Content area
Full Text
ONE last blip on the throttle, one final wave to the crowd, and a chapter of Formula1 history ended. As Michael Schumacher cruised to a record-equalling ninth victory of the season in the Japanese Grand Prix, Mika Hakkinen bade farewell.
The two-times world champion may come back in 2003 from his sabbatical year, but yesterday marked the end of the road for the sport's longest-standing partnership.
Scotland's David Coulthard will have a new fast Finn to contend with at McLaren next year, in Kimi Raikkonen, but it will be very different from the pairing who established records together.
Coulthard and Hakkinen had been together at the Mercedes-powered team since the 1996 Australian Grand Prix, 99 races ago. They claimed 33 pole positions, won 30 grands prix and achieved 13 one-two finishes.
Coulthard will not miss being beaten or having to make way to the Finn for him to further his title challenge, but the Scot admitted at Suzuka that life after Mika would be a wrench.
"I probably won't fully appreciate what it's like to have been a team-mate for someone for so long until he's no longer my team- mate," he said.
"It's been a big challenge for me, naturally, and Mika's been my benchmark in terms...