Why are Finns so Good At Motorsport?, by Select Car Leasing

This article and its graphics were created by Select Car Leasing

Another Formula 1 (F1) season draws to its conclusion and it's another drivers' championship win for Lewis Hamilton. It's also been another year that has seen strong representation from Finland on the leaderboard, with Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton's team-mate, finishing in fifth position in the standings and Kimi Räikkönen placed above him in third. The continuing trend of Finnish drivers succeeding in motorsport got us thinking - just how has a nation of only 5.5m people managed to have such a strong influence on the motorsport world?

Select Car Leasing investigated some of the key reasons behind the incredible rise of the Finnish nation over the years.  Here are five ways that have been crucial to Finland's ascent to becoming a motorsport powerhouse:

-       Sisu... The ancient Finnish art inspiring its drivers
-       Forest roads and harsh winters... These allow for drivers in Finland to hone their skills and pave the way for successful motorsport competitors
-       Putting the population through its paces...  Finland has one of the hardest driving tests in the world
-       Folk racing... The Finnish pastime which tests drivers endurance and encourages competition on the road
-       The art of the 'Scandinavian flick'...  How a unique driving style has caught on all over the world

Photo: Octane Photography

Brundle at McLaren, by Ibrar Malik

During the winter of 1993/1994 F1 was subjected to infighting, politicking and accusations that cheating was rife within the sport, all of which is explained within the upcoming book. During this time Martin Brundle took a massive gamble with his F1 career, as he refused offers from the likes of Jordan in order to secure the prized race seat at McLaren vacated by the Williams-bound Ayrton Senna. There was a chance 1993 F1 world champion Alain Prost might take it, or Peugeot's man Philippe Alliot, but Brundle felt the risks were worth it because driving for McLaren would almost be a guaranteed passport to Grand Prix success. By 1994 the team had won in every season since 1980, and Martin's gamble was eventually rewarded – albeit on a race-by-race deal for that season.

McLaren had been a dominant force during the 1980s and early 1990s, but had undergone major change for 1994 including a new engine supplier.  

Unfortunately, the dream drive didn't pan out as expected and McLaren suffered their first winless season in 14 years, partly because their new Peugeot engine proved uncompetitive and unreliable. "The team originally wanted Alain [Prost] in the car," recalls Brundle. "We both went to test at Estoril, and I don't think Alain was interested after he drove the car. Then I got in it, which turned out to be a bit of a bad omen really. I had stood and waited for Alain all morning. I got in it, and as I was on my out lap coming to start my very first flying lap, it threw a conrod so hard that it came through the sump and damaged the racetrack! I didn't even start my first run. "But having said that, I was very happy to be in a McLaren."

Latest historic articles on AutoClassics - Mika Hakkinen and the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix

By Rick Dikeman [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/
fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia Commons

Just drawing your gaze towards my latest weekly historic motorsport articles published on AutoClassics.

First off with Mika Hakkinen's 50th birthday coming up at the end of this week for the Motorsport Images slideshow article I looked back at some of the best moments from the double world champion's F1 career, accompanied with some typically stunning photography. Check it out here: https://www.autoclassics.com/posts/reviews/mika-hakkinen-best-f1-moments

F1's first use of the safety car was earlier than you might think. And was chaotic. I therefore spoke to those who were there - Jackie Oliver and Howden Ganley - about the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix, which took place 45 years ago last weekend. You can have a read of the very strange story here: https://www.autoclassics.com/posts/reviews/f1-safety-car-first-use

Inside Line F1 Podcast - The Mika Hakkinen Interview

Here it is! Here's our Mika Hakkinen special episode. We spent much of the last weekend with the Flying Finn as he visited India to promote his 'Never Drink & Drive' campaign. We had the former World Champion on our Facebook Live show as well on our podcast and yes, we did #JoinThePact in Hakkinen's presence. Have you? (Here's where you can: https://www.liveinstyle.com/johnniewalkerthejourney)

In this week's special episode, we get Mika Hakkinen to review the 2017 Formula 1 Season, his views on the current superstar drivers (Hamilton, Vettel, Verstappen, etc.) and what he believes the future of his Finnish compatriots (Bottas & Raikkonen) will be. Also, what does he make of Fernando Alonso's quest to be the 'world's best racer'?

Apart from the current season, we discuss Hakkinen's career - his first win and what was his reaction when he lost most of his trophies to a house fire in 2008! Finally, is a McLaren team management role on Hakkinen's mind, and outside of Formula 1, who is his most challenging rival? Tune in!

(Season 2017, Episode 36)
Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and audioBoom for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour.

