Hakkinen still thinking
about a comeback

Former champion Mika Hakkinen has not ruled out a Formula One comeback next season and expects to drive for McLaren if he does return.

But the Finn is in no hurry to make his mind up.

"I do have quite a few weeks still before making a decision," he told reporters on Thursday on his first visit to a grand prix since he began a year's sabbatical last October.

"Let's see how the weekend goes. There's plenty of time, I'm not getting stressed about it."

Asked whether he expected McLaren, the team with whom he won two titles and 20 races over nine seasons, to give him a car should he decide to return, Hakkinen replied: "Definitely. Of course."

The Monaco resident, looking relaxed but definitely fuller of face, has put on a couple of kilos since he stopped racing to spend more time with his wife and young son Hugo. But he felt comfortable with his condition.

Hakkinen declined to say how probable, in percentage terms, a comeback might be but admitted that he missed "winning and working with the people."

A return would pose a headache for the Mercedes-powered team, who have not won since Hakkinen's last victory at Indianapolis in September and now employ Finland's Kimi Raikkonen alongside Briton David Coulthard.

Raikkonen is a hot property in Formula One while Coulthard was overall runner-up last year and has a contract, according to insiders, until the end of next season.

TRANQUIL PLACE

"There was always a contract," McLaren boss Ron Dennis said of Hakkinen's position with the team.

"It's just a decision that Mika takes and then we have to make a response.

"I feel like he's evading one of the primary questions, whether he's missing Formula One," he added. "We talked extensively last weekend and a little bit last night.

"Really, it's just excluded from the thought process. I feel that he's in a pretty tranquil place at the moment. He doesn't have to think about it, so he's not."

The Finn was happy to give his opinion as an armchair spectator on events so far this season.

He said he had been initially 'very upset' by Ferrari's decision to invoke 'team orders' at the last race in Austria in favour of Michael Schumacher.

"When I look at the situation I'm sure it was not anything good for Formula One, for Ferrari or the drivers of Ferrari," he said.

But, as someone who fought the Ferraris all the way to take the title in 1998 and 1999, he also understood that every point could be crucial by the end of the year.

"It's still fantastic and super exciting to see the grand prix," he said.

"It started in quite an exciting way but then Ferrari started dominating the season. They've been very strong and it's taken a little bit of the excitement out of Formula One. But that's motor racing."