Two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen claims he does see traits in both Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton which are comparable to his main rival Michael Schumacher.
For Vettel, much of his career has been about trying to emulate the success of his German idol with his move to Ferrari in 2015 largely driven on the motivation to follow in the footsteps of the record seven-time champion.
What the ‘flying Finn’ has also noticed are the several similarities between the approach of the 31-year-old and the man he fought in the late 1990’s, early 2000’s.
“I first think of Sebastian’s driving style as unique, but the similarities to Michael are there,” Hakkinen told Speedweek.
“He always braked at the same point, always drove the same line, accelerated very sensitively, everything controlled.
“It’s a very good, clear, clean and aggressive driving style. Even over the kerbs, he always has the car under control.”
As for Hamilton, he had the privilege of being the man to replace Schumacher at Mercedes when he hung up his helmet a second time in 2012 but for Hakkinen, there is a key difference between the two men.
“Lewis always tries to drive a bit more extreme. Very controlled, but he pushes the car more to the limit and risks much more,” said the former McLaren driver.
“But it is not careless, he makes conscious decisions. If he does not go off track, a super lap comes from his effort. You can take that risk, but not always, otherwise you’ll spin sooner or later.”
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The 49-year-old concluded by looking at the current state of F1 and was optimistic about the current situation.
“Formula 1 has not been as exciting for a long time now,” he admitted. “Rosberg against Hamilton was anything but boring, but the number of fans was reduced by the duel within one team.
“Now Mercedes against Ferrari, plus the young talents like [Max] Verstappen – now it’s exciting.”
