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Formula 1 News (2006)
F1 News - Hakkinen Returns
01/12/2006
Double world champion Mika Hakkinen was back behind the wheel of a McLaren Formula 1 car at Barcelona on Thursday, more than five years after he retired from F1.
Hakkinen completed 79 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya in a 2006 MP4-21, finishing with a best time of 1m19.336s.
“It has been an exciting day for me,” said Mika, who won his world titles in 1998 and ’99 on Bridgestone tyres. “I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to drive an F1 car after a five-year break. I spent the morning acclimatising to the cockpit again and just getting to grips with driving a 2006 car. I didn't expect to be quick straight away, and Barcelona is of course a hard track on both the car and driver.”
His lap times improved dramatically in the afternoon, once he had familiarised himself with the layout of the controls, and his fastest time – set late in the day – was exactly three seconds slower than the pace-setting Ferrari of Luca Badoer.
“Although it was great fun,” he said afterwards, “I also had to do some serious work for the team today. Any feedback I could give them from today's experience will help them with their preparations for the 2007 season. We have done some good and got some great results and I am really grateful to the team for this opportunity and the mechanics for working so hard for me."
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