Hakkinen denied in last gasp drama

13 April 2012

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones have been involved in plenty of celluloid cliffhangers.

But their film roles were nothing compared to the real-life sporting drama that unfurled before their eyes yesterday.

As privileged guests in the McLaren-Mercedes garage, Hollywood's golden couple experienced at close quarters the emotional turmoil as expectations of a certain victory for Mika Hakkinen were shattered by the gut-wrenching anguish of his last-lap breakdown in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Hakkinen was denied a fourth successive triumph at the Circuit de Catalunya after driving a tremendous race, rival Michael Schumacher took the chequered flag and Hakkinen's team-mate, David Coulthard, was left with egg on his face.

The Scot did manage to pick up two points for finishing fifth but only after a damage-limitation exercise as he drove through the field, having stalled on the formation lap and been involved in a shunt at the beginning of the race.

It left Coulthard trailing Schumacher by eight points in the championship race. He insisted technology had failed him but boss Ron Dennis initially suspected human error.

Hakkinen was unquestiona bly the victim of the appalling bad luck that has dogged him all season. After lapping everyone, except Schumacher, who was 42 seconds adrift, the unfortunate Finn was two miles from the finish when the clutch of his car gave out with a discharge of flame and flying debris and he coasted on to a grass verge.

Schumacher nursed his own stricken Ferrari past the stranded McLaren to be joined on the podium by Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams- BMW) and Jacques Villeneuve (BAR).

It was second-placed Montoya's first finish of the season and former world champion Villeneuve's first appearance on the rostrum since 1998.

Schumacher's delight was tempered by his sympathy for the man with whom he has crossed swords in so many grands prix. He said: 'I felt so sorry for Mika. It must have been a shocking experience for him because he had done everything right and deserved to win this race. I immediately went to see him (after Hakkinen had been given a lift back on Coulthard's side- pod) because it was not the way I would have liked to score 10 points.'

Hakkinen, who has only four championship points, said: 'I simply couldn't believe it as we were confident with the car. I just lost drive no matter what gear I selected. When I was leading so close to home I thought my luck had changed, but it hadn't. Sometimes things just won't go your way. I am not superstitious and I refuse to give up hope of winning this championship.

'I will continue to race my hardest, count the points as they come and see whether I have a chance later in the season. There's a long way to go.'

At least Hakkinen and Coulthard can be encouraged by the competitiveness of their cars, which were arguably the class of the field.

While Coulthard was charging from the back, Hakkinen stayed in touch with early pacemaker Schumacher and, during the second session of pitstops, remained out on the track to gain the time to emerge from his own stop with a lead which he extended greatly as the Ferrari ace struggled with tyre problems.

Coulthard ' s position improved after neat overtaking of backmarkers, his team's effective pitstop work and the misfortune of others who retired. They included Jaguar's Eddie Irvine with engine problems, Ralf Schumacher (Williams-BMW) with brake trouble and Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) with a broken rear suspension.

Coulthard said: 'My car was really quick in race conditions and I managed to make up a lot of ground.'

But then it turned sour with his team-mate's retirement.

Dennis said: 'It was a painful end to a weekend that saw us do most things right.'

Painful, too, for young Jenson Button, who again finished two laps behind in his Benetton. He said: 'I am constantly gaining experience, even if it is towards the rear of the field at the moment.'

The Spanish Grand Prix has a reputation for being one of the most boring on the calendar. Not this time around.

Ask Douglas and Zeta Jones. Yesterday fact was better than any fiction.

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Hakkinen denied in last gasp drama

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