Q & A with Mika Hakkinen

Mika Hakkinen: Yes it does. Obviously finishing my career in F1 in 2001, the reason I stopped was because I was physically and mentally in a situation where I wasn't doing any favours for the team or myself. So it was better to stop.

And after a few years' sabbatical, with the feet on the table watching DVDs, I came to the conclusion that that wasn't for me - I couldn't stay still. I wanted to activate myself again and racing came back to my mind. Together with Mercedes-Benz I said, 'Okay, let's do the DTM.'

So I did the DTM for a few years and then I finished my career with that last year and I feel like now the racing is behind me. At the same time I activated my life by being an ambassador for Johnnie Walker, and being an ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, plus doing marketing work for Hermes and Red Devil.

So I am getting good adrenaline at the moment. When I wake up in the morning in bed, it gives me a great motivation to be successful doing what I am doing at the moment with these companies. And I feel good.

The racing doesn't do something for me any more. When I hear the engine noise on the track, or see the grand prix cars going around, it doesn't make me feel that I have to be there and I want to race. There is no longer that fire inside and I have found a way to satisfy myself with other things.

Q. Do you think Formula One is now just as exciting as when you were racing?

MH: Obviously, in one way it is less exciting - but having been there and done it, you know how grand prix racing is functioning. So very often when I am following F1 and looking at how the teams are operating, how the races are going and how the drivers are operating, it is easy to see the mistakes that they are making.

And of course it brings the emotion up - why are they doing things like that? It is still very exciting, and I like it very much indeed.

Q. Do you watch every grand prix?

MH: Yes. I watch the grands prix.

Q. You used to get asked all the time about whether Kimi Raikkonen would be the next Finnish world champion. He has proved that now. What about Heikki Kovalainen?

MH: I think at the moment, when I am looking at the drivers' field, there are quite a few who are very competitive and very talented. But like we know - you always need that little extra to get that one or two tenths difference from your teammate - to be in pole position and to win races.

So, does Heikki have that? Well, Heikki has positively surprised me with his performance. He has done very good work. Does he have that extra tenth or two? It looks like he can do it - but sometimes I wonder in my mind if he can do it when he wants to do it, or does it sometimes come out without him acknowledging it.

But I think he has had some bad experiences like the last race and Barcelona - and all this season there have been technical issues and mistakes that have not allowed him to show his real potential.

I see a situation where as soon as he starts getting a couple of victories in his pocket, I am sure that will raise his confidence and he will be able to show the extra speed and talent that you need to be a continuous winner in grands prix.

Q. He says he is flourishing in the McLaren environment. What is it about McLaren that is so good for the Finns - is there a structure or the way that Ron treats you that helps the Finns?

MH: Yes. The ideal position when you are a grand prix driver is to be protected in the right way of course. It doesn't mean the team has to isolate you somewhere - and not speak to anybody. That is not the way to do it.

But to be protected, that means in a way that the driver feels comfortable inside the team, he feels secure and the team can provide him very good confidence for racing. And the team members of course respect the driver - so everyone is supporting the driver to perform in the highest possible level.

And I experienced this with McLaren Mercedes - I got the support from Ron Dennis and from the team to be successful and win for many years. And that includes the good years and bad years, and for Heikki I am sure he is feeling very good at the moment to get this support from McLaren, because he is having some low moments.

Q. Do you think he will be able to overhaul Lewis Hamilton, or is Lewis insurmountable?

MH: Obviously Lewis has an interesting career behind him and in front of him at the moment. And he is living in a very extreme situation. He started his career at McLaren and his teammate was a double world champion, and I am sure he got a lot of good information from him - Lewis learned a lot from him in terms of how to operate inside the team, and how to set the car up.

So Lewis is in a situation where he has to be the leader of the team, he has the pressure to develop the car, make it fast, and show the results for the team to prove he can do it. The pressure is very high on him.

Heikki is his teammate, so Lewis does have an advantage of being in the team for one year, understanding how the team operates and Heikki is clever enough to watch what Lewis is doing all the time and try to put himself inside the team to get the team to support him.

Is Heikki going to be one day where he is in a situation where the positions are changing on the race track and Heikki starts beating Lewis? I think both of these guys, Lewis definitely, can provide consistent talent and performance - but the pressure is part of the game. You can start making mistakes and if the other driver is ready to attack at that time, it can change the tables basically.

But Heikki has not, for me, shown the consistency of the extra speed that he can provide. A lot of what I have been reading, looking and listening, Heikki has been in a position with fuel levels to be able to be quicker than Lewis - but unfortunately he has had situations like in Melbourne, situations like in the last race for example. So, I don't know. But I think that both drivers do have an equal chance to show their performance and how good they are. Heikki has plenty of time as long as he keeps doing a good job. But will he beat Lewis? It is too early to say.

Q. Do you want to come back to racing?

MH: I could give you the long answer but it will take a long time. Obviously I don't miss racing, I had a great time and great career behind me. I had a great time in F1, I had a great time in DTM, but at the moment what gets me out of bed is that I have a great motivation and great adrenaline to be an ambassador for Johnnie Walker, doing the marketing work for Mercedes-Benz, for Hermes and Red Devil, so my calendar is very occupied with different events, different marketing events and I feel good.

So I don't miss the racing, of being behind the wheel. For fun? Yes. But for the commitment of going back racing there is no goal.

Q. What would you say is the difference for Lewis between winning a grand prix and winning a world championship?

MH: It is a very good question. To become a world champion obviously it is not so easy a job. It is not easy-peasy! Even if you have the right chassis, the right engine, and right team it is still a very challenging operation. But you have to be ready to be world champion, and you have to be very clear in your mind.

You have to be a little bit angry inside to be able to win it and in my GP career it took quite a while before I got my championship. I started in 1991 and I got my championship in 1998 so it took quite a few years. But you do need a very good support behind you. You need good management behind you that can give you support to clear your mind from things that can disturb you at every test session and every grand prix. That way you can fully focus on your mission.

You need great confidence from the team. That way you are able to get the result that you can win it. It is a complicated process to do it; even if you are talented, it can take a long time to achieve it and you have to be very patient.

Q. The McLaren environment worked for you, it works for Lewis and Heikki. Why didn't it work for Alonso?

MH: Well. Obviously you are a young guy, you are a double world champion and you come to a team like McLaren who have been winning world championships many, many times. And you have seen different types of drivers - like Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, and Nigel Mansell. The list is long of top drivers, the world champions.

I think for Fernando, obviously, it was a difficult time to probably not understand why you have to fight all the time, from start-to-finish, against your teammate. And I think in his behaviour, it probably did not suit the style of McLaren.

The idea of McLaren is to protect the driver, but also vice versa the drivers have to protect the team - because it is team work. So I think in a lot of cases you really have to think twice before your open your month. It just didn't work out for Fernando and McLaren.

Q. And can you tell us about your house, there are reports it burnt down last week?

MH: Yeah I was very unlucky with the house. It just burned down.

Q. And it was an electrical fault in the lighting of the trophy cabinet?

MH: Yeah.

Q. And are you going to get replacement trophies?

MH: Yes. I will automatically try to get a solution about how to get them back. Maybe I will make some new trophies - for races I didn't win!