An Evening with Racing Icons Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard, pt. 2
[link to part 1]
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They talked about Newey going to Aston Martin and 2026, and I legitimately don't remember pressing the record button (there was so much Newey glaze from Steve that I tuned out every time) but somehow have this snippet:
DC: [...] going... Lance Stroll. SJ: Leave Lance alone. DC: No, but he could win the world championship! SJ: Yeah, I know, it's, it's hellish. Let's move on.
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They were asked who they think will win 2025, Lando or Oscar? Verstappen, according to the lady behind me. (Reminder that this show was on September 28th, the week after Baku)
SJ: [...] driver's title? Lando or Oscar? Lando or Oscar? I mean, it's advantage Oscar. Even though he shit the bed in Baku. Ugh, what are we going? DC: I know, when, when we saw Baku unfolding, I'm, here look at this and I had, Mark, my buddy, and my PA Monica with Viola, who looks after Oscar's needs there in Monaco as well - and the guy is just rock solid, just, you know, he's like, what's that thing called, that goes tic tic tic... SJ: Metronome? DC: Thank you. That's a word- too big a word for me. So... SJ: He's unflappable. DC: Yes.
SJ: This, this is not him, I don't know where that came from. DC: Yeah, it's... I messaged Mark, and he goes hey, buddy, what can I say? You know, it's like an out of body experience. He, he just had a shocker all weekend. That said, he's in his third year of Formula 1, and I think that Mark is - and Ann - Webber, are there, they're the superpower in his stable, because a bit like, I guess, Keke, having been a driver, and then I had Martin Brundle as my manager for 10 years, because I wanted someone that understood what it was to be in a grand prix car. SJ: Webber lived this, this scenario, with Vettel. DC: Yeah! Mark Webber went toe to toe with Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel... Almost won the world championship, was leading it going into the final race of the season. And then that particular race, the only time that Vettel led the world championship was after the final grand prix, and he was world champion, so. Again that sliding doors-type scenario. But uhm... Oscar has led the championship for so long that it just feels like he's going to get the title, but I think that Lando would be the better champion for McLaren, because Zac has been his manager for several years, he's been with the team for longer, you know... SJ: Sounds like you're insinuating that McLaren favour Lando [?] DC: Yeah, but not as much as Ron did Mika! It just feels that he would be the- you know, he's just done an amazing photoshoot for GQ, confirming that he is, you know, a man for everybody. SJ: I think it was UK Vogue, but... DC: Yeah, okay. Well, you do the details, I'll just do the basic story. SJ: No but I, I, really he is, like, an absolute superstar, everybody loves Lando. The drivers are very, very different - Lando, all heart; Oscar, super analytical, he's like a shark, so... Do you think- DC: Shall we ask Ray Charles what he thinks?
Ray Charles being Mika, of course, who still had his sunglasses on.
SJ: What do you think, Mika, who is it gonna be? MH: I experienced, when I joined Formula 1, the first two, three years, you know... You start, middle of season, you start losing a little bit your energy, you start making mistakes. And in our time there was a grand prix- what, 17, 16 grands prix? And now it's 24. So, season's of course longer and more challenging, races are all over the place in the world, so you're constantly travelling, you're constantly in hotels. You have not only the grand prix [?] the sprint race also. So for the drivers it's much harder to keep your focus all the way through the year. Lando has got experience, he has made mistakes, I believe he has learned from his mistakes, and Oscar is still developing, you know. So, very interesting to see what's going to happen now the rest of the season. The last grand prix is a good example of what can happen when you make a mistake. So, again, it's not fair, [?] but this is the winner, it's impossible to say, anything can happen. But, experience is something worth, I believe is strong, power of strength to... [?] SJ: So possibly Lando. He's got a bit of an uphill battle, doesn't he, he's 25 points in his wake. And everyone keeps whispering Max Verstappen, who's 69 points- DC: Good number.
Apart from DC vocalising what I was thinking regarding the 69, I found Mika's answer incredibly interesting, and with recent developments I no longer doubt anything he predicts, no matter how ludicrous it might sound.
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Nature or nurture?
SJ: This is for both of you guys: nature or nurture? Which has had the biggest influence on your success in F1? Is it about natural talent or hard work? MH: Hm. [?] DC: Well, I often say this, uhm, uh... I don't know what the name of the song is, from Robbie Williams, but there's a line in the song that goes 'you can't manufacture a miracle'. And I think the exceptionals - I think people like Mika, who I recognise was exceptional, or Michael or Lewis or Max - these guys have that exceptional talent. And some of them work harder than others. Michael worked incredibly hard, uhm... Mika eventually worked incredibly hard. Uhm.. Kimi actually is the outlier there, because he never worked hard [?] world title. But... I don't want to appear like I'm singling out one person, but Lance Stroll [?] SJ: No, because Lawrence Stroll is gonna have you killed. DC: Lance has done- he's won at everything. And the way it's been structured has been incredible, but just 'cos you've won at everything doesn't mean you will win in Formula 1. Formula 1 sits, you know, as a unique part of motorsport because there's more media pressure, there's more fan engagement, there's so much more than- Some great drivers can't handle that pressure, and the exceptionals just cut through and... I can't remember the question now 'cos the beer has kicked in...
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Someone asked: if there were two cars outside right now and Mika and David got in each one, which one of them would win.
Mika: "I'm a bit lighter than him, so..."
