Mika Hakkinen says Oscar Piastri is now facing the same problem David Coulthard had at McLaren

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Mika Hakkinen is one of seven Formula 1 drivers to have won a world championship under the McLaren constructor, and he has likened his battle against David Coulthard to that of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s current title fight.

The McLaren F1 team have seen some of the most intense title fights in the history of the sport.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s title fight for the 2025 crown is the latest in a list that includes feuds between some of the sport’s most successful drivers, including Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost, and Lewis Hamilton vs Fernando Alonso.

However, teammate battles within the ranks of an F1 team are ever-present, regardless of whether a title is up for grabs.

• READ MORE: Martin Brundle has already told McLaren why Oscar Piastri must now become their number two driver

Mika Hakkinen ‘couldn’t’ let David Coulthard beat him when he joined McLaren as a rookie

In a recent interview via Sport.de, former McLaren driver Mika Hakkinen detailed how he had to step things up a notch upon David Coulthard’s arrival at the Woking-based Formula 1 outfit.

The two-time world champion said, “When I started at McLaren in 1993, we weren’t title contenders. In 1996, David Coulthard became my teammate and essentially stepped into a ready-made situation.

“I couldn’t have borne it if the rookie had beaten me. That motivated me to the core. These days, there’s a lot of talk about one driver being better at handling the car than another.

“That may be true, but ambition and ego play a bigger role. I knew the team better. When you work with the engineers and mechanics for five or six years, you understand each other perfectly.

“Certain things don’t even need to be discussed anymore because they’re simply routine. Coupled with the motivation to win the World Championship – not just for myself, but also for my Formula 1 family – that was my ace in the hole.”

Coulthard believes Hakkinen’s prowess at McLaren was the reason he was never able to claim a world championship for himself during his 15-year career as an F1 driver.

Of the years that the British constructor spent as a team capable of winning the title, the Flying Finn claimed both championships consecutively in 1998 and 1999.

• READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher tells McLaren what ‘must not happen’ now for Lando Norris to secure the F1 title

Mika Hakkinen highlights how Lando Norris now has the same mentality as him in his battle with Oscar Piastri

Hakkinen went on to touch upon the current team dynamic at McLaren.

One of the overarching narratives throughout the campaign has been in reference to whether or not there is any favouritism from the leadership figures within the team towards Norris or Piastri.

The Flying Finn doesn’t buy into the speculation at all, adding, “I don’t believe that, a Formula 1 team can’t afford something like that.

“There’s too much at stake. I’m much more convinced that Lando was particularly motivated by the gap to Oscar and the fact that another driver could become the first McLaren world champion of this era.

“Lando has been with the team since 2019, Oscar only since 2023. He couldn’t let that stand. That’s how it was for me, too.”

In a previous interview, Hakkinen detailed the lack of team orders during his tenure at McLaren, stating that he had always felt like both himself and Coulthard were given a fair opportunity at securing a world title for themselves.