David Coulthard ‘Wanted to Break’ McLaren Teammate Mika Hakkinen

One of the most important relationships a Formula 1 driver can develop is their relationship with their teammate.

On many occasions, fans have witnessed the importance of co-operation between colleagues, with multiple Drivers’ Championships being won because of the support and help their teammate has given them. An example of this can be found when looking at the relationship between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez during the Dutchman’s championship-winning years at Red Bull.

In recent weeks, the state of the relationship of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari serves as an example of just how badly tensions can rise when teammates aren’t seeing eye-to-eye.

While Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli was sewing up the 2026 Driver’s Championship at the Mexican Grand Prix earlier this month, it seemed the two men in red were fighting for a different kind of accolade.

Currently, there is no number one driver in the Ferrari team, with both Hamilton and Leclerc putting in impressive performances throughout this year.

Looking from the outside, you would think it is every team’s dream to have two competitive drivers who are equal to each other, but throughout this year there have been many signs that things aren’t running as smoothly between the two teammates as Ferrari would like.

One F1 Driver ‘Couldn’t Stand’ His World Championship-Winning Teammate

Amanda Perobelli via Reuters

A veteran of 247 F1 races, David Coulthard spent 15 seasons in the sport, often competing at the head of the pack. The Scot produced his best results while racing with McLaren, although he never managed to win a Drivers’ Championship.

However, he was forced to watch on as teammate Mika Hakkinen won the top prize in the sport in both 1998 and 1999. During an appearance on the Indo Sports Podcast, Coulthard held nothing back as he admitted he had “wanted to break” the Finn even while they were colleagues.

The 13-time Grand Prix winner declared:

“He’s not your mate. He’s your biggest rival. He is the person that your success is his failure and vice versa. And you take pleasure in their failure.

“He is the person that your success is his failure and vice versa. And you take pleasure in their failure. It’s as simple as that because it leads and builds. You’re hoping that it psychologically creates a problem for them that will give you an edge.”

F1 Driver ‘Wanted to Break’ His Teammate

Although Coulthard admitted that the relationship between the pair is now “great”, he recalled just how much resentment he had towards Hakinnen at the time.

“The anger, frustration, feeling of hatred, which I always feel so guilty using the hate word, because it should normally be reserved for the most extreme people. But there were moments where I couldn’t stand him. He was infuriating. And there were moments I know where he couldn’t stand me.

“We both had a need and a desire and an understanding that we needed to beat the other guy. And we needed to break the other guy if we could. And that, to many people who are not involved in sport, they may find uncomfortable. But actually, it’s about bringing the best out in yourself.”

Coulthard finally got the better of Hakinnen in the 2001 season, where he finished second in the Drivers’ Championship, with Mika down in fifth. Following that result, Hakkinen took a break from F1, but ended up never returning to the sport.

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