Mika Hakkinen does not believe that Verstappen will move to McLaren.
The future of Max Verstappen is one of the topics that is actively discussed in the paddock, especially after it became known about the upcoming move of Gianpiero Lambiase, his race engineer, to McLaren. This, along with the dissatisfaction of the four-time world champion with Red Bull Racing's results in 2026, has sparked conversations about Max also considering continuing his career at McLaren.
On one hand, numerous denials immediately appeared; on the other hand, such things have happened in Formula 1 before; just remember Lewis Hamilton's move from Mercedes to Ferrari, which no one could foresee either.
Mika Hakkinen, a two-time world champion who achieved all his victories behind the wheel of McLaren cars, still maintains strong ties with the Woking team, and he is one of those who does not believe in such a scenario.
"Watching McLaren, I see that they always take care of all the team's affairs as a whole," said the 57-year-old Finn while participating in another episode of the Up To Speed podcast. "This is the only way to success. You must focus on building team spirit, and once that is achieved, the management's task is to minimize potential risks. Because some decisions can destroy that team spirit.
I have a very high opinion of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. They are exceptionally talented, very professional drivers, and in my opinion, they are not too influenced by emotions. When a team has contracts with such drivers who work very consistently, it is always a big plus.
And if a team like McLaren has two excellent drivers, why create any factors of instability? Especially since McLaren has a reigning world champion in its lineup. When harmony is achieved in the team, why take risks, as the appearance of another driver could disrupt it..."
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Mika Hakkinen does not believe that Verstappen will move to McLaren.
Mika Hakkinen, a two-time world champion who achieved all his victories behind the wheel of McLaren cars, does not believe in a scenario where Max Verstappen could move from Red Bull to the team from Woking...