Häkkinen: Teams could be in for a nightmare

The full calendar for the 2020 season is still unknown as there are still many uncertainties with the Covid-19 pandemic still active, but the condensed program estimated at around fifteen Grands Prix will force the teams to surpass themselves to avoid the slightest misstep.

Mika Häkkinen highlights the pressures facing these teams a few days before the start of the season scheduled for the Austrian GP on July 5.

“If your car, your engine, your gearbox, your aerodynamics don't work straight away for the first Grand Prix, it's very difficult to come back for sure. All the equipment has to be good from the start. And if the team has technical problems with the materials or the cars, it will be a nightmare.", warned the double world champion on Laureus.com.

The pressure will be present on all personnel, both for the drivers and the team personnel.

“It will be a very busy season, recalled the 51-year-old Finn. For the drivers, it's about knowing how to approach the Grand Prix, how to recover quickly, do all the analyzes and improve their personal performance and that of their team for the next event. I expect the number of errors to be higher, not only from the drivers, but also from the teams. The mechanics put in a huge performance by having the confidence to change the tires quickly in three seconds. They train at the factory all the time, but that's another story. It's not the same as when cars race full speed towards the mechanics and stop at the exact spot. The errors will therefore be there. »

Another parameter to take into account is the absence of driving on the part of competitors who were only able to train on a simulator during confinement.

“The pilots had little opportunity to practice driving a F1, so they made karting and drives different types of cars rally and old racing cars to keep the muscles active and they used fitness training programs in a gym, but nothing matches the power of an F1 car when accelerating out of corners to reach speeds where the body weight is five, six times higher than normal. So it will take some time for the drivers to get used to it again”, underlined the former pilot McLaren.