Hakkinen backs ‘best team out there’ McLaren for F1 title glory

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Two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen believes that McLaren is poised to dominate the final eight races of the 2024 season.

McLaren has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence this year,and has succeeded in positioning itself as a serious contender for F1’s Constructors’ championship, with just eight points separating team papaya from Red Bull, the series’ leader.

Furthermore, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are in the running for the Drivers’ title, with the pair currently sitting respectively 62 and 86 points behind Max Verstappen in the standings.

Hakkinen, who won his F1 titles with McLaren in 1998 and 1999, has been impressed by the Woking-based outfit’s progress and feels they are now the best-equipped to finish the season on top.

McLaren's competitive package, driven by a series of successful upgrades, has already secured three victories this season, and Hakkinen believes there’s more to come.

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“They are the best team out there, and this is the most exciting time, in my opinion, to see what's going to happen for the rest of the season,” Hakkinen told Unibet.

“Are they going to just flat-out dominate? I hope they will. Or are there going to be some other teams upgrading their cars? I don't think so.

“I think McLaren has tools, and they have drivers, they have the designers, they have the management, they have the mega, fantastic partners financing this great, great team.

“So I don't think anybody is going to catch them.”

Two-time F1World Champion Mika Hakkinen.

Hakkinen also praised the incredible turnaround McLaren has achieved over the past two years.

After a difficult start to the 2023 season, McLaren enjoyed a significant transformation, and Hakkinen credits the team’s leadership for steering the ship back toward success.

“If you look back quite a few years, the success of the McLaren has been very poor,” he said. “Looking at last year, I think they qualified at one of the first Grands Prix on the last row.

“It's incredible to see that the team has a focus. The team has understanding to say ‘what do we need to get into position to win races?’

“That has been mega work for the management of the team, to be able to motivate the drivers, to make the drivers understand, ‘yes, we will get there - just please, patience, please work hard'.

“Including engineers, the mechanics, the designers, the marketing - to make them to believe, 'yes, we are gonna get there, it takes time'.

“It takes so many years, but now look where they are.”

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.