Mika Hakkinen has set his sights of completing a quartet of Spanish victories on Sunday, declaring: "My championship starts here!" The Finn is looking to kick-start his title bid on Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, where he has won for the past three years. Hakkinen heads into the fifth race of the 17-race season trailing joint championship leaders David Coulthard and Michael Schumacher by a massive 22 points.
And with only four points to his name so far, the two-time former champion insisted: "I hope my season will start here. I am very optimistic and positive about this grand prix. I have not been able to win a race so far this year and I will be trying my maximum to win this one. It is always vital to get on the podium but my target is just to get the maximum performance I can from myself and the car."
Hakkinen was in a similar situation last year, when he trailed Schumacher by 24 points after just three races. The Helsinki-born racer produced a mid-season surge to regain the lead in the standings, but was denied only the second title hat-trick in history as Schumacher won the last four races. Hakkinen knows the fact he has done it before is a boost, but he admits he faces a difficult job getting the better of Ferrari's Schumacher and McLaren team-mate Coulthard.
He added: "I can get the points back. It gives me confidence knowing that if I can maintain the speed and consistency I can be there at the end of the season. I do have the experience from last year, but I know it is going to be difficult to be there fighting it out at the end. It is a big gap at the moment and it is really difficult to start working hard and really trying and performing at 100 per cent. David has driven extremely well since the start of the season. He has finished every grand prix on the podium and won in Brazil. He has done a fantastic job for himself and for the team."
Coulthard has finished second to Hakkinen for the past three years, including last season just days after he miraculously escaped unhurt after his private jet crashed in France, killing both pilots. Now the 30-year-old Scot, enjoying his best ever start to a campaign, is determined to get the better of his team-mate this time round. But Coulthard knows that Hakkinen will be a major threat to his hopes of finally being crowned world champion. Coulthard added: "I am very well aware of the fact that Mika has done well on this circuit. Mika is a highly-motivated and quick racing driver and anyone who doubts that has not been watching him over the past eight or nine seasons he's been in Formula One. I am driving well this year and he is having some bad luck, but I will be looking for a win this weekend." (PA)
Filed by Shane Murray
