Hakkinen Hints at F1 Return as Manager

After some rumors emerged in the media that former double Formula One champion Mika Hakkinen might take on a managing job with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in the near future, the Finn himself admitted that returning to the series that made him famous as a manager is somehow appealing nowadays.

“I miss racing every day. It's very close to my heart,” said the driver who brought McLaren back to the winning map of F1 in the late 1990s.

“I'll be back but I don't know when or where. I just know that I will do it again. Perhaps I will come back to F1 as a manager,” added the 41-year old in an interview with Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

Following his fruitful F1 career with McLaren Mercedes, Hakkinen took some years off racing and then decided to join the German carmaker in the DTM series between 2005 and 2007. After winning some races in the German series, he decided to quit racing for good and focused on a new business – managing race drivers.

The Finn therefore joined Didier Coton's (his former manager) Aces Group company. And, as of this year, he's a top contender in becoming Hamilton's manager, as the Brit recently ended his business collaboration with father Anthony.

The 2008 F1 champion is currently being managed by the McLaren team. Apart from Hakkinen, Martin Brundle – another former McLaren driver – was also linked with a managing job for Lewis in recent months.