The aftermath of the Spanish Grand Prix has been filled with hemming and hawing about the way Max Verstappen conducted himself on a restart where his frustration over hard tyres compounded into contact with Charles Leclerc and George Russell.

It came just after two-time F1 champion Mika Hakkinen praised Verstappen for a lack of respect on track — something Hakkinen feels is one of the driver’s greatest assets.

Mika Hakkinen: Max Verstappen is right to not ‘respect anyone’

Hakkinen is no stranger to stiff competition.

The Finnish racing driver competed in Formula 1 for a decade between 1991 and 2001, winning back-to-back championships in 1998 and 1999.

During that time, he competed against some of the best drivers of the era: Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell and so many more.

As such, you can trust that his perspective on on-track aggression has been honed through years of firsthand experience — and he has some very particular thoughts on none other than reigning champion Max Verstappen.

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Speaking to Italian publication Corriere della Sera, Hakkinen was asked to draw conclusions between reigning champion Max Verstappen and a familiar face from his own era of racing: Michael Schumacher.

While Hakkinen declined to draw any comparisons between drivers of “different eras,” he did use the opportunity to talk about Verstappen’s driving style.

“Max is impressive because of his pure speed and the control he has of the car,” Hakkinen explained.

“He’s courageous, he’s not afraid of anyone, and he doesn’t respect anyone, but I don’t mean that in a negative way; it’s more of an asset.”

By that, Hakkinen said he meant “that this is his way of driving. Many people don’t like it, but his rivals, to beat him, have to be smart, find the right strategy. They certainly can’t expect him to change.”

Hakkinen’s comments came before the restart chaos that took place at the Spanish Grand Prix, so his perspective here may have evolved after seeing Verstappen collide with George Russell.

However, it’s likely he’d still maintain his thoughts on the following question, about why Verstappen hasn’t managed to find a real rival.

“Today the level of the drivers is very high,” Hakkinen explained. “Many can win the World Championship. The competition is very tough.”

He pointed to modern Formula 1 cars as the cause of that.

“Today technology helps drivers to reach very high levels,” he said.

“With commitment, you can become a good driver, but talent is something you have inside. And now there are several exceptional talents in F1.”

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