Mika Hakkinen: Ferrari are now behind Red Bull

Formula 1

Hakkinen: Ferrari are now behind Red Bull

In terms of competitiveness.

Martin Macdonald

Thursday 8 August 2019 12:45

Former Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen reckons that Red Bull are now ahead of Ferrari in terms of competitiveness in the 2019 season.

Over the past few races, Red Bull have kicked up a gear, with Max Verstappen winning two out of the last four events in Austria and then Germany, while he was unlucky to finish second to Lewis Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix at the weekend.

Ferrari, meanwhile, were third and fourth in the race in Budapest, but were nowhere near the leading two drivers in terms of pace and distance.

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The Scuderia are still ahead of Red Bull in the drivers’ championship, largely due to the disappointing performances of Pierre Gasly, but Hakkinen reckons they have been surpassed.

“Although Sebastian Vettel finished third, Ferrari was not in the same race in Hungary,” he wrote in his Unibet column.

“They should be back in contention in Spa and Monza, where their straight-line speed will matter, but it is clear that their car is just not competitive from race to race.

“Not only have they been unable to beat Mercedes they are now behind the Red Bull Honda package in terms of competitiveness.”

The Finn reiterated that he expects Ferrari to be more competitive in the upcoming Italian and Belgian GP races in Monza and Spa, however.

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“Formula 1 now heads into a one-month break before the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa, and this includes a two-week shut down for the factories. The second part of this year’s World Championship should be quite different from the first,” Hakkinen continued.

“I expect Ferrari to be pushing really hard for a win in Spa and Monza, but Red Bull and Honda will also be continuing to develop their car and Mercedes cannot take their domination for granted any longer.

“We have just had four really exciting Formula One races and I fully expect we have many more to look forward to before Championship ends in Abu Dhabi on December 1st.”