Two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen summed up the Italian Grand Prix, commenting on Nick de Vries’ debut and race management’s decision to finish behind the safety car.
Mika Häkkinen: “Last weekend was a good example of how the current season is going – Charles Leclerc started from pole and Max Verstappen won the race. Charles actually has a fast car at his disposal – otherwise he would not have won half of all poles of the season. In one fast lap he shows an excellent result, while Max has only four pole positions – half as many.
However, Red Bull Racing has a higher and more stable race pace, their car is fast on the straight and lets you overtake. We saw this in Belgium when he won by starting 14th, and at Monza Max took an easy win after starting from 7th.
The driver needs a car that is faster than the opponent’s technique over a long distance, and not in one fast lap. I think Ferrari did a great job giving Charles an alternative strategy, but Max was just faster. He won the fifth race in a row – Red Bull Racing really took the lead. I think Max is assured of a title in Singapore or Japan if there are no reliability issues.
Ferrari is constantly working under incredible pressure. From this point of view, the team is unique. Of course at McLaren we also felt the pressure, we tried our best and we were angry when we lost, but the pressure on Ferrari is really unique because they are kind of a national team.
In such a situation, management and riders are tough. They need to work even harder, be united and not look for someone to blame when things go wrong. Public comments from Ferrari’s chairman of the board only add to the pressure on the team, although it is already difficult for them. They started the season with a fast car and wins, but at Red Bull Racing they were very efficient in avoiding mistakes and improving the car.
Nick de Vries had a great weekend. It’s never easy to get behind the wheel of an unfamiliar car, especially in the middle of a race weekend. Everyone thought he was going to lose ground in the race because the Williams car wasn’t that competitive, but Nick did a great job, avoiding mistakes and getting a high result. Suddenly in Formula 1 there are two drivers from the Netherlands who are up to the task!
Fans in the stands and TV viewers were disappointed with the finish behind the safety car. However, for the FIA, safety must always come first – their priority has been the safety of the marshals who evacuated Daniel Ricciardo’s car.
It would be great to avoid this in the future, but everything has to be done in such a way that there is a balance between the entertainment of the races and the safety of all participants. Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions, but I understand the disappointment that the last laps were behind the safety car.
Source: F1 News

I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.