Mika Hakkinen names the key mistake Lando Norris has made when racing Max Verstappen

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Lando Norris is looking to emulate Mika Hakkinen by winning a world championship with McLaren. Hakkinen won his titles back-to-back in 1998 and 1999.

Since then, McLaren have only won one drivers’ title (through Lewis Hamilton in 2008). Norris is 47 points adrift of Max Verstappen heading into this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, meaning he requires one of the greatest comebacks in F1 history.

Still, McLaren are leading the constructors’ race, 29 points clear of Ferrari. With minimal changes to the regulations over the winter, he should be in a position to compete from the beginning of next year, rather than emerging as a challenger in the summer.

Hakkinen took on Michael Schumacher during his McLaren days, beating him by 14 points in 1998. The following year, he edged out Schumacher’s Ferrari teammate Eddie Irvine after the German broke his leg in a Silverstone crash, ruling him out for seven races.

David Coulthard believes Verstappen is the modern-day Schumacher, so there’s a clear parallel between Hakkinen and Norris in that sense. Speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast, the ‘Flying Finn’ offered some advice.

Norris tried to pass Verstappen in Mexico last weekend but the Red Bull driver mounted an overly aggressive defence. That led to him picking up two 10-second penalties.

Mika Hakkinen says Lando Norris must start passing Max Verstappen on the inside

Much as Verstappen’s penalties dropped him down to sixth, Norris would have preferred to pass him cleanly. He would have made a statement in doing so, but more importantly, he would have remained in victory contention.

The Briton eventually finished less than five seconds behind race winner Carlos Sainz, having lost more than three fighting Verstappen. Hakkinen feels he should adopt a different approach next time he comes across the reigning world champion.

Norris tried to make a move around the outside of turn four last weekend, having also attempted to go the long way round in Austria back in June. Both instances resulted in 10-second penalties for Verstappen, but Norris had to retire with damage in Spielberg.

Hakkinen believes he must endeavour to pass on the inside in future so his title rival can’t apply the squeeze. Naturally, this is easier said than done.

He said: “Lando obviously knows the behaviour of Max, how he races. When you do an overtake against him, you know the wheels are going to touch.

“So that’s why, against Max, it’s always better to do it in the right way. That way you are making sure your car is in front of him, you are more or less [on his] inside when you’re going into the corner, not outside. That way Max doesn’t have a chance.”

What Lando Norris did at the Mexico City Grand Prix to show his ‘fear’ of Max Verstappen

McLaren warned Norris about Verstappen later in the stint. He stayed behind the 27-year-old until the pit stops, when the penalty was served.

Any accident suits Verstappen at this stage. His commanding lead in the standings means the pressure is on Norris to collect big results.

McLaren will hope that a stricter approach from the stewards forces him to revise his tactics going forward. Drivers will discuss proposed rule changes in Qatar next month.

For now, Norris seems to ‘fear’ Verstappen, which is why he hovered behind in Mexico after their lap 10 clashes. The three-time race winner had picked up a penalty himself in Austin a week earlier after passing the Red Bull driver off the racetrack.