Hakkinen: Vettel knew it was time to leave

Two-time Formula 1 champion Mika Hakkinen summarized the Hungarian Grand Prix in his traditional column and commented on Sebastian Vettel’s decision to end his career at the end of the season.

Mika Hakkinen: “We saw another race that proved the high level of competition in Formula 1. Of course Max Verstappen has the fastest and most stable car at his disposal, but if you look at the global picture, on Sunday Russell, Leclerc, Sainz and Hamilton led the race and thanks to the new regulations it is possible to outdo rivals. to follow closely, which is very positive. Given Max’s turnaround, three or four riders could have won.

Max took an impressive win. He started tenth, but broke through traffic and did everything he had to do, and the team developed the right strategy for him. In a way, this victory shows how much confidence Max has in himself and in the car. Despite all the problems, the team did not panic and focused on how to recover.

Sergio Perez finished fifth and is now just five points behind Charles Leclerc in the individual standings. If Ferrari doesn’t find a way to improve, the season will end with first and second place for the Red Bull drivers.

Hopefully, Charles, Carlos and Ferrari management will use the summer break to discuss how to tackle Red Bull more aggressively while still defending against the added Mercedes. On Sunday, Charles used two sets of Medium tires and then switched to a hard compound that didn’t work.

It is difficult to understand such a decision and Charles knew the team had taken the wrong path. By the time he was finally fitted with soft tires on lap 54, the race had already been lost – he hadn’t yet recaptured a single position. This is not the first time we have questioned Ferrari’s strategy. They need to work on this area.

Last weekend Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from Formula 1 at the end of the season, followed by news that he would be replaced by Fernando Alonso. A big decision for both riders.

Sebastian is a great champion and a fantastic sports ambassador with a lot of support from the fans. Four titles with Red Bull is a huge achievement and he was very close to the title with Ferrari. Remember, only he could rival the dominant Lewis Hamilton in 2017 and 2018.

It is not easy to choose the right time to leave, but the champion always knows when he can no longer give 100%. In Formula 1, you have to be as charged as possible to win, to work with the team and to travel constantly, which is not easy to combine with family life. Sebastian clearly understood that it was time to leave and I wish him every success in the future.

The news that Fernando Alonso will replace Sebastian at Aston Martin surprised many. Fernando still lives for racing and shows strong results in Alpine. Last year he helped Esteban Okon to victory in Hungary. He is a two-time Formula 1 champion, he has a lot of experience and he has a lot of authority – all these qualities are highly valued by Aston Martin management. The team will have a very interesting castration of pilots in 2023.”