JJ Lehto, who drove in the F1 series from 1989–1994, still gets behind the wheel of the formula at regular intervals. The fleet is provided by the F1 team, whose car he did not race.
McLaren has not forgotten Jyrki Järvilehto, who drove a feat for the car brand. Kaisa Vehkalahti
Jyrki Järvilehto returned to the wheel of an F1 car in July. The former formula star didn’t get to deal with just any formula, but one of the most amazing creations in the history of the sport.
The Finnish driver with 62 GP starts drove at the Festival of Speed event organized in Goodwood, England Lewis Hamilton the McLaren MP4/23 car driven in the 2008 season. The car in question propelled the most successful driver in F1 history to his first world championship.
A message came from Häkkinen
Mika Häkkinen immediately sent a message to Järvilehto after hearing about the joint F1 drive. Juuso Taipale
JJ Lehto drove in the F1 series from 1989 to 1994 with Onyx, Dallara, Sauber and Benetton, but the ties to McLaren are strong.
– McLaren has not forgotten that I won the 24 hours of Le Mans with their car. There are different driving calls at regular intervals, Järvilehto refers to the big production of 1995.
– Zak Brown (CEO of McLaren) contacted me in the spring and offered this opportunity to drive. It didn’t take long to think about what to say to him, he muses.
The 57-year-old driver, who is known again as Jyrki Järvilehto after his racing career, had time to receive a small advance warning from another Finnish F1 star.
– What (Caged) managed to put the message “nothing but a tap” before Zak called. For a while, I was wondering what Mika meant, but it became clear pretty quickly when Zak called, Järvilehto laughs.
No problem to the bench
The Festival of Speed is a hugely popular event. The show, which gathers countless legendary racing cars in one place, gathers more than a hundred thousand pairs of eyes in the British village every day of the event.
This year’s theme was McLaren, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Järvilehto and Häkkinen got a prominent role in the show, because both drove McLaren’s modern F1 cars. Under the cage was his 1999 championship McLaren.
Häkkinen told Iltalehti in his interview that he had difficulty fitting into the cab of his car. Järvilehto says that he slipped into Hamilton’s old car without any problems.
– I used McLaren’s test driver at the time by Gary Paffet old driver’s seat. All I had to do was move the pedals a little closer and let go.
A great experience
Hamilton’s championship McLaren MP4/23 is a magnificent creation. EPA / AOP
Although Järvilehto’s F1 career ended in 1994, it hasn’t been that long since the last time he was behind the wheel of an F1 car.
– I have done such PR gigs at McLaren before. Even in recent years it has been driven. Among other things Ayrton Senna With McLarens, Järvilehto reveals.
So the jump to Hamilton’s McLaren for the 2008 season was not exciting.
– There was nothing more strange than that. The same rule applies to driving an F1 car as to cycling: once you’ve learned it, you’ve mastered it.
There was one thing Järvilehto didn’t like about the modern F1 car.
– There was no foot switch in the car, but it had to be operated from the steering wheel. In a show race like Goodwood, where you have to stop sometimes and make tight turns, it’s not quite optimal.
The experience was memorable for Järvilehto.
– It was an insanely great car. Yes, you could drive really hard with it. The car was in great condition, like it was pulled from the freezer. It was an honor to drive it.
And one more important observation.
– The sounds were right when it was the old days brave and not the current hybrid machine, Järvilehto states.