Two-time F1 world champion Mika Häkkinen believes that the current crop of Grand Prix drivers is better than he was, thanks in large part to their high degree of preparation and knowledge.
Häkkinen's career among motorsport's elite spanned eleven years between 1991 and 2011, a period during which the Finn claimed 20 race wins – all with McLaren, 26 pole positions, 51 podiums and of course two world titles, in 1998 and 1999.
The Finn has gone down in F1 history as Michael Schumacher's most feared opponent, with the pair enjoying many showdowns and on-track tussles.
Despite his impressive credentials and his spot in Grand Prix racing's Pantheon, Häkkinen believes the sport's evolution and the technical sophistication and science surrounding drivers have spawned a generation of racers that surpasses the likes of himself if one compares respective periods.
"When I look back over my career and see the next generations that have come into F1, they are better drivers than me," the Finn told Motorsport.com's French affiliate.
"They have much better knowledge. I’d say the talent is probably the same, but there’s everything that surrounds the drivers who arrive in Formula 1: they work better, they’re better prepared, they’re more professional.
"There’s more science to help them become better."
This year, Max Verstappen, armed with Red Bull's dominant RB19, is in a league of his own, having so far won ten out of 12 races.
Asked if another driver than the Dutchman would have been able to achieve the same track record, Häkkinen suggested that Verstappen's supremacy is also due to a car designed by Red Bull to his specific qualities.
"It’s very difficult to answer that question, simply because when I was racing, people wondered what would have happened if I was in the same team as Michael Schumacher, for example," he said.
"These Formula 1 cars are made for one driver. For Max, it’s a car made to measure for him. The way he turns the wheel, almost everything is made for him.
"So if you put a driver in the same team, driving the same car, he’ll have a different driving style. Maybe it won’t work.
"That driver needs to be in another team, where he can develop the car for him so that it suits him.
"There are so many great drivers… Lewis is obviously a great World Champion, who has done a fantastic job over the years. George Russell is undoubtedly an incredible, hard-working young driver.
"Lando Norris, Piastri… I’d say Piastri and Lando are really interesting at the moment because they’re fighting each other, they’re on the edge. It can be a very interesting combination.
"But to answer your question directly, I’d say I don’t know!"
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