Kunal Shah talks to the legendary Mika Hakkinen

As mentioned in an earlier post, friend of Talking about F1 Kunal Shah and his the famous Inside Line F1 Podcast is proud to announce their association with Johnnie Walker's 'never drink and drive' campaign - #JoinThePact.

And even better for us F1 fans, the legendary Mika Hakkinen is in India to promote this cause and as a part of the association Kunal is getting direct contact with the Flying Finn - and producing plenty of content for us to enjoy!

Here below is the first thing for your perusal - Kunal talks to Mika Hakkinen, in an extended interview live on Firstpost Pole Position.

The F1 double world champion gives his view on #JoinThePact, as well as has plenty to say on this latest F1 season.

This includes his take on Lewis Hamilton's place in history, Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari's challenge, McLaren and Honda, Fernando Alonso, both Red Bull pilots Max Vertsappen and Daniel Ricciardo, as well as on Mika's countrymen Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen.

He also looks back on his own racing career.

There will be content from each day Mika's spending in India - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - that we'll share on Talking about F1, and there also will be an exclusive podcast.

Tomorrow Kunal will be riding in the twin-seater F1-inspired Caparo T1 racing car (see below), so look out for stuff on that too!

Talking about F1 cheered Mika Hakkinen's career all along and now cheers for his social cause #JoinThePact. You can join the pact yourself on his pact's page: liveinstyle.com/johnniewalkerthejourney

The rise and rise of Mercedes in Formula One, by City Vehicle Leasing

Mercedes has just wrapped up its latest championship double - its fourth in a row. But of course Mercedes's Grand Prix heritage, and one of success, is considerable, and stretches back before even the F1 world championship starting in 1950.

City Vehicle Leasing has therefore charted Merc's long and glittering Grand Prix history in an infographic, which is below.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - The Daniil Kvyat-Max Verstappen Equation For 2018

You already know the equation between Max Verstappen and Daniil Kvyat. Each time Kvyat has lost out, Verstappen has won that very race. But for 2018, there's a chance that Kvyat will lose out on an entire season, in which case, will the same Kvyat-stat work to crown Max Verstappen the 2018 Formula 1 World Champion? Dreamy stuff!

Btw, we're proud to announce our association with Johnnie Walker's 'never drink and drive' campaign - #JoinThePact. Mika Hakkinen will be in India to promote this social cause and as a part of our association, we will have opportunities to generate exclusive content with the Flying Finn! Remember to tune in to our podcast over the next few days to hear Mika speak on some really interesting topics about his career, the 2017 F1 season and about his Finnish compatriots - Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen.

Also, we're supporting #JoinThePact and we will 'walk our talk' and sign-up ourselves when we meet Mika in person in India. Here's your chance to sign-up too.

In this week's episode, we praise Liberty Media's efforts to grow the sport of Formula 1, while debating if Bernie Ecclestone did actually help Ferrari! Will the Formula 1 - Netflix deal led the sport to a new viewer market? And given how Formula 1, the teams and drivers have taken to social media, should we announce a Formula 1 Social Media Championship?

Lastly, since we started with Daniil Kvyat - the man who has been orphaned by the Red Bull Racing camp, we will end the podcast with him too (he definitely needs some love!). Can he do a Nico Hulkenberg, join Force India as a reserve driver for 2018 and make a comeback in a race seat in 2019? If he does so, Force India will have to make space on their pink cars for the new Russian sponsors.

Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and audioBoom for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour.

Tune in!

(Season 2017, Episode 35)

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Ferrari Missing Historic Bonus From Formula E

Ferrari's 'historic bonus' from Formula 1 has made much news, but given how the Italian manufacturer is ignoring Formula E, there's little chance that it'll ever get one from the all-electric series. Are quit Formula 1 threats around the corner for Ferrari?

It also seems that tyre strategy isn't the only thing Ferrari is confused about. On one hand, it's talking of reconsidering the involvement in Formula 1 because of the dwindling viewership, but on the other hand, it is considering purchasing shares in the sport. Strange are your ways, Ferrari!

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Mithila and Kunal wonder if McLaren's decision to drop the 'MP4' prefix is an outcome of a visit with a numerologist and what will McLaren achieve first - a win or a title sponsor?

Of all of Ross Brawn's interesting views, we're not sure if doing away with 'blue flags' makes sense and would Mika Hakkinen be upset if the Finnish Formula 1 Grand Prix was held at a circuit called - Kymi Ring?

Lastly, Nico Rosberg might not be the perfect Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion, but he for sure is the perfect Formula 1 fan. Tune in and know why!

Subscribe on iTunes and audioBoom for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour.

(Season 2017, Episode 06)

My favourite motorsport moment from the past 25 years

It likely unites most sports fans. The sense of injustice. And there was plenty around that day.

