Mercedes takes Coultard out
For the last two seasons, Mika Häkkinen's only competitor in the fight for the Formula 1 title has been Michael Schumacher. But now he is not racing, and it seemed that Mika would win the current championship without any problems. However, at first Ferrari co-pilot Eddie Irvine did not agree with this, pushing the Finn to second place, and now Häkkinen’s quiet teammate David Coultard suddenly began to put a spoke in the wheels of the McLaren leader, not allowing him to win the Grand Prix on Sunday Belgium. Kommersant correspondent ALEXEY DOSPEKHOV reports from the Spa-Francochamps circuit.

In the Formula 1 World Championship calendar, the Belgian Grand Prix has always stood apart. The track configuration here provides the drivers with many overtaking opportunities, which is of course a crowd pleaser. In fact, the pilots themselves almost unanimously admit their love for the Spa circuit. In addition, frequent rains introduce an element of unpredictability into this race, which is so important for Formula 1. Suffice it to recall last year’s stage, when, thanks to the “efforts” of David Coultard in Belgium, those who were not supposed to win won.
The experts' forecasts before the stage were not particularly original. Almost everyone unreservedly admitted that the track in Spa seemed specially created for McLaren, and said that surprises were only possible if it rained. But the elements did not interfere, and everything ended almost as expected: McLaren won with a double. But the team pilots arrived at the finish line in an unusual order.
The main hero of the Belgian stage, like a year ago, was Coultard. True, if last season after the race a hail of criticism fell on him, since the Scot took everyone he could off the track, including Michael Schumacher, who was striving for victory, this time there was no reason to blame David for anything other than the desire to win. Even during qualifying, journalists present at the circuit began to suspect that Coultard would not be satisfied with the role of deputy prime minister: he fought too zealously for pole position. Actually, he was encouraged to do this by McLaren management, who announced that this time the spare car would go to Coultard, not Hakkinen. We can say that the Scot received the palm and took full advantage of his right. He failed to outpace Häkkinen in qualifying, but in the race he again behaved in such a way that the Mclaren boss had time to recall his entire stock of profanity. But Ron Dennis was surprisingly calm and looked as if nothing unexpected had happened, even though his pilots were on the verge of a double elimination.
Having started much better than Häkkinen, Coultard not only did not let him go ahead in the first turn, but almost carried him off the track, as had already happened at the Austrian Grand Prix. It seemed that an unexpected intrigue was unfolding in the race. But nothing of the sort happened. Those who saw the further development of events have every right to be disappointed: they never got to witness the intense battle and the expected large number of overtakings. The position of the drivers in the leading group did not change any more, and they arrived at the finish line in the same order in which they left the first turn. Based on the results of the race, Häkkinen took the championship lead from Eddie Irvine, who was content with fourth place in Belgium. Although, frankly speaking, Irvine should be happy with this too.
If the race itself was not characterized by intense passions, then after it something happened that no one expected. Hakkinen, who usually strictly follows the rules of corporate ethics, clearly lost his temper. He refused to shake Coultard's hand on the podium and generally preferred to quickly get out of the public eye. It should be noted that Mika behaved in approximately the same way at the Austrian Grand Prix, but then it was perceived as a moment of weakness.
As it turned out later, Hakkinen did not expect a trick from his teammate. Apparently, his unsuccessful start is connected with this. Häkkinen took off not like a Formula 1 driver, but as if he were driving a crowded bus stuck in a traffic jam. He did not make any attempts to catch up with Coultard later, apparently expecting that the latter would receive a command from the pits to slow down. But it did not follow, for which the Finn was not ready. He tried to catch up with the Scot and even showed several excellent laps, but then decided not to risk it and finish at least second. Häkkinen refused to answer numerous questions from journalists about this, saying only that it was all his own fault. "The reason I didn't win today is because I had a bad start. That's it!" - the Finn snapped.
At first glance, the fact that Ron Dennis did not slow down Coultard does seem strange. After all, the championship title is at stake, and logically, the advantage should go to the one who really has the best chance of winning it, that is, Häkkinen. But, apparently, Dennis is no longer free to determine the team’s tactics alone. It has long been known that Mercedes, the co-owner of McLaren, sympathizes with Coultard, and they want to see him as the champion. One can only guess what caused such preferences, but it is quite obvious that the management of the auto giant is pushing its protégé with might and main. Whether this is good or bad is another question, but how would McLaren not be left without a title, mired in internal contradictions. Moreover, further victories for the British-German stable are by no means guaranteed, because from the next stage, which will take place in Monza, Michael Schumacher returns - the only one who can compete with the technical excellence of McLaren. He himself is unlikely to be able to claim the championship, but he will certainly be able to spoil the blood of anyone.

Newspaper "Kommersant" No. 156 dated 08/31/1999, p. 10

Authors:

Alexey Dospehov