“Just needs to rediscover his motivation” – Former world champion Mika Hakkinen believes Daniel Ricciardo will find his mojo again during his break from F1


“Just needs to rediscover his motivation” – Former world champion Mika Hakkinen believes Daniel Ricciardo will find his mojo again during his break from F1

Mika Hakkinen expresses his faith in Daniel Ricciardo to make a strong comeback in F1

Mika Hakkinen is a two-time Formula 1 world champion, who was even referred to as ‘The Flying Finn,’ as the 54-year-old showcased his immense talent at the pinnacle of motorsport. Hakkinen is remembered as one of the handful of drivers who stood out even during the era of Michael Schumacher’s domination. The Finn left the sport at the end of the 2001 season, in what he called a ‘sabbatical’ with the intention of making a comeback to F1, however as it stands in 2022, we are still waiting for Hakkinen’s return.

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Hakkinen recently tweeted about Daniel Ricciardo’s break from Formula 1 as the Australian driver takes time off after being ousted by McLaren for 2023, Danny has taken a reserve role at Red Bull to stay connected to the F1 paddock. Hakkinen mentioned the need for Ricciardo to have a break from the sport after the rough times at McLaren. The Finn tweeted, “For Daniel Ricciardo, after some years in #F1 a break – or even a sabattical, just a bit shorter than mine – can be important.” Mika made a cheeky dig at his own ongoing sabbatical.

Mika had a long and successful career with McLaren

The 54-year-old stated his faith in the Aussie to rediscover himself during this period, and was sure that Daniel will be back stronger, Mika said, “He is a good driver, who has had a couple of tough seasons and just needs to rediscover his motivation. I am sure he can bounce back” The Finn certainly believes the ex-McLaren driver has a lot left in him and if given the right opportunity in the future, Danny Ric can prove the critics wrong. Daniel is hopeful about getting a drive in a competitive team for 2024 after spending a year on the sidelines with Red Bull.

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Mika Hakkinen is impressed by Max Verstappen’s total domination in 2022

Daniel will be doing show runs for the Austrian team next year, with appearances in some of the bigger races on the calendar

Mika is one of the most hard-to-impress people when it comes to Formula 1, being one of the only 3 Finns to become an F1 world champion does make someone critical. Yet after Max Verstappen’s victory at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, the two-time world champion was amazed by the Dutch driver’s consistency as Max won his 15th race of the year, the most in history. Hakkinen stated, “Someone pointed out to me that in 1988 Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna won 15 Grands Prix from 16 races for McLaren, so for Max to do that himself is quite fantastic.” A proof of Verstappen’s brilliance this year.

Hakkinen went on to praise the Red Bull driver, mentioning the comeback Max made after suffering from reliability issues which led to the 25-year-old having 2 DNFs at the start of the year. The Finn acknowledged the Red Bull driver’s consistency all year round and said, “He has speed and consistency, the car has been quick all year and, once they got past those small reliability problems at the start of 2022, it’s been incredible.”

Mika Hakkinen may not be returning from his now decades-long sabbatical in F1 but he sure stays updated about the happenings in the paddock, with the two-time world champion sharing his wisdom regularly with his fans and drivers alike. Certainly, he is one of the few individuals whose opinions cannot be taken for granted. We hope the 54-year-old is correct about Daniel getting back his groove and coming back to Formula 1 after a shorter break than Mika.

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