Year 2000 at Spa; Mika Hakkinen vs. Michael Schumacher. And I was there; my first overseas Grand Prix. Stationed on the Kemmel straight. Where it happened.

Mika Hakkinen in action in the year 2000
"Hakkinen". Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Hakkinen.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Hakkinen.jpg

In those days I was a Mika man. But an injustice sense came along with this. Always quick, but his McLaren team insistent on treading on its own tail. Schumi-Ferrari meanwhile led a charmed life seemingly.

But then latterly the fortune was with Hakkinen. In Spa he had the track to himself, claimed pole easily, Schumi down in fourth.

Yet there was the weather; overnight rain arrived. It relented eventually but the track was damp for the off.

Bringing Schumacher right back into the picture; he cleared the cars between in no time and nibbled into Hakkinen's lead.

Mika then gave him it all on a plate by half-spinning; Schumacher led and moved away. For me it all seemed tremendously unmerited.

But later Mika retaliated – track dried and qualifying pace returned he was with Schumi in the late laps. But in this F1 passing was near-impossible. Surely that was that?

No, up the same Kemmel straight Hakkinen bore down. He went for the inside. Schumacher repelled with an egregious chop. Adding to the injustice there already.

At that point next lap it was same again, only this time backmarker Ricardo Zonta occupied the middle of the road at a gentle pace. Schumi went to his left; Hakkinen for a tiny gap to Zonta's right. In an exhilarating flash the three were briefly abreast.

You had to make a point of comprehending. The big screen showed Mika's on-board, and nothing ahead. He had the lead, and kept it for the short remaining distance.

Justice, for once, was done.

The article is my submission to be one of ten official bloggers of the Autosport International Show 2015. The theme chosen for this is 'My favourite motorsport moment from the past 25 years'.

The Autosport International Show is Europe's largest motorsport show, and takes place at Birmingham NEC every January. More details on it, including on purchasing tickets, can be found here, and you can also follow the show on Twitter and on Facebook.

Smile of Lewis

The Malaysian Grand Prix just passed may not have been an enthralling one, but it could well have been an important one. Its outcome felt rather a lot like a signpost of what is to come.

Is the sun to shine on Lewis Hamilton in 2014?
Photo: Octane Photography

Yes, the Mercedes being the class of the field part was expected, but the bit wherein Lewis Hamilton wiped the floor with Nico Rosberg was less so. Perhaps much less so.

Indeed, we were all familiar with the narrative expressed in the off-season: there was little - surprisingly little - to choose between Lewis and Nico in their first season as team mates in 2013; the new complex formula of 2014 would suit Nico and his cerebral, engineering-led, approach; Lewis by contrast would find the nuances beyond him and the requirements to fuel-save at cross purposes with his press-on style.

Of course, last Sunday was but a single race. Further there may have been details explaining at least some of the Lewis-Nico chasm that Mercedes isn't letting on, such as Nico entering a set-up blind alley during the Sepang weekend or having a technical problem. But on the basis of what we know last Sunday's action indicated that Lewis Hamilton will take some stopping this season, as much as for his team mate as anyone else.

Looking back: 1997 - an underrated classic

A F1 season in which grids and races were tight and we'd enter weekends with no idea who would be on top; it could have literally been anyone from more than half of the grid. It was also a season with a close championship battle. And one in which tyres would often fall apart quickly and would have to be nursed through a race stint.

No, it's not now. It's fifteen years ago: the year of 1997.

When classic seasons in F1 history are discussed I often think that 1997 is curiously rarely-mentioned. It was an underrated classic. While much of F1 in the 1990s was characterised by only a small number of likely winners at any given moment, and often one team dominating, 1997 represented something of a renaissance. Perhaps part of the season's not getting the credit it deserves owes something to its being poorly served by statistics. For all of its competitiveness, it can only claim to six different winners (from four teams) in 17 races. But with cards falling the other way it could easily have boasted anything up to double those numbers.

Jacques Villeneuve,
some years later
Credit: Rick Dikeman / CC

In this year Williams Renault was the dominant force, but the Schumacher-Ferrari double act, joined this year for the first time by Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, was getting into its stride and more than capable of making a thorough pest of itself. Then there was McLaren who, with Mercedes engines, was finally emerging from its post-Senna/post-Honda trough and was an increasingly consistent front runner as the year went on. Benetton and Jordan were both credible contenders for wins on occasion.

