Hakkinen calls qualifying a disaster
Mika Hakkinen has slated his McLaren team's qualifying performance for the Austrian Grand Prix as "a disaster"
The Finn, who won this race last year and has started from pole for the last two seasons, will start Sunday's race from eighth on the grid, one place behind team mate David Coulthard.
It was Hakkinen's worse qualifying performance since the French Grand Prix in 1999 and the Finn trailed pole-sitter Michael Schumacher by 0.780 seconds.
"It is a big disaster," said Hakkinen. "We are seven or eight tenths of a second away from pole, which is quite a big gap. We have to really improve for Sunday because in this race anything can happen."
Hakkinen blamed both oversteer and chassis imbalance for his disastrous performance.
"The car more or less felt the same, but we have definitely lost performance since the morning session," he continued. "We have to understand what really happened. For the last run I had a problem with the engine. There was a problem with the balance of the car. I couldn't improve much in the session.
Hakkinen has scored just four points so far this season, but despite his poor qualifying performance, he remains upbeat about his chances for the race.
"In the race anything can happen," said the double world champion. "It is going to be an exciting race, particularly as I have a young Finnish lad [Kimi Raikkonen] behind me. I better keep him behind! It is going to be very difficult but I have been there before so I know how to handle being low on the grid and battling back."
How F1’s other champion to emerge from 1991 thrived at Lotus
Mika Hakkinen became Michael Schumacher’s biggest rival in Formula 1 in the late-90s and early 2000s, having also made his F1 debut in 1991. But as MARK GALLAGHER recalls, while Schumacher wowed the world with a car that was eminently capable, Hakkinen was fighting to make his mark with a famous team in terminal decline
The forgotten F1 comeback that began Jordan’s odyssey
Before Michael Schumacher – or anyone else – had driven the 191 (or 911 as it was initially called), Eddie Jordan turned to a fellow Irishman to test his new Formula 1 car. JOHN WATSON, a grand prix winner for Penske and McLaren, recalls his role in the birth of a legend…
The squandered potential of a 70s F1 underdog
A podium finisher in its first outing but then never again, the BRM P201 was a classic case of an opportunity squandered by disorganisation and complacency, says STUART CODLING
The other notable Monza escape that F1 should learn from
OPINION: The headlines were dominated by the Italian Grand Prix crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who had the halo to thank for avoiding potentially serious injury. But two days earlier, Formula 1 had a lucky escape with a Monza pitlane incident that could also have had grave consequences
How Monza only added more questions to F1's sprint race conundrum
With two sprint races under its belt, Formula 1 must now consider its options for them going forward. While they've helped deliver exciting racing on Sundays, the sprints themselves have been somewhat lacking - creating yet another conundrum for F1 to solve...
Who should Alfa Romeo sign for 2022's F1 season?
OPINION: With Valtteri Bottas already signed up for 2022, all eyes are on the race for the second seat at Alfa Romeo next year. Antonio Giovinazzi is the current incumbent, but faces a tough competition from appealing short and long-term prospects
The "forced break" that was key to Ricciardo's Monza excellence
OPINION: Daniel Ricciardo has long been considered one of Formula 1’s elite drivers. But his struggles at McLaren since switching from Renault for 2021 have been painful to watch at times. Yet he’s recovered to banish those memories with a famous Monza win – built on a critically important foundation
How Verstappen is ruining his F1 title battle with Hamilton
OPINION: The Italian GP clash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen followed a running theme in the 2021 Formula 1 title fight. Their close-quarters battles have often resulted in contact - and although Hamilton has shown a willingness to back off, Verstappen must learn to temper his aggression
