Race of my life: Mika Hakkinen

Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, May 24 1998

When asked by Autosport to choose his 'Race of my life', Mika Hakkinen didn't need to think twice. The two-time world champion's Monaco Grand Prix victory en route to his first title in 1998 still holds a special place in his heart.

As always in Monaco, pole position was vital, with Hakkinen beating McLaren team-mate David Coulthard to top spot on the grid by 0.339 seconds. From there, after fending off a feisty Coulthard at the start, Hakkinen was managing a small lead until the second McLaren's engine failed exiting the tunnel and Coulthard was forced to walk home.

That left the Flying Finn clear to pull away from a battle between Giancarlo Fisichella and Michael Schumacher behind him and, when the German's challenge ended after a clash with the other Benetton of Alex Wurz, Fisichella was able to take a comfortable runner-up finish behind the dominant victor.

Hakkinen, who led every lap of the race, takes up the story:

"For me, Monaco in 1998 was definitely the best. Physically and psychologically the whole race was about working on millimetres and details and looking after the car, not making mistakes."

"Every lap, the circuit was changing: we had yellow flags, oil flags... All the time there was something and it required and incredible level of concentration all the way through.

"David and I were fighting in qualifying for pole position. Going out for qualifying for the last run I knew I had to really go for it and make a perfect lap to get pole. I knew from experience that if I didn't get the pole, in this GP I'm never going to win."

"I put all my energy, all my... talent, to make a perfect lap and it worked out. David was slower, around three or four tenths, and it was a great gap. And a big plus for the team, they did a great job, because the barriers, you sometimes touch them in Monaco, during practice, during qualifying, during the grand prix. Even if you don't want to, sometimes it just happens.

"But the team made mechanical changes to the car to the rear suspension for the race and I was very happy about this because - I think it was with five laps to go - I was at Rascasse and I touched the barrier."

"It was such a bang I thought 'that's it, something must go'. But the thing is, what the team did to the car before the race, they saved that race. They did brilliant work and the car was reliable all the way to the end.

"Before the race they changed the wishbones in the car knowing that at Monaco this kind of thing happens... I hope I don't now say some secrets of the McLaren tactics!"

"It was brilliant, brilliant, to stand on the podium at the end of the race with Prince Rainier and think, 'I've won the Monaco Grand Prix', because of course we had important partners of the team there and it was also a great celebration for them. Seeing the win gave the McLaren team more confidence. They were very happy about it."

"Having a prize-giving dinner afterwards in the Monaco Sporting Club was a great celebration and to have been one of the drivers to have won the grand prix in Monaco is again something you remember. It gives you great confidence."