Mika Häkkinen: Difference between revisions
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===== 1998 ===== |
===== 1998 ===== |
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[[File:Mika Hakkinen 2008 Stars and Cars McLaren MP4-13.jpg|thumb|Häkkinen demonstrating his championship-winning [[McLaren MP4/13]] in 2008]] |
[[File:Mika Hakkinen 2008 Stars and Cars McLaren MP4-13.jpg|thumb|Häkkinen demonstrating his championship-winning [[McLaren MP4/13]] in 2008]] |
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The 1998 season was the turning point for Häkkinen. The [[McLaren MP4/13]] was the first car designed by [[Adrian Newey]], aerodynamicist who had the merit of having designed the best car when he was with the Williams team. Häkkinen and McLaren finally had a more than competitive, thanks to the passage from the Goodyear tire supplier Bridgestone most effective. The Finn managed with 8 wins and 13 placings in the points in 16 races to win the title of World Champion made over 100 points, ahead of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher with 86. In addition, he became the author of no less than 9 pole position season. |
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The year began with Häkkinen winning the first four of six rounds. However, in the next three races, Schumacher won the next three allowing him to close the championship gap to Häkkinen in the drivers' standings. Hakkinen, then won in [[1998 Austrian Grand Prix|Austria]] and [[1998 German Grand Prix|Germany]]. In Hungary and Belgium, however, only one point though Schumacher took advantage of fully because he won only in the Hungarian Grand Prix at Spa while he was withdrawing because of a first contact with the other driver David Coulthard Mclaren. At Monza, Schumacher and Hakkinen were imposed only finished fourth due to a gearbox problem. At this point in the season the two contenders were in the top of the standings with 80 points, with only 2 races left. Schumacher took pole at the Nurburgring with Häkkinen taking victory. Häkkinen and Schumacher arrived at Suzuka with the title still up for grabs though Hakkinen was clearly favored by the superiority of the Mclaren while the Ferrari had developed during the course of the championship. In the last race of the season, Hakkinen won again with an unfortunate Schumacher who took pole position was forced to start from the back of the grid due to a problem encountered on his warm-up lap and had made a good recovery in the race before a puncture forced him to retire. Hakkinen then won the race and his first world title. |
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A winner at last, Häkkinen was confident of further success in {{f1|1998}}. With [[Adrian Newey]], the renowned former Williams-Renault designer, on board at McLaren, Häkkinen found himself in the fastest car for early 1998 season.{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}} |
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He did not waste the opportunity, and opened up a significant lead in the Drivers' Championship. However, a combination of car problems, bad luck, and a resurgent Michael Schumacher saw the two drivers level on points with just two races to go. Häkkinen held his nerve, beating Schumacher in a straight fight at the Luxembourg Grand Prix and going on to win his 8th Grand Prix of the season in Japan, clinching the title whilst Schumacher stalled on the grid, and later retired with a punctured tyre. |
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===== 1999 ===== |
===== 1999 ===== |
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[[File:Mika Hakkinen 1999 Canada.jpg|thumb|right|Häkkinen won his second world title in {{F1|1999}}, a campaign which included a win at the [[1999 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] (pictured).]] |
[[File:Mika Hakkinen 1999 Canada.jpg|thumb|right|Häkkinen won his second world title in {{F1|1999}}, a campaign which included a win at the [[1999 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] (pictured).]] |
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The MP4/14, once again designed from the pencil of Newey, was also a competitive car capable of fighting for the victory, though more fragile than its predecessor. The climb to the World Title was more difficult than in 1998. Despite a more competitive Ferrari, Schumacher finished out of the game in the mid-season because of a serious accident during the Grand Prix at Silverstone. The world seemed so closer to Hakkinen, but despite this the Finn was able to celebrate the second world title in a row after the last Grand Prix at Suzuka in which he managed to win finishing ahead of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine to another thus concluding the world with 76 points and 2 points separating Eddie Irvine finished second with 74 points. |
