20 years ago: Mika Häkkinen's tears in front of fans at Monza

Arriving in the Temple of Speed ​​in September 1999, Mika Häkkinen (McLaren) knows that fans will encourage as best as possible his direct rival for a second world title, Eddie Irvine. The Irishman on his Ferrari is only one point behind the placid Finn before the 13th round of the season. 

The qualifying session was a sad spectacle for Scuderia supporters, with the sixth and eighth times of Mika Salo and Eddie Irvine. Mika Häkkinen didn't ask for that much and took pole with almost half a second ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Jordan).

The next day, the track conditions were ideal for the event. Between the flags of the Prancing Horse, the Silver Arrow instantly escapes in the lead. After 30 laps, he was eight seconds ahead of the yellow and black Jordan, Eddie Irvine was just shy of the points. Everything's fine. Except that when passing the first chicane…

Finished ! Planted in the gravel, the McLaren will not go any further. The crowd exults, then an incredible image occurs. Instead of coldly leaving his cockpit, Mika Häkkinen runs, throws down a glove, and takes refuge in an adjoining grove. He cracks.

Twenty years later, the man with 20 successes analyzes this abandonment. “I arrived at the end of the straight, at around 340-350 km/h. I applied the brakes, there was then a very fast chicane, which I knew by heart after private testing. It didn't pose a problem to me.​

So I got to the braking point and shifted into second gear. But without doing it on purpose, I engaged the first one. » This poor handling could not be made up for by the Finn's driving, and for good reason. He was going through this corner at full speed! 

“At Monza you have little downforce, in this corner the rear feels very light. The engineers suggested locking the differential to add stability, but every adjustment has a consequence, and for me it was too much understeer., analyzes the double world champion.

“My technique was to keep my foot on the accelerator. It seemed contrary to logic, but it worked. » Where things get stuck is in terms of electronic management. “There was an adjustment when dropping the gears, which automatically increased the engine speed, so that the rear wheels did not lock. 

It's called a "flip" and the increase this time wasn't big enough. The RPMs were not high enough when first gear engaged. Suddenly, the rear locked up and I ended up in the gravel. »

Even the greatest make mistakes, but how can we explain this nervous breakdown? The desire to do well in such a legendary place, according to Mika Häkkinen. “I was overwhelmed by a huge feeling of disappointment. I wanted to win at Monza so badly. 

The emotions came to me like a torrent. I almost tripped coming out of the car, I didn't feel anger, but sadness. I won races in famous places like Suzuka, Spa-Francorchamps, Monaco, Silverstone. But a success at Monza was snatched from me by my blunder. »

This very human side, Mika Häkkinen will put it away during the last races and will win a second world title. “This outing did me a favor. It was a wake-up call. Even though I was world champion, mistakes happen. Nothing can be taken for granted, you must always work hard. »