Mika Hakkinen highlights what Sergio Perez needs to challenge Max Verstappen for F1 title

Consistency is the key ingredient missing for the Mexican as he tries to overhaul his Red Bull teammate

Mika Hakkinen believes Sergio Perez must improve his consistency to challenge Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen for this season’s F1 Drivers’ Championship title.

Verstappen currently tops the standings, with Perez his closest challenger - 46 points behind - although the Mexican lost ground on the reigning world champion at the recent Canadian Grand Prix when a gearbox failure caused him to retire early, while the Dutchman cruised to victory.

Perez showed what he is capable of by taking an impressive victory at the Monaco Grand Prix but hasn’t yet been able to string a series of results together to legitimately challenge Verstappen for the title.

And two-time world champion Hakkinen is adamant it is that lack of consistency - especially when the going gets tough - that will ultimately inhibit the likeable 32-year-old despite his talent.

“When things get tough, Max will do a better job,” explained Hakkinen, in a video for Unibet. “Internally, the team sees that Max is the number one. But, from the outside, it’s no longer as straightforward.

“I don’t think he can [challenge Verstappen]. Perez is a driver who can bring good results. The new car suits him better, as it’s heavier and bigger. The rear is much calmer under braking and he can bring it through the corners nicely. Now that the rules have changed, Perez, with the help of the new regulations, has a car that suits his driving style and he can bring good results.

“Max, on the other hand, is so talented but, ultimately, I think Perez’s performance is inconsistent. In the long run, inconsistency won’t make you a champion. But Perez will still challenge Verstappen for race victories. But he has to do his maximum in every race, and he doesn’t do that.”

Verstappen has won six of the nine F1 races this season and the only other man to take the chequered flag on multiple occasions this term is Charles Leclerc.

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Leclerc looked set to be Verstappen’s closest challenger early in the season, with the Ferrari appearing to be a quicker car than the Red Bull, but a series of reliability issues have sent the Monegasque tumbling down the standings.

And Hakkinen credited the defending champion for keeping his head in tricky circumstances.

“In the beginning of the season, Ferrari seemed to be a little ahead of Red Bull,” added the Finn. “Red Bull couldn’t reach their maximum. They had some technical problems at first.

“But Verstappen managed to keep a cool head, even though some of his radio messages were pretty harsh. He didn’t necessarily choose his words carefully. He just blurted out the urge for the team to fix the issues.

“But Max has kept his cool. He trusts the car and the team. They’ve found consistency in their results. He’s done a really great job like before. He’s super talented and has done a good job.”