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The year did not start in the best way for Mika who had to retire in the first Grand Prix in Melbourne. The first victory of the season, however, was not long in coming and came at the Brazilian Grand Prix, but the Finn crashed out of the next race at Imola. Hakkinen finished third in Monaco, and took back-to-back wins Barcelona and in Canada. Hakkinen then came second in France and retired at Silverstone where Schumacher suffered a serious accident. Hakkinen then came third in Austria after a contact at the start with his companion and Coulthard was involved in a scary accident at Hockenheim where he lost the head of the world against Irvine. Häkkinen won in Budapest and then second at Spa behind team-mate Coulthard. At Monza, Häkkinen spun off and broke down crying in front of the cameras after running away from his car to hide during the race.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hall of Shame |publisher=F1 Rejects |year=2007 |url=http://www.f1rejects.com/hall/whoops/index.html#3 |accessdate=2007-03-17}}</ref> Hakkinen finished fifth in the next Grand Prix and third in Malaysia. At the final round in Japan, he was back on top form and romped to a victory that secured him a second world championship, almost an entire lap ahead of title rival Irvine with Schumacher a close second. |
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===== 2000 ===== |
===== 2000 ===== |
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[[File:Hakkinen.jpg|thumb|Häkkinen at the [[2000 United States Grand Prix]]]] |
[[File:Hakkinen.jpg|thumb|Häkkinen at the [[2000 United States Grand Prix]]]] |
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As a double World Champion, he had joined an elite group of drivers. For the [[2000 Formula One season|2000 season]], he was eager to score a hat-trick of crowns, but after a season-long contest, finished 19 points behind Ferrari's Schumacher. Häkkinen took victory in [[2000 Spanish Grand Prix|Spain]], [[2000 French Grand Prix|France]], [[2000 Austrian Grand Prix|Austria]] and in [[2000 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungary]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mika Hakkinen: Laureus|url=http://www.laureus.com/academy/members/mika-hakkinen|publisher=Laureus}}</ref> At [[2000 Belgian Grand Prix|Spa]], he took a memorable victory, with a breathtaking simultaneous pass on [[Michael Schumacher]] and [[Ricardo Zonta]] in the ''Kemmel straight''. At the next Grand Prix Schumacher took over the Championship lead, and went on to confirm his third world championship at the [[2000 Japanese Grand Prix|Japanese Grand Prix]], the penultimate race of the season. Schumacher has described his championship fight with Häkkinen as the most satisfying of his career. |
As a double World Champion, he had joined an elite group of drivers. For the [[2000 Formula One season|2000 season]], he was eager to score a hat-trick of crowns, but after a season-long contest, finished 19 points behind Ferrari's Schumacher. Häkkinen took victory in [[2000 Spanish Grand Prix|Spain]], [[2000 French Grand Prix|France]], [[2000 Austrian Grand Prix|Austria]] and in [[2000 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungary]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mika Hakkinen: Laureus|url=http://www.laureus.com/academy/members/mika-hakkinen|publisher=Laureus}}</ref> At [[2000 Belgian Grand Prix|Spa]], he took a memorable victory, with a breathtaking simultaneous pass on [[Michael Schumacher]] and [[Ricardo Zonta]] in the ''Kemmel straight''. At the next Grand Prix Schumacher took over the Championship lead, and went on to confirm his third world championship at the [[2000 Japanese Grand Prix|Japanese Grand Prix]], the penultimate race of the season. Schumacher has described his championship fight with Häkkinen as the most satisfying of his career. |
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===== 2001 ===== |
===== 2001 ===== |
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[[File:Mika Hakkinen 2001 Canada.jpg|thumb|right|Häkkinen driving for McLaren at the [[2001 Canadian Grand Prix]]]] |
[[File:Mika Hakkinen 2001 Canada.jpg|thumb|right|Häkkinen driving for McLaren at the [[2001 Canadian Grand Prix]]]] |
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Revision as of 13:49, 29 August 2012
![]() Mika Häkkinen at Norisring in 2009 | |
Born | Vantaa, Finland | 28 September 1968
---|---|
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | ![]() |
Active years | 1991–2001 |
Teams | Lotus, McLaren |
Entries | 165 (161 starts) |
Championships | 2 (1998, 1999) |
Wins | 20 |
Podiums | 51 |
Career points | 420 |
Pole positions | 26 |
Fastest laps | 25 |
First entry | 1991 United States Grand Prix |
First win | 1997 European Grand Prix |
Last win | 2001 United States Grand Prix |
Last entry | 2001 Japanese Grand Prix |
Mika Pauli Häkkinen (Vantaa in the Helsinki metropolitan area) is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion.
) (born 28 September 1968 inAfter success in karting and a near win at the 1990 Macau Grand Prix, Häkkinen joined Lotus in 1991 where he remained until 1992. Hakkinen joined McLaren as a test driver in 1993 initally as a backup for Ayrton Senna and took on the responsibility of race driver after Michael Andretti was dismissed by the team after that year's Italian Grand prix. In 1994, he became the lead driver after Senna left to join Williams. Following a life-threatening injury during qualifying for the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, Häkkinen made a considerable improvement in 1996 and took his first victory at the 1997 European Grand Prix. Häkkinen won back to back titles in 1998-99. 2000 saw the year that Hakkinen conceded the title to Schumacher with 2001 yelding two victories and the announcement of a sabbatical that later turned into retirement.
