Mika Hakkinen says his McLaren partnership with David Coulthard survived on-track collisions because both drivers believed in the team's championship potential. The pair logged two titles for Hakkinen and a constructors' crown for McLaren between 1998 and 2001, but not without friction — most notably the 1999 Austrian GP first-lap incident when Coulthard tagged Hakkinen into a spin from pole, handed the lead to Ferrari's Eddie Irvine, and later finished second while Hakkinen clawed back to third. "We both knew that there is a future in which we can succeed together," Hakkinen said on the Up To Speed podcast. "There is no point in carrying that anger for two or three months." Coulthard drew a parallel to McLaren's current lineup, calling Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri the closest modern equivalent — two fast drivers the team has to manage through moments when they "almost touched."
Read the full story at Motorsport.comMIKA HAKKINEN REVEALS WHY MCLAREN RIVALRY WITH DAVID COULTHARD NEVER BOILED OVER
Mika Hakkinen says his McLaren partnership with David Coulthard survived on-track collisions because both drivers believed in the team's championship potential. The pair logged two titles for Hakkinen and a constructors' crown for McLaren between 1998 and 2001, but not without friction — most notably the 1999 Austrian GP first-lap incident when Coulthard tagged Hakkinen into a spin from pole, handed the lead to Ferrari's Eddie Irvine, and later finished second while Hakkinen clawed back to third. "We both knew that there is a future in which we can succeed together," Hakkinen said on the Up To Speed podcast. "There is no point in carrying that anger for two or three months." Coulthard drew a parallel to McLaren's current lineup, calling Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri the closest modern equivalent — two fast drivers the team has to manage through moments when they "almost touched."
