Mika Hakkinen says Max Verstappen will be even quicker this season

Former Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen has said that he thinks Max Verstappen might be able to drive even quicker now he knows he is a title winner, as he bids to defend his crown in 2022.

The Dutchman took the 2021 championship at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, in now infamous circumstances, and is obviously now aiming to try and defend it.

Of course, things did not get off to the best start as he suffered a retirement at the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend thanks to a fuel pump issue, but it is clear that the Red Bull is a competitive car and he has a chance of winning a second straight championship this season.

Speaking as someone that has done that, then, Mika Hakkinen believes in his title defence Max will be able to drive even quicker that before, thanks to the lift the knowledge of being a champion brings you:

“I’m sure he will be faster than ever, I know from my experience that a title is about two-tenths per lap faster,” said the Finn on a video for the Unibet YouTube channel.

“It’s incredible, but it makes you more confident. The driving becomes more precise. You don’t just go full speed, you also know what a good lap is. I think Max is capable of that. But the question is how much risk he will take? We’ll see how much risk he’s willing to take.”

That’s certainly a bold prediction from Mika and potentially ominous for the rest of the field, who already know how quick Max is.

Charles Leclerc showed that he can handle the fight in Bahrain, though, and now all eyes turn to Saudi to see if Ferrari can keep the pedal down or if Red Bull can bounce back from their unfortunate opening to the campaign.