Mika Hakkinen Q&A

"It has been definitely an extremely good time, I would say. Simply because we had informed the media that I will take a sabbatical year the next season, so finishing the season this year was fantastic knowing that I will not have to spend winter preparing myself physically and psychologically for the 2002 season. So it's been a really good time. I spent time with my family, with my young son Hugo, seeing friends without serious concentration for the future. And also the events like here in Prague are great as there is no pressure on me."



"First of all, I will tell you something else. 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'. 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 am sitting here today and that is why I was able to win the world championship twice. Kimi has the whole world open for him."



"David [Coulthard] has asked me already to come and test. It was a little surprise for me but I think that his question was very serious. You know that the team changed the tyres from Bridgestone to Michelin for next year so it is important to have more opinions from different drivers to understand for which state the tyres are and how they suit the car. At the moment I am in a situation that I'm taking time off and spending time with my family as much as I can and I haven't been thinking about going testing. At the moment, I don't want to test and obviously, there's no contract."



"It's more difficult these days but not because of driving. The complication and difficulty is in the technology - the electronics - traction control for example. There are so many complicated issues which can make a return very difficult. I want to race in 2003 season and I will have to be very focused on all the development of the car and I should understand the electronics."



"I haven't been missing Grand Prix racing yet. It's too early. It's just couple of weeks when the season finished in Suzuka and I haven't been thinking about racing at all. It will happen sooner or later, when I'll be thinking about racing and driving because it is my passion. So I think this is going to come. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in January or July - you never know. But at the moment I try not to think about it at all."



" It must have been a great opportunity for him to race in three Grands Prix. I'm sure that now he has an understanding about F1. I met him on couple of occasions and I realised he is extremely positive person. If I would be in his shoes I would not carry on in F3000 and wouldn't take a testing contract either, I would definitely choose to race in F1, even if it is a lower team. All the team managers and sponsors are watching and following the driver who's leading, but also the driver who is last. So if he can do fantastic work in any team and if he performs the best he can do, one day he will get a place in a top team. But he needs to be very good and he needs a lot of patience and a lot of encouragement from his friends, from his managers and the country, of course."



"First, I have to say that there is a fantastic situation in the team. West McLaren Mercedes is the only team who can afford to drop one good driver. But to your question. Anything can happen. It could be a situation that they'll dominate the next season. It will be a difficult decision from Ron Dennis. Let's wait and see what happens."



"I haven't thought about that at all. I cannot give you a quick answer now. Maybe tomorrow."



"It depends on how you look at it. Nick has been in F1 longer than Kimi. If you look at the results this year I think Kimi has done better than Nick. I have to explain something. I am not the person to criticise too much or compare the drivers for which one is better. Because it's quite a private thing so I don't want to do that too much. But like I said before: 'If you wanna win, get the Finn'."



"Yes. It is reality. There are always reasons for decisions that anybody makes and me taking a year off - there were reasons. Those reasons made me think in the middle of the season more and more about the motor racing, about myself, my family and everything. So it makes you a little bit afraid. I don't think it affected me much in terms of results, in Indianapolis the result was there. But inside, mentally, when you know you're going to take a year off, it makes you think."