Former McLaren driver and two-time F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen believes that Dutch driver Max Verstappen is more than ready to win a world championship. Hakkinen who enjoyed a successful career winning back-to-back championships in 1998 and 1999 knows a thing or two about what it takes to beat a driver at the peak of his powers. The Finn had to contend with a prime Michael Schumacher and believes Verstappen is ready to break the Hamilton-Mercedes stranglehold this year. "Max is ready to win the championship, there's no question of it," Hakkinen told the Unibet Finland YouTube channel. "He's cool-headed and calculating, he's no longer an inexperienced rookie, he's a professional through and through. There's no question about he can do it." The Finn also stressed the importance of the arrival of Mexican driver Sergio Perez into the Red Bull fold. "I know Perez pretty well as a person," Hakkinen continued. "I think he can adapt to Red Bull pretty well, he has a long career in F1, he's well motivated. I don't think there'll be any problems. "Does he have enough speed? That's a different question.The biggest question isn't whether he can match Verstappen in speed. I don't think so. But he can bring consistent results. "That's what the team needs, they need points, they need two drivers who can bring podiums. One driver isn't enough and Max is starting to get frustrated if he's the only one bringing results, he needs a good team mate and now he has one. "Perez's arrival is a positive thing, he's experienced and can surprise Max in his weak moments especialy if Max makes mistakes, then Perez can beat him. This will surely improve the overall performance of the team."
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