Sunday July 8th, 2001

Former World Champion Mika Hakkinen will retire from Formula One racing at the end of the season, a German motor sports publication said on Sunday.

Auto Bild said, in an advance extract from its Tuesday edition, that Frenchman Olivier Panis would replace Hakkinen at McLaren for the 2002 season. However, Norbert Haug, sporting director of McLaren's engine partner Mercedes, told the German sports news agency SID on Sunday: "As ever in such cases it is all pure speculation." Hakkinen's manager, Keke Rosberg, also denied the reports, claiming the Finn still has a contract with McLaren that is valid for 2002.

World Champion in 1998 and 1999, Hakkinen has had a poor season, collecting only nine points in the 10 races so far. The 32-year-old Finn, who entered Formula One with Lotus in 1991, moved to McLaren in 1993 and won his first Grand Prix - the European Grand Prix in Jerez, Spain - in 1997. He has won 18 Grands Prix in 155 Formula One races.

Panis, 35, was a test driver for McLaren last year and drives for the British American Racing (BAR) team.

Published at 20:40:43 GMT

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