Hakkinen return not automatic - Ron

[StuiE]

Motorsport.com -- McLaren boss Ron Dennis has said that the return of Mika Hakkinen to the team would not be automatically accepted and it remains to be seen if it would be the right decision, should the Finn say he wants to go back. Dennis said providing Hakkinen with a drive was not a foregone conclusion.

"No. Its not the way it works," he said. "There's nothing automatic about it. If Mika wants to drive then its for us to decide if that's the right thing for the team. Mika, David (Coulthard), Kimi (Raikkonen) and anyone who drives for the team understands that they are an integral part of it but they are not the sole and exclusive part. The team is run by its management, not by its players or particular drivers."

full story from motorsport.com

[Valve Bounce]

Interesting. I wonder when Mika will decide - I would not like to see Mika try to make a comeback the way Nigell did.

[racer69]

hmmm how times change, wasn't Ron saying last year when the whole deal was announced that Mika was welcome back in '03

[f1manoz]

Mika shouldn't, and won't, come back. It's all just a nice rumour to circulate.

[f1grandprixshop]

it will be hard to decide now, DC just won a race

[Adam43]

As far as I understand it. Mika is taking a break and both he and Ron will decide what to do this year. As IKEA says "this is how it's always been".

So no news here then. Ron is just reiterating what has already been said, to a journo who asked because he couldn't be bothered to listen the first time round.

DC has always had a two year contract (till end of 2003), so it has always been unlikely that he would leave. (There may be a get out clause, but I bet it involves big money and anyway if Ron didn't want DC then he could have given him a 1 year contract).

[Wrex]

Originally posted by AdamAshmore
So no news here then. Ron is just reiterating what has already been said, to a journo who asked because he couldn't be bothered to listen the first time round.

Well said. This is where half the news stories come from between races.

Why anyone thinks that McLaren would automatically put any driver in the car without at least one test amazes me. When Mika was to make an announcement last week we had all soughts of speculation on this board. Without a test prior, there were only 2 possibilities, exactly what he announced (nothing) or permenant retirement.

Mika wont be back, and as a fan I'm glad. He has nothing to prove and would only ruin a great finish to a fine career.