Hakkinen tells Raikkonen to keep head up

Raikkonen missed out on the world title this year to Fernando Alonso despite having a quicker car for much of the year.

And although Hakkinen admits that drivers can find it hard to deal with the disappointment of seeing titles slip through their grasp, the Finn has told Raikkonen to keep his head up in his bid to land the 2006 crown.

"It is a tricky situation and one I've been in before in F1 where the results have been getting better and better and suddenly it's a big drop," said Hakkinen in an exclusive interview with Autosport.

"It means you have to climb up again, and suddenly you can hit the jackpot. You get a taste of winning and then you lose.

"For Kimi, if he can maximize his motivation and support, even when things aren't going right, it's very important. If the car performs next year, then he's going to go for it. He's going to really go for it."