And further was the variable brought in by the Bridgestone tyres. For the first time since 1991 Goodyear had opposition in supplying F1 teams, and it could be argued that for the first time since 1984 (when Michelin left the sport) Goodyear had a serious threat to its pedestal position. If anything the Bridgestone was the superior tyre, certainly the more durable. And in this its debut season it could only count midfield runners at best among its customers: Prost (née Ligier, just bought by Alain), Stewart (also in its debut season) and the like; but the Bridgestones could, on occasion, bring these guys right to the sharp end. Heck, even Arrows nearly won a race on them. And Goodyear in response sometimes got its sums wrong, the resultant gumball rubber meant that 'blistering' and subsequent pace variation returned to the F1 parlance with a vengeance.

Retro F1: the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix

Today I tried something new. YouTube features some full length F1 races from the past, which, given my interest in reliving F1 history, I've taken an interest in watching. Today I watched one of these classic F1 races in full and posted Twitter updates on it as live (under the hashtag #retrof1).

The race was the 1995 Canadian GP. If you want to watch along with the full race the link is here. And the #retrof1 twitter timeline can be viewed here.

An edited timeline of my tweets is below. This may become a regular feature with other races available in full online. Though if it turns out that I achieve little beyond annoying people by clogging up their Twitter feeds then I'll abandon the idea.

Anyways, off we go.



The unmistakable tones of Bob Varsha kick us off. It's ESPN's coverage, and it's been raining in Canada.

Now Derek Daly is talking technical - sporting an impressive tie and mullet :)

Oh my god, James Allen was ESPN's pit reporter in 1995. Didn't realise he had experience when picked up by ITV in 1997 to perform the same role for the UK coverage.

@MKaipio So funny to see @DerekDaly500 and @Jamesallenonf1 there!
Nice to think they're still going strong in F1 16 years later!

Looking back: Schumacher falls to a Hakk attack - the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix

In many ways it felt like the first Grand Prix I'd ever been to. I wasn't strictly, as I'd been to the British Grand Prix in 1993, but I wasn't very old then and was in the company of a parent. This certainly felt like branching out on our own. A 21st birthday present from the parents: a trip to the Belgian Grand Prix at the classic Spa-Francorchamps circuit with my brother. For a young man who hadn't spent many of his days outside Scotland up until this point it seemed like an incredible leap into the unknown. And, what do you know, at the end of it all the race we watched turned out to be a great one, featuring a classic man-to-man battle between the two drivers of the age, settled by a late-race pass that has gone into folklore. Just as well I timed my 21st birthday so well.

So, off we went with a tent, on the train from Edinburgh eventually to Spa via London and a Brussels youth hostel. For much of the journey, even quite close to Spa, it's quite hard to imagine that the beautiful, wooded, undulating landscape that one associates with the Spa circuit is at the end of it. A matter of miles away Belgium instead is characterised by flat cornfields, with the odd (and dare I say a little grim-looking) town. Only on the last leg of the journey, which involved a bus trip, does the scenic Ardennes landscape that we know so well from our television screens begin to show itself.

Credit: Lester Klaassen / CC

The town of Francorchamps is like something from a picture postcard, and when the Grand Prix is in town a large, good-natured and multi-cultural camping crowd, replete with their fair share of, shall we say, larger than life characters, settle and ensure a jamboree atmosphere. But even with this in 2000 one nationality in particularly was dominant. Spa is a matter of miles from the German border, and this was during the high plateau of Michael Schuamcher's popularity. It seemed much of Germany had made the trip, determined to make it another 'home race' for Schumi. The Schumi fans were easily recognisable, complete as they were with what seemed like standard-issue red Schumacher hats (you can say that Deustsche Vermoegensberatung got a decent return on that investment).

F1's Spa Treatment: the history of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit

It really is genius when you think about it. Construct a fast and challenging motor racing circuit that racing drivers can race and overtake on in a naturally beautiful and undulating part of the world. What's more, ensure that part of the world is in a notorious mini-clime, meaning it rains often and with little notice. Most of us therefore look forward to races there like no other.

Credit: Nathanael Majoros / CC

You've probably worked out by now that this circuit is Spa-Francorchamps. It's for these reasons and more that it remains resolutely the favourite of many F1 drivers and fans alike. I'm sure there have been dull races at Spa, but somehow it's genuinely hard to imagine one taking place. And it's next up on this year's F1 calendar, once the fraternity return from their summer holidays at the end of August.

In an age of gleaming and expensive new facilities and high circuit standards, Spa remains a circuit apart in modern F1. Yes, the track has had to adapt to the demands of the present day, it's no longer made up of roads open to the public, it has plenty of generous run off areas where there was previously very little room for drivers to get it wrong, has a billiard table smooth surface, and the efficiency of current F1 machines ensures that some of the demands of its sweeps are not what they once were. But Spa is still very special.