McLaren’s infamous ‘papaya rules’ have been a topic of debate this season. Both drivers should have a fair chance to fight for the world championship. This equal treatment was taken to the extreme during the Italian GP, when Oscar Piastri had to give up his position to Lando Norris because the Brit had made a slow pit stop. McLaren veteran and two-time champion Mika Häkkinen knows that things used to be very different.
Mika Häkkinen became world champion with McLaren in 1998 and 1999. From 1996 to 2001, he shared the British racing team with the Scot David Coulthard. There was rivalry, but according to The Flying Finn, the team never had to intervene. Moreover, McLaren would not have had a preference for either of the two drivers, he emphasizes. “Did Ron Dennis (former McLaren team boss, ed.) support me more than David? I’m not so sure about that,” Häkkinen said in the Beyond the Grid podcast.
Preference Treatment at McLaren
“But one thing I know for sure, at that time we really didn’t get team orders,” he joked. Team orders were officially banned at the time, although there was much speculation about subtle forms of influence within McLaren. For example, during the 1998 Australian GP, Coulthard slowed down to let Häkkinen pass after a miscommunication during a pit stop. The Scot defended himself by stating that it had been agreed before the race that the driver who reached turn one first should also win the race.
There are more parallels to be drawn with the current Formula 1. Many Piastri fans speculate that Norris is getting preferential treatment within McLaren. The team management, especially CEO Zak Brown, would find the Brit a better figurehead for the global brand. Häkkinen was also suspected of being McLaren’s ‘favorite’ at the time. “I had a very close relationship with Ron Dennis,” he admitted. “He knew me since I was still an amateur in Formula 1. Ron saw my development; I gained more experience, gained more confidence. His trust in me also grew. I worked hard and fully committed myself to McLaren,” Häkkinen concluded. “That’s why I was supported.”
