Mika Hakkinen has explained why his rivalry with David Coulthard at McLaren never developed into serious tension, even after the two team-mates collided during the 1999 Austrian Grand Prix. The two-time Formula 1 world champion believes both drivers understood that holding a grudge would only damage their shared opportunity to achieve success with McLaren.
Formula 1 history is filled with intense rivalries between team-mates, some of which have become as famous as the championship battles themselves. Perhaps the most obvious McLaren example is Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna at the end of the 1980s, but the Woking team experienced a very different dynamic when Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard shared the garage during the following decade.
Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard kept their McLaren rivalry under control
Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard both played important roles in one of McLaren’s most successful periods, with the Finnish driver winning back-to-back World Championships in 1998 and 1999. Their relationship was inevitably competitive, but it never descended into the kind of bitter conflict seen between some other high-profile Formula 1 team-mates.
Their ability to move beyond difficult moments was discussed by David Coulthard on the Up to Speed podcast, with the 1999 Austrian Grand Prix providing one of the clearest examples.
At Spielberg, David Coulthard made contact with Mika Hakkinen on the opening lap, spinning his team-mate around while the Finn was fighting for the World Championship. Hakkinen dropped to the back before producing a recovery drive to third, while David Coulthard finished second behind Ferrari’s Eddie Irvine.
Despite the significance of the incident, Mika Hakkinen explained that there was little value in allowing it to damage their relationship.
“It’s part of racing. It’s part of being team-mates. It’s absolutely normal. But for some reason, we both knew there was a future, a future where we could be successful together,” the two-time world champion explained.
“We could do great things for the team, so there’s no point holding a grudge for two or three months. Let’s resolve it, move on and get back to racing.”
Hakkinen explains how McLaren moved past the Austria clash
McLaren management also helped the drivers move beyond the incident, but Mika Hakkinen stressed that the contact itself had not caused serious damage to either car.
“Yes, we received support from the management. But everything was fine and, as you said, when you touched me at the Austrian Grand Prix, it was only a small contact. You didn’t break my car and you didn’t break yours. So we were able to move on.”
The partnership between Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard ultimately remained productive for McLaren, with both drivers contributing to the team’s success during one of its strongest periods. The 1998 season in particular produced several memorable battles involving the McLaren pair and Ferrari, including the 1998 Hungarian Grand Prix battle with Michael Schumacher.
David Coulthard compares Hakkinen rivalry with Norris and Piastri
David Coulthard sees similarities between his partnership with Mika Hakkinen and the more recent relationship between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at McLaren.
“If we look at the modern drivers, I think the closest example to what we experienced as team-mates is what we’ve seen with Norris and Piastri,” David Coulthard said.
“Last year there were several occasions when they almost made contact. There were several times when the team tried to manage the drivers’ expectations.”
The Norris-Piastri partnership has similarly required McLaren to balance the ambitions of two highly competitive drivers while protecting the interests of the team. That challenge remains central to the modern McLaren Formula 1 project, particularly as both drivers continue competing near the front.
For Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard, the key was understanding that internal competition did not have to become personal. Even after an incident as significant as their clash in Austria, both recognised that moving forward together offered McLaren – and themselves – a better chance of success.
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