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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMika Hakkinen and David Coulthard during the 1998 season. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMika Hakkinen and David Coulthard during the 1998 season. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
At the 1998 Australian Grand Prix, David Coulthard famously moved aside from the lead to let teammate Mika Hakkinen through with only three laps remaining, sparking streams of controversy at the time.<\/p>\n
The moment came after a pit stop issue dropped Hakkinen behind Coulthard during the race, with the Scot moving aside to honour a pre-race understanding: whoever reached the first corner first would win \u2014 something Hakkinen had done, leading his teammate away from pole.<\/p>\n
It was a moment that bewildered the F1 fraternity, highlighting not just that such an agreement was possible, but that teammates could so openly adhere to it.<\/p>\n
Nearly 30 years later, that moment at Albert Park still follows Hakkinen.<\/p>\n
It is a story the two-time world champion is now telling again, live on stage, as he prepares to bring his speaking tour with Coulthard to Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a deal. Deal is deal,\u201d Hakkinen told Speedcafe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an agreement. It didn\u2019t come random from the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hakkinen is unequivocal about the distinction between what played out in Melbourne and how modern McLaren has managed internal dynamics under its \u2018Papaya Rules\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid is a gentleman. If something\u2019s agreed, he will stick on that agreement,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think that is fantastic and that\u2019s why David had such a great career in Formula 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why David is still massively part of Formula 1, for these reasons. Because he keeps his promises.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe keeps his promise what he says. We had our agreement, like in that year \u201998 in Melbourne. And he did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That difference \u2014 between a pre-agreed understanding and a spontaneous call from the pit wall \u2014 is, in Hakkinen\u2019s view, what separates trust from controversy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really challenging, all these if you let your teammate overtake. Very painful situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have that written in a contract, that is no discussion. It\u2019s very easy. That has been agreed before the race. It\u2019s painful. But it has been agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it comes randomly from the team that has not been discussed, and they ask you to move over to let your teammate overtake, there has to be bloody good reason after the race of what\u2019s going on. Especially if it is a situation with a championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re fighting for second, third, fourth, fifth, it doesn\u2019t matter honestly. If it is challenging for the world championship, that is a different thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those themes of trust, rivalry, and pressure underpin Hakkinen and Coulthard\u2019s partnership, which spanned 99 grands prix at McLaren \u2014 the third-longest teammate pairing in F1 history.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard raced together 99 times between 1996 and 2001. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were racing many, many years together in the same team and fighting who\u2019s going to be first,\u201d Hakkinen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFighting one tenth of the second. I want to be better than you one tenth of the second, studying your data, working with the people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the 1000s of people working, motivating everybody for years and years and years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hakkinen added the intensity of that environment \u2014 particularly in the late 1990s \u2014 is often underestimated when such decisions are viewed through a modern lens.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat requires massive physical preparation. Psychological preparation. And only one of us can win,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen our ego was absolutely flat out high.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Melbourne \u201998 is often portrayed as a turning point, Hakkinen insists it did not decide the championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid could have been world champion \u201998, but he had lots of failures,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I had lots of failures, but some reason [his were] just was a bit more.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to use the word luck was more in my side, but it just worked better in my side.\u201d<\/p>\n
The live tour itself was born from reflection on how that rivalry eventually softened into friendship \u2014 and how rare that evolution is at the top of F1.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time when I meet David and we\u2019re having a chat, we are smiling, we are laughing about our silly things what we did in the past,\u201d Hakkinen admitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are laughing our serious commitment what we had.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why we came to this conclusion that we must do this kind of tour. And I think Formula 1 is very popular at the moment. It\u2019s more popular than ever.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrive to Survive in Netflix has made a big impact for the fans everywhere in Europe and in the whole world.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we thought that I think this is the right time to ourselves to go and talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those reflections have resonated strongly with fans during their tour through Britain and Ireland last year, with some events attracting more than 2,000 people \u2014 a response that has surprised even the drivers themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think all those 2000 people came to see David Coulthard!\u201d Hakkinen joked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course it is brilliant. And like I said, people love stories. People love to hear the stories.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened. How you guys were able to handle this, all this racing and this pressure and this danger when there was not these kind of safety systems in a car.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think that has a huge impact.<\/p>\n
He added the passion and interest of the fans has helped connect the pair\u2019s era to today\u2019s world of F1.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the fans are very smart,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey understand the history keeps repeating itself. So whatever they can learn from the history can make them smarter for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if they are fans of Formula 1, it\u2019s good to come to have a listen what we have to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hakkinen also hinted that not every flashpoint from his partnership with Coulthard has yet been aired, with some to be revealed during their Australian visit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere must be not only one, but more situations where we didn\u2019t agree with the plan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think I need to wait. I need to wait when I come to Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hakkinen and Coulthard will visit Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth, as well as Auckland, between March 1 and 11.<\/p>\n
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