Feb 26, 2008
Hindsight is an exact science. Had McLaren known that this would be their last title in Formula 1 for a very long time, they may have ensured that they carried forward the learning from the season into the subsequent years. That, however, is possible only now! 1999 was a time when there was a fair amount of turmoil in the sport. Regulations were changing, teams were ending participation due to lack of funds and new drivers were keen to leave a mark. Mika Hakkinen, the Finn who would win for a second year running, was the best driver around. Yes, Ferrari was in a resurgent phase and McLaren was unable to stop them from winning the Constructor’s title. But Ferrari too could not stop Hakkinen from winning the driver’s title for a second year running. But it wasn’t an easy defence. McLaren’s reliability was waning and this cost Hakkinen several points early on in the season. Michael Schumacher was leading Ferrari’s charge but an unfortunate crash in Silverstone would cut his challenge short. Eddie Irvine, his replacement, kept the pressure on, but Hakkinen fought through reliability issues and by the time Schumacher was out, he Hakkinen was back in the lead. The title fight went down to the last race in Japan and there were questions about the Finn’s temperament. Hakkinen had suffered crashes in Imola and Monza when he led comfortably and whether he could handle the pressure of another title-decider was the question. But once in the hot seat, Hakkinen showed why he deserved the title winning the Japanese GP by a lap. Michael Schumacher was second, but that wasn’t going to affect the outcome of the title fight at all. The win for Hakkinen would be the last time anyone was in contention for the title until almost 2004. The rise of Ferrari had begun and it would now continue for half a decade; a very long time in an ever-changing world. 1999 also showed that McLaren had failed to live up to the changes required and would suffer in years to come.