Hakkinen recalls crash

Motor racing

Motor racing

Mika Hakkinen yesterday recalled the crash in Adelaide six weeks ago which almost cost him his life. The Finn, who is recovering at his Monaco home, fractured the base of his skull in a 168mph crash caused by a puncture in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix on 10 November.

"I tried to keep the car on the track but at that speed it was impossible and I started spinning," he said. "I have no memory of actually hitting the wall, but I remember sitting there in the car immediately afterwards and not being able to see anything.

"I was feeling pain and I couldn't move but I understood what was going on and remember telling myself to relax, just to let the medical people do their job.''

Hakkinen said he was already driving his own Mercedes in Monaco and had been told by the Formula One doctor, Sid Watkins, he could drive his McLaren team car from the end of January.