Hakkinen: I was wrong about Verstappen

Mika Hakkinen has admitted he was wrong in his assessment of teenage rookie Max Verstappen before the season began.

When Red Bull announced last year that the 17-year-old would be making his debut for Toro Rosso in 2015, Hakkinen said: “In no case is a driver ready for formula one at 17.

“Either as a manager or a father, I would never let a driver as young as that race in F1,” the former McLaren driver and two-time world champion said in August of 2014.

Four races into Verstappen’s grand prix career, however, the teenage Dutchman is now also the youngest-ever F1 points scorer and being hailed as a potential new Senna.

“I was against someone coming into F1 at the age of 17,” Hakkinen told the Spanish sports daily Marca on Monday, “but I am happy to admit that I was wrong. It is an example that times have changed.

“F1 technology is now very powerful and the information the drivers get is much higher – amazing – which you can study to become a better driver,” he explained.

“Everything is better organised, you can test in the simulator all day and in any conditions … I’m not saying it is easier now, but it is more possible to come in and reach a high level.”