Former world champion Mika Hakkinen has admitted he was wrong in criticsing the manner in which teenager Max Verstappen was fast-tracked into Formula 1 by Red Bull.
Speaking to media in Holland, Hakkinen said, "I was really happy I was wrong [about Max]"
"It has strengthened my understanding that young girls and young boys they are much more ready in this world. You have to let them speak, you have to listen to what they have to say."
Ahead of young Verstappen's F1 debut season, with Toro Rosso in 2015, in 2015 Hakkinen was adamant: “I would never let a driver as young as that race in F1.”
Fast forward a year and a half and the two times world champion has changed hus tune.
"It’s great what Max has been doing and when I was a young kid – 16, 17 – when [I was] go-karting, it was amazing. It was incredibly competitive: the materials, discipline, physical efforts – what I needed to perform was at a very high level."
"Time has changed. Young people, more and more they are going in higher sport categories, including business, including everything.
"And people are developing much faster by time, simply because of the tools that are available today for them to study and understand what is happening in this world.
"You can go for it and study as much as you want on the internet if you find the right information. So the life is much more in the fast lane these days. That explains why these young drivers are entering in such high positions."
"Teams are much more organised today than in the past, more management, the concept is much more organised. It’s a little bit easier to join in this big world.
"But nevertheless, you need great talent and commitment, great discipline to be successful and Max obviously has done a great job," added Hakkinen.
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