It is hard to believe it has been 10 years since this...

[stigmundfreud]

...http://atlasf1.autosport.com/98/hun/preview/tytler.html

the agreement between Hakkinen and Coulthard at the 1998 Australian grand prix. I wonder if DC could have become champ had it been the other way around

[entropy]

No

Hakkinen was quicker than DC, especially in qualifying.

Incidently Prost & Senna had a similar agreement (apparantly instigated by Prost) and Senna got to the title first!

[glazbagun]

I dont think DC would have ever become Champion, but I think he'd be thought of much more highly by the casual F1 viewer, had it happned differently. Though Ferrari's "let Michael win" strategy was even worse, IMHO.

[thunderbelmont]

glazbagun said:

I dont think DC would have ever become Champion, but I think he'd be thought of much more highly by the casual F1 viewer, had it happned differently. Though Ferrari's "let Michael win" strategy was even worse, IMHO.

DC had a couple of good years where he had the upper hand in terms of speed, but those were the years when the McLaren was as reliable as a Yamaha engine'd Zakspeed! Had the car held together, he would have won, no doubt about it.

However, DC's famous quote along the lines of "This year, it' MY year" has always been his undoing!

I'll always remember when he drove around the outside of MS at Mangny Cours and gave him the one finger salute, that was priceless!