Mika Hakkinen has praised Max Verstappen and Red Bull for being able to recover quickly from any errors. The Dutchman had a difficult Saturday over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, with technical problems during qualifying leaving him down in P10 on the grid, while teammate Sergio Perez lined up just behind in P11. During the race, Verstappen made progress through the field and eventually overtook Charles Leclerc for the lead. However, he had to make the move twice after losing it due to a spin. He eventually claimed his eighth win of the season, while Perez worked his way up to P5.
Hungarian GP wins shows Verstappen's "confidence", says Hakkinen
Hakkinen was impressed by how Verstappen bounced back at the Hungaroring. "Max's win was very impressive because he had to start 10th and work his way through the traffic, but he did everything he needed to and the team gave him the right strategy to take the win," the Finn wrote in his column for Unibet . "In some ways a victory like this shows just how much confidence Max has in himself and the car. "Even when they hit problems they don’t panic, just focus on recovering quickly."
Hakkinen praises impact of 2022 regulations
Before Verstappen took the win in Hungary, the race was led by several different drivers, and Hakkinen believes that this points to the new technical regulations introduced into the sport for 2022 being a success. "This was a another race which showed just how competitive Formula 1 is at the moment," Hakkinen said. "Of course Max Verstappen has the quickest, most consistent car, but the big picture on Sunday is that [George] Russell, Leclerc, [Carlos] Sainz and [Lewis] Hamilton led at some point, and the way the cars can follow each other thanks to the '22 regulations is very positive. "There was so much happening and, when you consider Max even had a spin, I think three or four drivers could have won this race."
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