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Mika Hakkinen interview: 'I get excited about what Lewis Hamilton is doing, because I know what it takes'

Hakkinen, at McLaren Mercedes, enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Ferrari's Michael Schumacher - AP
Hakkinen, at McLaren Mercedes, enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Ferrari's Michael Schumacher - AP

It was the one record, even more than his seven world titles perhaps, that seemed fated to last far beyond Michael Schumacher’s own lifetime. When the German announced his retirement from Formula One in 2006, he left a benchmark of 91 victories, a standard so stratospheric that it rendered even Alain Prost, then his nearest challenger in the sport’s annals on 51, a mere footnote. “He is the greatest,” Niki Lauda pronounced. “Nobody will ever beat him, as long as we are alive.”

Such is the recency bias that pervades any parallels between sporting generations, where the temptation is to flatter the latest record-breakers by arguing that we shall never see their like again. Lauda’s rush to acclaim Schumacher’s peerlessness was, it turned out, premature. For Lewis Hamilton rolls into the Black Sea sunshine of Sochi this weekend on 90 wins. So unanswerable is his dominance, it is likely he will be raising his bat, or at least his detachable steering wheel, for the century come early next season.

Mika Hakkinen is better placed than most to attempt a comparison between the Hamilton and Schumacher years. As a double world champion for McLaren, he was the man who kept Schumacher honest, famously passing him at Spa in 2000 with a move still widely cited as F1’s finest and most audacious overtake. Today, he forms part of Valtteri Bottas’ management team, exhorting his fellow Finn to find the crucial extra tenths to overhaul Hamilton at the front.

“Michael was definitely rougher and harder on the race-track,” Hakkinen reflects. “The young people today are a bit different today to when we were young. When we communicated with each other, there were a few more swear-words. The regulations are much stricter now, and the drivers are much more aware of their behaviour on track. But what strikes me about both drivers is the consistency of their performances. It didn’t matter if the car wasn’t so good, Michael was flat-out every time. I feel that Lewis has a similar characteristic. It doesn’t matter what else is happening out there, he’s flat-out. It’s very impressive to see.”

honest on the track during their racing days - GETTY IMAGES
honest on the track during their racing days - GETTY IMAGES

To the neutral, the missing element of Hamilton’s all-conquering run of the past four years has been a compelling rivalry. Where Nico Rosberg unsettled him sufficiently to win seven straight races at one stage, Bottas, a far more compliant soul both by nature and by necessity, with Mercedes casting him firmly as Hamilton’s wing-man, has offered far less resistance. The win count since 2017 reads 9-3, 11-0, 11-4 in the senior driver’s favour. In 2020, Hamilton is so far ahead of his team-mate that he can afford not to finish two grands prix, knowing that he would still be in the lead.

With Schumacher and Hakkinen, the margins were far more slender, at least until 2001, when Ferrari’s technical superiority put them out of sight. Throughout 1999, they traded poles and wins, as the Finn established himself as the one driver who had his rival’s unconditional respect. There was a palpable mutual admiration, too.

“Michael was doing incredible things with Ferrari,” Hakkinen says. “So, for me to achieve the results I did was hard work. I was under intense pressure constantly. It was so tough psychologically, to continue taking care of the balance of your racing. I get excited about what Lewis is doing today, because I know what it takes. It’s such a beautiful feeling, but it requires a number of people around you to put you on the competitive edge every day, in such a way that you feel relaxed and you don’t start losing sleep. That way, you can push all the time. Lewis is one of the very few who can do this.”

Given his own experiences of being in the shadow of greatness, Hakkinen is turning his attention these days to bringing the best out of Bottas, so that he can at least push Hamilton to the limit. “In the last few races, there has been less than a tenth of a second between the two drivers in qualifying,” he explains. “Valtteri definitely doesn’t need luck. He is a fighter. When you are talking about such tiny gaps, these tenths, there is a possibility that you can find a way to be faster.”

Valtteri Bottas finds himself in the shadow of Hamilton again this season - REUTERS
Valtteri Bottas finds himself in the shadow of Hamilton again this season - REUTERS

The trouble is that Hamilton, even in a tumultuous year, has reached a level of serenity and poise that Bottas can hardly hope to match. “Lewis’ confidence is so high that he is always able to stay calm and collected for the main project, the winning of grands prix,” Hakkinen says. “When I was at McLaren, they were able to give me this same confidence. You don’t need to ask yourself all these little questions every day, you just know what you need to do. That’s the secret to being a multiple world champion.”

At Monza in 2000, Schumacher broke down in tears when he realised he had equalled Ayrton Senna’s 41 wins. It fell to Hakkinen to throw a consoling arm around him. Now, Hamilton stands on the cusp of his own moment of emulation, as he bears down on 91. Should he manage it in Russia, it will be a feat every bit as worthy of the same raw emotion.