After retiring from Formula One, Hakkinen has driven in the DTM series where he has won three races with Mercedes before retiring in 2007.
Personal and early life
Mika Häkkinen was born in Helsingin maalaiskunta (now Vantaa), Finland on September 28, 1968 to Harri, a shortwave radio operator and part-time taxi driver, and Aila Häkkinen, who worked as a secretary. Häkkinen grew up with one sister, Nina, who ran a fan site for her brother until its closure in 1998.
Since 1991, Häkkinen has resided in Monte Carlo although he also has houses in France and Finland. On 18 May 2008, his newly completed mansion in France burned down after a light in one of his trophy cabinets short circuited. Nobody was injured in the conflagration, but his pet tortoise perished in the fire[1] along with his collection of F1 trophies.[2]
Häkkinen married Erja Honkanen in 1998. The couple have one son, Hugo Ronan (born 11 December 2000) and one daughter, Aina Julia (born 12 May 2005). The couple applied for divorce in 2008.[3] Häkkinen's third child, daughter Ella, was born on 30 November 2010 to his Czech girlfriend Marketa Remesova.[4]
Racing career
Pre-Formula One (until 1990)
When Häkkinen was five years old, his parents hired a go-kart for him to take to a track near their home. On his first lap, Häkkinen was involved in an accident, escaping unhurt. Despite this crash, Häkkinen wished to continue racing and after persistently annoying his parents, the young Finn got his wish. His father bought Häkkinen his first go-kart, one that Henri Toivonen had previously competed with.[5]
By 1986, Häkkinen had won five karting championships. 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg helped Häkkinen by arranging him sponsorship that aided the Finn through the junior categories of open wheel racing. The "New Flying Finn" won three Scandinavian championships, then in 1988 the Opel Lotus Euroseries championship before winning the 1990 British Formula Three championship. During the late 1980s he was living in England and sharing a house with West Surrey Racing team mate Allan McNish.[6] Häkkinen was close to winning the 1990 Macau Grand Prix but missed out due to a controversial accident with Michael Schumacher, which resulted in his promotion to Formula One with Team Lotus.
Formula One (1991–2001)
Lotus (1991–1992)
- 1991
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Mika_Hakkinen_1991_USA.jpg/220px-Mika_Hakkinen_1991_USA.jpg)
Häkkinen joined Lotus in 1991. He qualified 13th for his Grand Prix debut in Phoenix, and would also have finished the race in the same position but his car experienced an engine failure on lap 60. Häkkinen scored his first Grand Prix points two rounds later in Imola, where he finished fifth from 25th on the grid, three laps behind the race winner, Ayrton Senna. Häkkinen finished the season in equal 15th alongside Satoru Nakajima and Martin Brundle.
- 1992
Johnny Herbert joined Häkkinen for 1992. The Finn continued his form from 1991, with points scoring finishes in six Grands Prix, his best finishes being fourth places in France and Hungary. Häkkinen finished the season in eighth place in the Drivers' Championship, with almost six times as many points as during the previous season.
McLaren (1993–2001)
1993
In 1993, Häkkinen joined McLaren as test driver with a view to be promoted into the race team later on.[citation needed] In Monaco he returned to racing with a guest drive in the Porsche Supercup race, an event he dominated. His hopes of stepping up to the race team were realised after Monza, when Michael Andretti left F1 after disappointing results. Häkkinen's McLaren race debut in Portugal was impressive. In his first outing for the team, he outqualified their star driver Ayrton Senna. Unfortunately, when pushing too hard through the final corner of the track during the race, he ran wide onto the dirty side of the kerb, launching the car towards the pit wall. At the time he was running in a point-scoring position. He went on to score a podium finish fifteen seconds behind his triple world champion team-mate during the next weekend at Suzuka, his first career podium.
During 1993, Häkkinen, along with Ayrton Senna, tested the Lamborghini V12 engine in a modified version of the McLaren MP4/8 race car dubbed the "MP4/8B" at both Estoril and Silverstone. Both drivers were impressed with the engine, with Häkkinen reportedly lapping Silverstone some 1.4 seconds faster in the MP4/8B with its V12 engine than he had with the team's race car fitted with the Ford V8.
