– Two-time Formula 1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen spoke about working with David Coulthard at McLaren. Their shared belief in the future success of the Woking-based team prevented on-track collisions from straining their working relationship.
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Coulthard and Häkkinen looked back on their long time as McLaren teammates in the podcast Up To Speed, which culminated in two driver titles for the Finn and a Constructors’ Championship for the team.
While Coulthard cited the infamous collision at the 1999 Austrian Grand Prix as an example of occasional friction, Häkkinen dismissed it as a normal part of life as teammates.
The crash between teammates
Häkkinen had started from pole position, Coulthard followed in second place and Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine in third. But Coulthard caught Häkkinen in the first corner and sent his teammate into a spin. The Scot later apologized and confirmed that he had misjudged the corner.
Photo gallery: All McLaren World Champions in Formula 1
Coulthard led most of the race, but in the end Irvine took the win. Coulthard finished second and Häkkinen impressively fought back to third place after the spin that had dropped him to the back of the field.
“That’s part of racing. It’s part of being teammates. That’s absolutely normal. But for some reason, we both knew there was a future – a future in which we could be successful together,” Häkkinen explains.
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A comparison with Norris and Piastri
“We can achieve good things for the team, so it makes no sense to carry that anger around in your head for two or three months. Let’s clear it up, let’s move on, and let’s race again.”
Photo gallery: All McLaren Formula 1 cars since 1966
“Yes, we got some help from the team management. But it was okay and, as you already mentioned: When you touched me [at the Austrian GP], it was just a little bit. You didn’t damage my car and you didn’t damage your car. So we were both able to continue.”
Coulthard drew parallels between their dynamic at McLaren back then and the current driver pairing of the team with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
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“Looking at the modern drivers, what we saw with Lando and Oscar is probably the closest to our relationship as teammates,” said the former driver. “There were a few moments last year when they almost touched. There were a few situations where the team had to try to manage the drivers’ expectations.”
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