difficult conditions he didn’t get off to a great start, after which he lost time fighting with rivals in the middle of the pack.

It is best to forget such a weekend as soon as possible. Sometimes races add up, even if you’ve been exceptionally competitive all season, so you just have to keep going and focus to make the next weekend a lot better. I have no doubt that the track in Suzuka will suit Red Bull Racing’s car and Max can secure a title next weekend. The team should just try not to make new mistakes.

Sergio Perez did an excellent job, had a perfect Grand Prix, broke away from Charles Leclerc at the start, controlled the course of the race, made no mistakes and took another victory for his team. If Max has no chance of winning a race, Sergio is ready to replace him. It was the Mexican’s second win this year, once again to remind everyone why he can be considered the perfect partner for Max.

I was especially happy with McLaren’s results as Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo took 4th and 5th place. The timing of the pit stop was perfect and both drivers performed well, providing an important result for McLaren on the day both Alpines retired.

This allowed McLaren to move up to 4th in the team standings, but it was an important result for Daniel as he has yet to decide what to do next year.

The mistakes Max and Lewis made in Singapore just underlined that everyone else was doing their job just fine. In such conditions it was easy to fly off the track, as the speeds were too high for average rubber, and it was really risky to ride on slicks.

All of this was a reminder that any racer – even the most experienced, even world champion – can make a mistake driving the limit. I think we always expect perfect action from the best professionals, so if one of them makes a mistake, the audience is just shocked!”