Häkkinen talks about the sound of V6s, double points, Red Bull, and Schumacher

Mika Häkkinen, known for his legendary reserve, has spoken about several significant topics in recent months in F1, starting with the double points rule which he considers a bad idea: « I raced in Formula 1 for 10 years and won the World Championship twice. In both of those seasons, the title was decided during the last Grand Prix. With the new rule, it could be catastrophic – I would have lost those two championships because of it. »

He acknowledges that the sound of the new engines is much quieter but thinks it’s part of the normal evolution of things: « Undeniably, the sound is not as loud as it used to be. I’ve heard the V12, the V10, and the V8, but with the V6, the sound has been drastically reduced. Although it’s different, I would say that F1 is constantly evolving. They had to consider many different elements, such as the environment, etc., so in a sense, it is understandable. »

He is not entirely categorical about the announced domination of the 2014 season by Mercedes: « I would say that the main issue for the rest of the season remains reliability. Indeed, during a few Grand Prix, teams will not bring the cars back to the factory. So they won’t change the engine or the gearbox. With the new regulations, reliability plays a much bigger role. I think after 4 or 5 Grand Prix, we will have a much better idea of the different contenders for the title. »

He thinks that Red Bull, despite a difficult start, will come back during the season: « They had very poor winter testing and didn’t score any points in the first race. But they have a very good team, a solid financial foundation. They will certainly come back very strong, but when? We’ll have to wait and see. »

Regarding Michael Schumacher’s accident, he seemed very affected and simply hopes that his former rival pulls through: « With the risks we have to take every day in Formula 1, for something like this to happen to Michael, it’s hard to believe and understand. We just have to hope he wakes up and gets back to his family. »