MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Two-time Formula One world champion Mika Hakkinen believes the sport should return to India, saying its sizeable fan base presents an opportunity for racing and business alike.
India hosted Formula One races from 2011 to 2013, with German driver Sebastian Vettel winning all three editions for Red Bull. Hakkinen said he recognised the scale of the sport’s following after visiting the country, where efforts are under way to bring the championship back.
“It is a beautiful opportunity for companies to come here in India and make a network and start doing business and vice versa,” Hakkinen said.
“It is not only the publicity, it is a business overall. And you know what, just do it, guys.”
Hakkinen, who won consecutive world titles in 1998 and 1999 during the era of Michael Schumacher, also praised Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who is challenging for this season’s championship.
The Finnish former driver said Mercedes had supported Antonelli’s development from an early age, helping the Italian build the experience needed to compete at the highest level.
“Kimi is definitely in a fantastic place. He is in a very good team and the team has already been taking care of him from a very young age,” Hakkinen said.
He added that raw talent alone was not enough to succeed in Formula One, where drivers must manage pressure, communicate effectively with engineers and cope with setbacks.
“You have to stay cool and calm and collective when you are racing. You need to be able to handle the pressure, and you need to be a great person to communicate with the engineers,” he said.
“Formula 1, most of the time, is (about) losing. You need to have a personality that way you can handle this losing.”
Hakkinen also praised Max Verstappen and Red Bull for their progress after a difficult start to the season, saying their development work had helped the team regain competitiveness.
“It doesn’t matter how good you are. If you don’t have the right machine, you cannot succeed,” he said. “Max and the team have done great work together to be able to lift the team where they are today.”
On Ferrari, Hakkinen expressed confidence in Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc while declining to read too much into the team’s public discussions.
The Finn said Ferrari had made encouraging technical progress and praised Hamilton’s driving, while noting that the team still had work to do to reach its ambitions.
