Hakkinen upbeat despite bad luck

The Finn has qualified on the front row for the last four races in his Mercedes, but he has suffered bad luck on several occasions and he currently has just 10 points this year.

"What gives me a good feeling all the time is that I know that the speed is there," said Hakkinen. "The performance is there, and I'm feeling confident.

"If I was running in 12th or 13th position and having bad luck then I would be feeling really bad."

The former Formula One world champion suffered a puncture in the closing stages of the race at Oschersleben, and although he won next time out at Lausitz, the race officials decided to only award half points after the controversy regarding the safety car.

Hakkinen then missed out on a good result at Brands Hatch due to strategy, and he then lost out due to the timing of a safety car period at the Norisring.

"These situations that have been happening are bad luck," he added. "The results could have been much better, but they weren't.

"I believe that you have to keep going and trying, then things can get better. All these elements are pushing me forward."

Hakkinen is 15.5 points adrift of championship leader Bernd Schneider with five races to go this season.