Abu Dhabi: Double world champion Mika Hakkinen says the return to Formula One of old foe Michael Schumacher has not persuaded him to consider a comeback of his own.
The late '90s saw Hakkinen and Schumi share a fierce but fascinating rivalry punctuated with some exciting duels on the track. Since hanging up his racing gear in 2001, the Finn had often been linked with a return to the wheel, but Hakkinen confirmed he has no plans of following in the footsteps of the German legend.
"No I did not [consider a comeback], because I knew with Formula One, you need a massive commitment from your life. You cannot just go there to think this is my hobby, you really have to work hard," said 41-year-old Hakkinen in an interview with XPRESS shortly after attending the Laureus Sports Award nominations in the capital.
He added: "[Michael's] return to Formula One was great news for Formula One, great for the fans of Formula One and great news for Michael's fans. Coming back to Formula One after retirement is a very personal thing. It is a very challenging sport.
"It won't be easy to just say ‘I'm going to win'. There are a lot of tough competitors out there.
"But knowing Michael he will be fighting all the way through. He will get there but he has to learn new circuits. So there are a lot of elements which make his work very tough.
"In my case, I looked at all those elements and I know how hard the world of Formula One is. At the moment my life is fulfilled with being ambassador for different companies like DHL, Laureus, Mercedes, AMG, the list is long.
"It would first be a case of [there's] no time [to do make a comeback] and it would be more to lose than gain."
Looking ahead to the new season which begins in Bahrain next month, Hakkinen was not as daring with his predictions as he was behind the wheel.
"I would not put my money on any of the teams or drivers by just guessing. And at the moment it would still be guessing. There is no real fact that would give you confidence to put your money on something. I would wait a little bit before taking that decision," said the former McLaren Mercedes driver.
