"He cannot afford to continue doing that if he wants to beat Max"

"Everyone makes mistakes but this one was very public and costly," said Hakkinen, who knows all about it. In the 1999 Italian Grand Prix, he led but also slid off the asphalt. "It is a really difficult experience. You know what you have done, thrown away the win and you have to accept responsibility.”

The two-time world champion enjoyed the duel up front between Leclerc and Verstappen. He saw the Ferrari driver drive a perfect 18 laps as the RB18 was very fast. When Verstappen went for the undercut and disappeared from the Monegasque's mirrors, things went wrong. "Charles’ mistake ended the battle. From then on it was easy for Max, he controlled the race, looked after his tyres and took another important step towards the championship title.”

Performing immediately at Hungaroring

According to Hakkinen, what matters most is how Leclerc will react to this mistake. It is important to perform again this weekend in Hungary. Another bad result could mean the end of his title chances. "He cannot afford to continue doing that if he wants to beat Max. On top of that, Ferrari have also had strategy and reliability issues. What’s important is that Charles recognises that he has the talent and the car needed to win races, and he just needs to focus on the positives and take each weekend as it comes. One race at a time. That’s all you can do, concentrate on each race, focus on doing everything right," he concludes.