I was surprised, because usually it's DC throwing around weight jabs. DC looked surprised too lmao
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They were asked for their best Kimi story. I won't lie, I was disappointed when DC took over to tell a story he's told before, albeit with some interesting differences: [link to the other version]
DC says this happened at Ron Dennis' 60th birthday party, but I think he's mixed up, as Ron turned 60 in 2007, by which time Kimi was already in Ferrari, and DC hadn't been his teammate since 2004.
SJ: Give us your best Kimi Räikkönen story. That's from Ashley. You have a few of those up your sleeve. DC: Well, actually, can I run with that, because we were at an event together. It was Ron Dennis' 60th, I think? He had [?] for a golf course in the south of France. And he'd decided that the theme was everyone was going to be typically French-dressed. So I'm talking berets and the [?], moustaches and onions or garlic or whatever around your neck. So... it must have been a perversion, maybe Ron watched 'Allo 'Allo a lot. So we're all dressed up and the party's [?] and in the after-party, the band or the DJ's on stage, and Mika and everyone else, Ron, Mansour Ojjeh, who was one of the owners of McLaren at that time, were all out dancing where you are. And Kimi climbs up on stage and he's doing a little dance and then he decides to do a stage jump. So, you know, I'm [?] showing my moves. And then I realise he's running towards me. So I go [*steps aside*]. Anyway, he hits the deck. And he's in one of those sort of crime scenes [?] he doesn't move! He literally doesn't move. So you can imagine Ron, who is in love with Finns... Stop the music, stop the music, and everybody, you know, stand back, stand back. And he stays down for a long time, like an uncomfortably long time. And I'm like 'Yesss. Another Finn out the door.' He jumps up, he gets a hold of my shirt and goes, 'You're not a teammate, you're a fucking asshole.' He starts to wind one up. Mika steps in and is going, 'No, Kimi, Kimi, Kimi, have a vodka, have a vodka.' The weirdest thing. And then the next day he's chatting away, well he didn't really chat, but he was acting completely normal. But he was like, this close to taking on this jawline.
Both Michael and Kimi wanted to punch DC at one point, and both became Ferrari champions... Coincidence? //jk jk
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Did Lewis make a mistake going to Ferrari? The answer may shock you.
SJ: Has Lewis Hamilton made a terrible, terrible mistake going to Ferrari? MH: Well, he... he has made a good deal, for sure. SJ: Financially, of course, but then again I don't think Lewis Hamilton needs more money, [how much does he need?] I mean, this is all about the racing, it's the glory of racing for Ferrari, but let's be honest, it's been the dampest of squibs. It's crazy, it was so exciting, but it has not delivered for Lewis and, you know, for the fans. MH: Yeah, I think it's brilliant what he did. I think in Mercedes he saw that they beginning to [?] Russell was extremely fast and he was beating Lewis quite [a few times?] SJ: Yeah. He was. MH:... and Lewis decided this is now the right time to motivate myself to get with a new team. But same is happening now in Ferrari, so, Leclerc is doing a better job. SJ: Were you surprised by that? [?] MH: I was surprised. I was surprised. SJ: I think we all were. MH: But, definitely, he must, he is thinking at the moment and is... I mean, if you... I think, I think he did the right thing at the end of the day, you know. Go to Ferrari and to get this, maybe it was his- probably it was his dream to go to Ferrari one day and now he is... he tick the box and... done! SJ: Well we- we saw the dream turn into a nightmare, I think I'm right in saying, it was Hungary where he had, you know, pretty much a public meltdown in the media pen, and you're just thinking oh my god this is bad, this is a really bad situation. DC: Yeah, it's difficult, when you know Lewis has been so exceptional, he's achieved an incredible amount within the sport, and helped grow the sport in many territories. But as I said earlier, motor racing is stopwatch and chequered flag. And sport is brilliant in that way, isn't it? You know, we love our favourite sports guys, but when they're not performing we have no problem when the manager puts them on the bench, because you need your football team to win, and you need your whatever-it-is team to win, so sentiment has a place, but it doesn't overtake performance. And the exceptionals - coming back again, sorry to sound like a broken record - the exceptionals always have speed. And when you lose the speed - maybe it's a little bit like a footballer losing a yard of football. You've still got all the skills, but you just don't have that ability to get on the ball. So, Lewis winning in a Ferrari - a grand prix - would be global news. But this isn't a sympathy championship, it's a reality world championship. And the only way you can win grands prix and win a championship, and I know this well, is to beat your teammate. [*to Mika*] You bastard.
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Steve followed this up with the idea that every driver dreams of driving for Ferrari. Mika said it wasn't like that for him, that he was pretty loyal to McLaren and that when there was an opportuniy to go to Ferrari, it didn't make sense with Michael there. Steve asked why didn't it make sense, would you beat him and he'd veto you? And Mika said no, just that Michael had his people there to support him.
Which I think was a smart move, regardless of how much I'd have loved seeing them as teammates. Why leave McLaren where Ron Dennis loves you to go to Ferrari where Jean Todt loves Michael?
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Someone asked DC why he loves white chinos so much. He said they look sharp on television (although he admitted that they can distract if they're tight enough in high def tv) but that he isn't wearing them quite as often, because "I'm 54, and I'm not quite farting with the same confidence."
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This is the one audio where you can hear me laugh :p
SJ: Uh, who is the greatest McLaren driver of all time? DC: Senna. MH: Yeah. [*proceeds to smirk and silently point at himself*]
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And on that bombshell, that's the end. Hope you enjoyed it. :)
