Hakkinen Tips Hamilton to Be Next World Champion for Mclaren

Mika Hakkinen, the last man to win a world championship at the wheel of a McLaren, said yesterday that he believed Lewis Hamilton was now ready to claim the title in only his second season of formula one competition.

The Finn, now 39, contested 161 grands prix in a career lasting from 1991 to 2001 and won consecutive world championships in 1998 and '99. He also closely identifies with the wild fluctuations in form displayed by Hamilton over the past few races and remembers how hard he himself had to work to temper his out-and-out speed with the restraint required to produce consistent results.

"I can relate what is happening now to Lewis to when I was racing," said Hakkinen, who was present at Hockenheim on Sunday where Hamilton delivered another convincing victory in the German grand prix, the first McLaren win at the circuit near Heidelberg since Hakkinen's triumph in 1998.

Hakkinen's remarks follow the ringing endorsement of Hamilton's racing potential offered earlier this week by Niki Lauda, another former McLaren world champion, who said he thought it was possible that the young British driver could become "unbeatable" on the formula one scene.

"When I was a young guy at McLaren I was flat out, always at the maximum," Hakkinen told autosport.com. "Sometimes the excitement took over my thinking and there were times when I went over the top, I made mistakes.

"It took time for me to stabilize myself and calm down a little, and then I got the results. That is now the situation with Lewis. He has calmed down and is stable, more mature.

"There is still a way to go this year and a lot of things can happen. It is a long time since I won McLaren's last title, but I am hopeful this year they can do it."

Hakkinen, who developed a strong personal bond with the McLaren chairman, Ron Dennis, throughout his time with the team, also said he believed that the reason they are sustaining their current competitive momentum is largely due to the strong sense of self-belief engendered within the organization. "They just have to keep working, thinking positively," said Hakkinen. "Formula one always changes from race to race, it has always been like that and always will be. Drivers are developing all the time. They are improving, getting faster, and if you keep pushing then you get the results like Lewis did here. What happened a few races ago has all changed again and the pressure is on another camp."

Hakkinen is also impressed by the way in which Dennis and the Mercedes-Benz motorsport chief, Norbert Haug, have shaped the spirit at McLaren.

"What Ron and Norbert have done is brought together two fantastically talented young drivers [in Hamilton and his new team-mate Heikki Kovalainen]," he said. "They are fast, they motivate the whole team, and they are getting better, stronger, more solid, more stable - they deliver the whole package.

"I can see right now McLaren Mercedes are a solid team, positive in terms of spirit both behind the scenes and on the track. I can sense that, just by being around the teams these days."

How they match up

MIKA HAKKINEN

F1 debut 1991

Debut age 22

Races 161

Races until first win 97

F1 record:

1991 Lotus 15th

1992 Lotus 8th

1993 McLaren 15th

1994 McLaren 4th

1995 McLaren 7th

1996 McLaren 5th

1997 McLaren 6th

1998 McLaren 1st

1999 McLaren 1st

2000 McLaren 2nd

2001 McLaren 5th

LEWIS HAMILTON

F1 debut 2007

Debut age 22

Races 27

Races until first win 6

F1 record:

2007 McLaren joint 2nd