1994
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Hakkinen_Silverstone1994.jpg/220px-Hakkinen_Silverstone1994.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Mika_Hakkinen_1995_Britain.jpg/220px-Mika_Hakkinen_1995_Britain.jpg)
With Senna departing to Williams for 1994, Häkkinen became the leading driver for McLaren with Martin Brundle as his teammate. McLaren had also switched from the V8 Ford engines to Peugeot V10s (a handshake deal was reportedly done for McLaren to use the Lamborghini V12 the team had tested in 1993, but team boss Ron Dennis decided on Peugeot instead). During the season, Häkkinen took six more podium finishes to add to his sole podium of 1993, including a second place in Belgium. The Finn finished the year fourth in the Drivers' Championship with a tally of 26 points.
1995
1995 would be the start of a long relationship between Häkkinen's McLaren team and the German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz. A further two second places in Italy and Japan put the Finn's tally of podiums up to nine. Häkkinen missed the Pacific Grand Prix at Aida due to an appendix operation. But then, at the 1995 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide, he suffered a tyre failure at the early part of the first qualifying session, which resulted in him crashing heavily into the wall. He was critically injured in the crash (sustaining a skull fracture, internal bleeding and swallowing his tongue, of which the latter blocked his airway) and was saved only due to an emergency tracheotomy that was performed by the side of the track by Sid Watkins.[7] This incident forged a strong bond between Häkkinen and team principal Ron Dennis, and also sent forth a new movement for extra safety in the sport. Luckily, Häkkinen recovered fully and was fit to race again in 1996, thus missing only one race.
1996
The 1996 season saw McLaren improve; Mercedes-Benz were in their second season of supplying engines to the team and Häkkinen managed to return to the podium, although his first win still eluded him. That season saw David Coulthard join the team from Williams. At the Spa circuit he nearly registered his first win while using a one stop race strategy, until Jos Verstappen's accident allowed all other cars to pit under the safety car. Based on timing, Häkkinen would have won the race by over 10 seconds without this event. Häkkinen finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship, scoring a total of 31 points.
1997
McLaren were confident of success in 1997. With the distinctive red and white colours of Marlboro replaced by the silver and black colours of West, the team returned to their winning ways. Coulthard took the first win for McLaren in over three seasons at the Australian Grand Prix. Through the year the McLarens began to regularly challenge the frontrunners, but it was Coulthard who finished higher in the championship. Häkkinen came close to an elusive breakthrough victory a number of times in 1997, not least at Silverstone, A1-Ring and Nürburgring. At Jerez he finally crossed the line first, although after teammate Coulthard had been asked to move over for him and title contender Jacques Villeneuve, nursing a damaged car, was asked by his team to consider letting him through.[citation needed]
1998
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Mika_Hakkinen_2008_Stars_and_Cars_McLaren_MP4-13.jpg/220px-Mika_Hakkinen_2008_Stars_and_Cars_McLaren_MP4-13.jpg)
The 1998 season was the turning point for Häkkinen. The McLaren MP4/13 was the first car designed by Adrian Newey, aerodynamicist who had the merit of having designed the best car when he was with the Williams team. Häkkinen and McLaren finally had a more than competitive, thanks to the passage from the Goodyear tire supplier Bridgestone most effective. The Finn managed with 8 wins and 13 placings in the points in 16 races to win the title of World Champion made over 100 points, ahead of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher with 86. In addition, he became the author of no less than 9 pole position season.
The year began with Häkkinen winning the first four of six rounds. However, in the next three races, Schumacher won the next three allowing him to close the championship gap to Häkkinen in the drivers' standings. Hakkinen, then won in Austria and Germany. In Hungary and Belgium, however, only one point though Schumacher took advantage of fully because he won only in the Hungarian Grand Prix at Spa while he was withdrawing because of a first contact with the other driver David Coulthard Mclaren. At Monza, Schumacher and Hakkinen were imposed only finished fourth due to a gearbox problem. At this point in the season the two contenders were in the top of the standings with 80 points, with only 2 races left. Schumacher took pole at the Nurburgring with Häkkinen taking victory. Häkkinen and Schumacher arrived at Suzuka with the title still up for grabs though Hakkinen was clearly favored by the superiority of the Mclaren while the Ferrari had developed during the course of the championship. In the last race of the season, Hakkinen won again with an unfortunate Schumacher who took pole position was forced to start from the back of the grid due to a problem encountered on his warm-up lap and had made a good recovery in the race before a puncture forced him to retire. Hakkinen then won the race and his first world title.
