Finnish former racing driver Mika Hakkinen, who won the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship in 1998 and 1999, has given a lengthy and interesting interview to the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, during which he also focused on the current situation of Ferrari and its respective drivers. Below is an excerpt of his thoughts.
Mika Hakkinen’s Observations
“When I saw the red car in the early tests, it wasn’t hard to predict that they would have issues. Watching it in action through certain types of corners, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, they’ve got the car wrong,'” Mika Hakkinen begins. He then adds: “The drivers mentioned having minor problems after the first outings, but from my perspective, they were really big troubles, especially since the Red Bull was flying.” – the former McLaren driver pointed out.
“Ferrari is having a tough year, but it’s the same for the others, except for the winner. There are data to analyze about the car’s behavior, but you need people who understand it technically and put the pieces together. Nowadays, it’s more complicated: we could do on-track testing indefinitely, but now there are only simulations and wind tunnel tests,” explains the Finn. However, he doesn’t see everything in a negative light on the horizon: “Recovery is possible: what McLaren has done recently is a great example. Nobody pointed fingers at each other in Woking; they worked hard and sought solutions with a calm and consistent approach. It’s the people and the positive energy that make the difference, and that’s how you can climb back up.”
Asked to express his thoughts on Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, Mika Hakkinen states: “They have experience in a top team, they have talent, and they are in the right place. The life of a Formula 1 driver isn’t easy: everyone watches you, expects you to be perfect, and succeed. But when your car is difficult to drive, the chance of making mistakes is higher, and the two Ferrari drivers are always pushing the limits.” – he continued.
He then draws a parallel with his own experience: “When I raced with Lotus at the beginning and didn’t feel the car perfectly, I was driving at 90%. But when I went to McLaren, and different results were expected, if the car wasn’t good enough, I would push to 110% and take my machine to an unnatural performance level, with much higher risks. Consequently, I ended up off the track much more often. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are doing the same. We’re not talking about rookies who need to learn.” – the former Formula 1 driver explained.
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“Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are still great drivers; they just need support. People in this world talk too much and too easily; everyone gives judgments. When those two have a car that’s up to the task, they’ll achieve incredible results,” concludes the two-time champion.
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