Mika Hakkinen yesterday announced he is to quit Formula One for an indefinite break, with his place at McLaren being taken next year by fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen.
Hakkinen's departure comes as no surprise as the Finn has suffered a dreadful season in which he had taken just one win and less than half the points' total of team-mate David Coulthard. What is surprising is Hakkinen's apparent intention to return to the sport in the future.
Hakkinen insists his move out of the sport is simply a break and he intends to return. "The intensity of my career has become increasingly difficult for those around me," he said. "Whilst this year has been difficult for me and the team, these experiences have not guided my decision to take this break. I asked the team for a break, which would be a good way to recharge my batteries. I know I will have to work hard to return after my break but I know that I want to return to McLaren Mercedes."
Hakkinen's career at McLaren began in 1993, after the Finn had made his mark with two years at Lotus. After a troubled first year with the then Ford-powered team Hakkinen began to prove his worth. In 1994, armed with a new Peugeot powerplant, he finished fourth in the championship and more was expected in 1995. It was a year that ended in near tragedy.
At the Australian Grand Prix, Hakkinen had an almost fatal crash. After a long winter spent in recuperation Hakkinen toiled through an unproductive 1996.
With the aid of Mercedes power, however, and with the arrival of former Williams designer Adrian Newey, things were beginning to come together at McLaren and by the end of 1997 Hakkinen had scored his maiden win in Jerez and was on the cusp of his greatest achievement, the 1998 world title. He repeated the feat a year later despite strong opposition from Irishman Eddie Irvine, who pushed the Finn to a final race showdown in Japan after Ferrari's Michael Schumacher had been sidelined by a crash at Silverstone in July.
The last two years have not been kind to the Finn, with a troubled 2000 ending in championship defeat by Michael Schumacher in Japan and an even more difficult 2001 campaign being blighted by a string of disastrous results. His place at McLaren in 2002 will be taken by 22-year-old compatriot Kimi Raikkonen.
The duration of Raikkonen's contract with McLaren remains unknown, but last week it was believed McLaren would sign the Sauber pilot on a six-year deal. If Raikkonen has, indeed, contracted himself to McLaren for at the very least five years, Hakkinen's return to McLaren looks an even more unlikely prospect. McLaren also confirmed yesterday they will retain the services of David Coulthard for 2002.
On track yesterday, both sessions, which were staged earlier than normal to accommodate the observance of three minutes silence in remembrance of those who perished in the US in Tuesday's terrorist attacks, were predictably dominated by the twin Williams of Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, with the younger Schumacher setting the day's fastest time, some four tenths of a second clear of his Colombian team-mate.
Jordan's chances of repeating Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Monza victory of 1999 look unlikely. Jean Alesi was quickest of the yellow cars yesterday, finishing the day ninth, 1.1 seconds adrift of the younger Schumacher. Alesi's team-mate, Jarno Trulli, finished two places behind his team-mate.
Jordan Grand Prix is to give newly-crowned Formula 3000 champion Justin Wilson a test drive following this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, increasing speculation the Englishman may line up alongside Giancarlo Fisichella at the Irish squad next year.
Wilson became the first British driver to take the F3000 title when he wrapped up the championship at Spa two weeks ago having taken nine podium finishes from 11 races and a record number of points in a championship season.
