Hakkinen in no rush to come back

Hakkinen made the short trip from his Monaco apartment with wife Erja and baby son Hugo, and spoke to the press. On the subject of a potential return to the cockpit next year, however, Hakkinen would not be drawn.

"I have a few weeks left before I need to make a decision about that and I am not putting any pressure on myself thinking about it," he said.

Hakkinen admitted to missing racing when he tunes in to watch grands prix on television, but has not apparently paid close enough attention to appreciate that the new engine regulations come into effect in 2004 and not next year...

Coming to his rescue on that point, McLaren team boss Ron Dennis added: "What Mika wanted was a complete break and he is effectively on holiday. He is not in touch via dialogue with the factory every two weeks or anything like that."

Dennis emphasised again that there is a contract in place if Hakkinen decides to return to the cockpit, and Mika said that he expected the team to provide a car if he wants to make a comeback.

"I cannot put into percentages the likelihood of driving again," the Finn admitted. "For the moment I have just enjoyed seeing my friends, spending time with my family and not having to worry so much about my fitness, but I miss winning and working with all the people in the team."

The feeling from certain team insiders, however, is that Hakkinen will not be back.