Mika Hakkinen was the last driver to deliver a world championship for McLaren, winning the 1998 and 1999 titles back-to-back along with 20 Grands Prix. How do we now view his accomplishments, seven years after his retirement? Was he the radically quick racer who even Michael Schumacher had to give best to? Or a competent … Continue reading Mika Hakkinen: How good was he?
Mika Hakkinen articles archive
100 F1 race winners part 9: 1993-2001
Posted onDavid Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello, who scored their first wins in 1995 and 2000 respectively, are the first active drivers in this series looking at F1’s 100 race winners. Plus two famous one-hit wonder of the mid-90s: Jean Alesi and Olivier Panis.
Last-lap losers (p2/2)
Posted onYesterday we looked at four races that ended with the leader losing the race on the last lap – this after Felipe Massa came within three laps of winning the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. Here are four more tales of woe involving Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen.
Spanish Grand Prix: memorable races
Posted onThe response to my invitation for guest writers was fantastic and I’m very happy to share the first of these new articles today. Journeyer, a long-time contributor to the comments and Live Blogs on F1Fanatic, covers the history of the Spanish Grand Prix. Formula 1 has been around for 58 years now. With it goes … Continue reading Spanish Grand Prix: memorable races
Ron Dennis doesn’t want a seat filler in 2008
Posted onI’ve read a lot of remarks by people who think that Ron Dennis will just stick any old driver in the second McLaren seat next year. The assumption seems to be that he’s already got Lewis Hamilton and all he needs and wants to do is stick a loyal but not super-quick number two in … Continue reading Ron Dennis doesn’t want a seat filler in 2008
20 day wait for Raikkonen’s title confirmation
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Posted onThe watching world will have to endure a 20 day wait to learn whether Kimi Raikkonen really has won the 2007 world drivers’ championship.
Kimi Raikkonen finally wins the F1 title
Posted onKimi Raikkonen has become Finland’s third world champion by winning the Brazilian Grand Prix. He is the 28th F1 world champion in 58 years. It comes after he finished runner-up in the 2003 championship (to Michael Schumacher) and in 2005 (to Fernando Alonso) His triumph puts Finland up to fifth among the countries that have … Continue reading Kimi Raikkonen finally wins the F1 title
Video: F1 title deciders
Posted onAnother chapter of F1 history will be written this weekend. Will it be a glorious celebration of a worthy champion? Or yet another of F1’s sensational championship controversies? Here’s a collection of 17 of the most memorable F1 title deciders on video – with the original commentaries where possible – from Fangio to Alonso…
Debate: Do the FIA engineer championship showdowns?
Posted onThere are often allegations that the FIA favours one driver, or team, over another. I don’t take those claims very seriously. But it does sometimes seem as though decisions are made with the purpose of engineering championship showdowns at the final round of the year. After all, it keeps up public interest in the season. … Continue reading Debate: Do the FIA engineer championship showdowns?
F1 in the blogs 44: PETA vs Ralf Schumacher
Posted onRalf Schumacher is being mocked once again – this time by animal rights activists… Plus BMW in good shape for 2008, problems for Prodrive, and vote for F1Fanatic.co.uk in the 2007 Weblog Awards.
Audi drags DTM into fresh controversy
Posted onSeveral drivers made woeful mistakes on the track at today’s DTM race in Barcelona – but by far the biggest blunder of all was committed on the pit wall. Audi’s withdrawal from today’s DTM race at Barcelona was, in my opinion, a ridiculous over-exaggeration and a dismal display of poor sportsmanship. Their withdrawal hinted at … Continue reading Audi drags DTM into fresh controversy
DTM Barcelona: Scandal as Audi withdraw
Posted onA mass withdrawal from the DTM race at Barcelona by Audi overshadowed Jamie Green’s maiden victory at the Catalunya circuit. Audi management took the unprecedented step of withdrawing all of their cars after its principal title charges Martin Tomcyk and Mattias Ekstrom were involved in controversial crashes. Audi Sport issued a statement claiming, “the Mercedes … Continue reading DTM Barcelona: Scandal as Audi withdraw
First turn analysis: Spa
Posted onFerrari front row, McLaren second row. So what kind of antics can we expect at Spa’s wide, but tight, first corner? It’s been fairly common this year to see the drivers who start on the racing line at an advantage. But at Spa the surface is new and the racing line crosses the grid hatchings. … Continue reading First turn analysis: Spa
Debate: 22 best drivers in the world?
Posted onFormula 1 is the number one form of motorsport – but does it also have the best racing drivers in the world? Who would you evict from the F1 grid, and who would you replace them with?
The Ben Evans Column: Watching a real race
Posted onOnce again this season the Hungarian GP provided more off-track talking points than on-track action as the evil Alonso viciously blocked the blessed Lewis in the pits delaying him by a couple of seconds at the end of qualifying. Part of the gamesmanship found at the top of any professional sport, you might say. But … Continue reading The Ben Evans Column: Watching a real race
Any sympathy for McLaren?
Posted onRon Dennis and McLaren-Mercedes made an almighty mess of qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix. But even though I think the punishment meted out to Alonso was just, I have some sympathy for them team over what happened. It would be better for the sport if McLaren’s championship points were reinstated at the appeal hearing.
Ten best… McLaren-Ferrari rows
Posted onThe espionage scandal may be the biggest row between the two giants of Formula 1, McLaren and Ferrari, but it’s certainly not the first. No, these two have been going at it for over three decades. Here’s ten of their earlier scraps.
Ferrari hush up radio interception claims
Posted onThe McLaren-Ferrari spying row has opened a Pandora’s Box of allegations. Ferrari have now tried to hush up a former driver’s claims that they spied on other teams’ radio transmissions. But the fact that they admitted to it in the past makes that denial hard to swallow.
Video: McLaren advert behind the scenes
Posted onThe video I posted yesterday of the new Mercedes “Anything you can do” advert has proved so popular I thought you all might like this behind the scenes film.
Video: Alonso, Hamilton and Hakkinen advert
Posted onI’m not a fan of adverts ordinarily – but I make an exception when they’re done really well (and when they don’t interrupt the F1 race). This new Mercedes advert featuring Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Mika Hakkinen is great fun and sends up the rivalry between Hamilton and Alonso that certain elements of the … Continue reading Video: Alonso, Hamilton and Hakkinen advert