Some 25 years have now handed since a drama-filled Formulation 1 marketing campaign that is still etched within the reminiscences of drivers, group members and followers. An exciting battle between giants McLaren and Ferrari, Michael Schumacher being sidelined by a heavy crash (on this exact day), underdog groups triumphing and the title getting determined on the very remaining race – the 1999 season had twists and turns aplenty. In a particular reflective characteristic mini-series, we caught up with a number of personalities concerned in F1’s fiftieth 12 months for a particular journey down reminiscence lane. Right here’s the primary instalment…
McLaren versus Ferrari – the rematch
F1 followers had been supplied an indication of issues to come back in 1998 when McLaren and Ferrari, and Mika Hakkinen and Schumacher, went head-to-head for title glory – the Woking operation and their Finnish driver rising victorious. At McLaren, with a design division led by the already extremely revered Adrian Newey, the group had been approaching the newest peak of their illustrious F1 historical past, however at Ferrari, a rebuilding part underneath Jean Todt and Ross Brawn’s management was but to bear the final word fruit, with the Maranello drive final profitable the constructors’ title in 1983 and the drivers’ crown in 1979. The 1999 season served as a rematch, with Hakkinen and McLaren seeking to proceed the place they left off, and Schumacher and Ferrari hoping {that a} fourth marketing campaign collectively would deliver the following step.
Mika Hakkinen, McLaren driver: “After I turned world champion, my confidence degree went up in a giant means… I had large confidence. I bear in mind I had a really busy winter with advertising work. With out sponsors, there isn’t any racing, so we wanted to work arduous. Whenever you received you needed to work practically tougher with the sponsors than if you had been shedding! However my confidence was excessive and, on the very first take a look at of 1999, I went into the paddock, I regarded on the mechanics, they checked out me with a smile on their faces, and so they had been like, ‘Come on, let’s go for it’. We didn’t must say something, it was simply the impression on our faces that we did it and we may do it once more.”
BEYOND THE GRID: Mika Hakkinen on Schumacher, Senna and restoration from harm
Mark Arnall, Mika Hakkinen’s efficiency coach: “It was a giant combat between Mika and Michael in 1998. I believe after you’ve been in that type of state of affairs, and also you’ve received the championship, there’s at all times that expectation that so long as the automobile’s good, you’re going to hold on with that momentum. I believe from a preparation viewpoint, we didn’t actually do something in another way. The automobile was nonetheless nice in 1999, Adrian was clearly nonetheless working with the group [as Technical Director], and [the whole performance] was simply an evolution of ‘98.”
