Hakkinen gives Kimi a new push

Speaking at a sponsor's press conference in Prague today, Hakkinen said that his countryman will live up to expectations. He added that McLaren is the perfect team to bring out the best in Raikkonen.

"When the contract with the team and Kimi was signed and publicised to the media, I thought that it is fantastic because I always told Ron Dennis and other people: 'If you wanna win, get the Finn'," raved Hakkinen. "He is talented and considering his experience in car racing, his results have been fantastic, he has made very few mistakes. On a scale from one to five I would give him an extremely high four.

"I think his chances for the next year will be high because of the team. He is in the best possible team to race, because the team will give him maximum support and can motivate him to win. I know that from my experience because when I joined the team I was only 22 or 23 years old and I got great support from the team, from the management, from the mechanics, from the partners.

"I think that is why I was able to win the world championship twice. Kimi has the whole world open for him."

For a full Hakkinen Q&A click here.