Mika Hakkinen predicts McLaren’s victory

Mika Hakkinen, two-time world champion, commented in his own way on the news of the past weeks and also shared his predictions for the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix.

Flavio Briatore has returned to the paddock to join Alpine and it will be interesting to watch. He is a bright character, a successful entrepreneur and knows Formula 1 very well.

Flavio was the team manager when it was called Benetton and then Renault and won championships with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. Of course, he is also involved in racing careers, and in this field he is an important figure. First of all, it is necessary to note his role in Alonso’s professional life.

Briatore is a player. But the press will now remind him of what happened in Singapore in 2008 – that scandal was called Crashgate (ie relatively speaking ‘an accident-related scandal’). However, Luca de Meo, the head of the Renault group, now needs someone who can give the Alpine program in Formula 1 a clear direction, and the very fact that he turned to Flavio is interesting in its own way.

To succeed in Formula 1 you need an effective strategy, and Briatore will help the team identify its strengths and weaknesses. One thing is certain: he will tell Renault exactly how to act.

Although I have never driven in F1 for a team managed by Flavio, I did test drive a Benetton car at Silverstone as part of the reward for winning the 1990 British F3 Championship. I can remember I still remember all this very well, because that was the first time I got behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car.

Alessandro Nannini, the Benetton driver, did a few laps before handing the car over to me and I felt the incredible power and grip he had on the track. The tests went well and I had a lot of fun.

During my years at McLaren, Benetton was one of our main rivals, so it is good to see that Renault is still committed to making Alpine a successful team. But everyone understands that Formula 1 is incredibly difficult and the level of competition here is as high as possible. Finding the right approach to challenge Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari will not be easy.

Solving this challenge requires hard work, serious investments and attention to all the nuances of all aspects of the team’s work. However, it cannot be said that this is an unsolvable problem.

Many events will take place during the race

The Austrian weekend program includes sprints, which means that the teams must be in good shape from the very start of Friday training and get to work on the track without wasting any time. Any technical issues will affect competitiveness, and the pressure experienced by racers, engineers and mechanics will become even greater.

The Red Bull Ring has a very short lap, with cars completing it in just over a minute – the qualifying record at the Austrian circuit, by the way, belongs to Valtteri Bottas.

Three of the ten corners there have to be taken at full throttle, but the good news is that there are three points in Spielberg where overtaking is very possible: they are located before the first, third and fourth corners. So there will be a lot of events on this circuit during the race.

When tuning the car, it is very important to ensure that it copes well with turns 9 and 10 – then it will be easier for you to repel the attacks of your opponents and overtake.

The weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday is for temperatures in the high 30s, which means the asphalt will heat up to 50 degrees or more. As tyre manufacturers Pirelli have brought the softest rubber compounds to Austria, teams may be faced with the need to monitor wear, which will also be a factor that will affect results. This circuit has abrasive asphalt and although the lateral loads on the tyres will not be the highest, it is important to prevent them from overheating.

Mika’s prediction

Max Verstappen has had to work very hard to win races of late and although he is considered the favorite for Red Bull’s home base in Austria, expect McLaren and Ferrari to do their best to challenge him.

Last weekend in Spain Lando Norris drove excellently, he has already gained momentum and confidence in his abilities, which is very important. I won in Austria in 1998 and 2000. and I do not rule out that McLaren will also win in 2024. The machine allows it and Lando is hungry for success.

Source: F1 News

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