David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen compete against each other during the Race of the champions, where they slide through the ice.
The race of the champions has gained massive hype, with several racing stars appearing for the event. On Saturday, former F1 legends Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard appeared to compete against each other.
Hakkinen needed to win against Coulthard by four seconds to maintain his nation’s contention. The race started on an exciting note, with both probably reminiscing their peak F1 days.
In the end, Hakkinen had an upper hand of about one second. However, it wasn’t enough to keep his team afloat in the competition. Whereas Coulthard’s team went to the semi-finals. In the end, they managed to give an enthralling experience to the fans.
Watch David Coulthard Vs Mika Hakkinen
Also read: Jost Capito supports Michael Masi’s decision and calls it understandable
Hakkinen had no Finnish arsenal
Hakkinen was not the only renowned finish race driver who was supposed to appear at this event. Valtteri Bottas was another key figure reported to be in this event.
But on Friday, it was reported that the Alfa Romeo driver has to drop the plans to feature at the Race of the Champions. He was later replaced by W Series frontrunner Emma Kimilainen. “Valtteri had commitments and a last-minute cancellation,” said Hakkinen. “I’m happy to have Emma. It’s going to be brilliant.”
Kimilainen added: “He’s [Hakkinen] my childhood hero! I remember every Sunday, watching him racing and winning titles. It’s an honour to be here.”
Meanwhile, Bottas showed regret about not being present for the event. He informs that he had some professional obligations which prevented him from flying to Sweden.
“I was really looking forward to my first participation in the Race Of Champions, but unfortunately I have last minute obligations with my new team preparing for the upcoming F1 season which means I can’t attend ROC this weekend as planned,” said Bottas.
