Mika Hakkinen predicts Ferrari and McLaren to compete for F1 Mexican GP victory
Yesterday at 05:29 PM
Mika Hakkinen, who has won two Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles, believes McLaren and Scuderia Ferrari will be the main contenders for victory at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix. Following their impressive performance at the United States Grand Prix, the two-time world champion is confident that Ferrari will continue their momentum at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. He also anticipates that McLaren will rebound after a disappointing race without podium finishes at the Circuit of the Americas.
Ferrari’s recent upgrades shone in the United States Grand Prix at the Austin circuit, where Charles Leclerc claimed victory, finishing ahead of his Maranello teammate Carlos Sainz. This marked the team’s first 1-2 finish in Formula 1 since 2006. In contrast, Max Verstappen in his Red Bull seemed unable to match Ferrari’s race pace, despite having new upgrades on his RB20 single-seater.
Max Verstappen, however, holds a strong track record at the Mexican circuit, having won in 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023. He will be eager to secure his first win since the Spanish Grand Prix in June. Yet, Mika Hakkinen is skeptical about Max Verstappen’s ability to compete with the speed of Ferrari or McLaren this weekend.
In his usual column for Unibet, Mika Hakkinen expressed his concerns about Red Bull’s performance in Mexico City:
“Max Verstappen has won 5 of the last 6 Mexican Grands Prix. The World Champion will be feeling positive after finishing 2nd in Singapore and 3rd in Austin with the kind of consistent performances which are protecting his World Championship lead. ”
The two-time Formula 1 world champion believes that Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren driver Lando Norris will in fact battle for the race win in Mexico City, with the British driver attempting to reduce the deficit to his title rival Max Verstappen in the battle for the F1 drivers’ title: “My tip, however, is that Mexico should see McLaren and Ferrari fighting for the win, with Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc providing the focus.” – the Finn concluded.
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