1999
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Mika_Hakkinen_1999_Canada.jpg/220px-Mika_Hakkinen_1999_Canada.jpg)
The MP4/14, once again designed from the pencil of Newey, was also a competitive car capable of fighting for the victory, though more fragile than its predecessor. The climb to the World Title was more difficult than in 1998. Despite a more competitive Ferrari, Schumacher finished out of the game in the mid-season because of a serious accident during the Grand Prix at Silverstone. The world seemed so closer to Hakkinen, but despite this the Finn was able to celebrate the second world title in a row after the last Grand Prix at Suzuka in which he managed to win finishing ahead of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine to another thus concluding the world with 76 points and 2 points separating Eddie Irvine finished second with 74 points.
The year did not start in the best way for Mika who had to retire in the first Grand Prix in Melbourne. The first victory of the season, however, was not long in coming and came at the Brazilian Grand Prix, but the Finn crashed out of the next race at Imola. Hakkinen finished third in Monaco, and took back-to-back wins Barcelona and in Canada. Hakkinen then came second in France and retired at Silverstone where Schumacher suffered a serious accident. Hakkinen then came third in Austria after a contact at the start with his companion and Coulthard was involved in a scary accident at Hockenheim where he lost the head of the world against Irvine. Häkkinen won in Budapest and then second at Spa behind team-mate Coulthard. At Monza, Häkkinen spun off and broke down crying in front of the cameras after running away from his car to hide during the race.[8] Hakkinen finished fifth in the next Grand Prix and third in Malaysia. At the final round in Japan, he was back on top form and romped to a victory that secured him a second world championship, almost an entire lap ahead of title rival Irvine with Schumacher a close second.
2000
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Mika_H%C3%A4kkinen_2000_United_States_Grand_Prix.jpg/220px-Mika_H%C3%A4kkinen_2000_United_States_Grand_Prix.jpg)
As a double World Champion, he had joined an elite group of drivers. For the 2000 season, he was eager to score a hat-trick of crowns, but after a season-long contest, finished 19 points behind Ferrari's Schumacher. Häkkinen took victory in Spain, France, Austria and in Hungary.[9] At Spa, he took a memorable victory, with a breathtaking simultaneous pass on Michael Schumacher and Ricardo Zonta in the Kemmel straight. At the next Grand Prix Schumacher took over the Championship lead, and went on to confirm his third world championship at the Japanese Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season. Schumacher has described his championship fight with Häkkinen as the most satisfying of his career.
2001
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Mika_Hakkinen_2001_Canada.jpg/220px-Mika_Hakkinen_2001_Canada.jpg)
In 2001, he took part in what would prove to be his last season of Formula One, before he was replaced by his young compatriot and protégé Kimi Räikkönen. The MP4-16 was not as competitive and it was Coulthard who carried the threat to Schumacher for much of the season. Furthermore, Häkkinen suffered a sizeable crash due to a front suspension failure at the opening race in Australia at Melbourne, while running second. The accident seemed to have hindered his motivation considerably. There were days however when Häkkinen reminded people of his skills. In Spain he was in the lead on the last lap to record his fourth straight Spanish Grand Prix victory but he had a clutch failure and was forced to retire, just five corners away from victory. Häkkinen, stranded, was later fetched by Coulthard in the other McLaren, with Häkkinen sitting at the side of the car, back to the pit. It was a sad but memorable moment, reminding fans of the strong bonds between Coulthard and Häkkinen. At Silverstone he dominated the race to take his first victory of the year, whilst at Indianapolis he put in a stirring drive to take his last Grand Prix win. At the end of the season he left racing, initially for a sabbatical, but by mid-2002 this had become full-time retirement.[10]
DTM (2005–2007)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/DTM_car_mercedes2006_Haekkinen_racing.jpg/220px-DTM_car_mercedes2006_Haekkinen_racing.jpg)
During 2004 Häkkinen announced plans for a Grand Prix comeback and held talks with Williams for 2005. A deal was not reached and he instead made a race comeback in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), with Mercedes-Benz. It was a successful season, including one win at Spa.
For 2006 he again competed in the DTM championships with Mercedes, although it was a more difficult season, with a couple of second places his best results. Autosport magazine has speculated that Häkkinen's style of driving is not especially suited to a DTM car.[citation needed]
At the 2006 Goodwood Festival Of Speed, Häkkinen drove the 2005 McLaren-Mercedes MP4-20. Many said that it was great once again to see Häkkinen in a McLaren, as he was the last driver (at that time) to win the World Championship in a McLaren.[11]
Häkkinen would stay on at Mercedes for a third season in the series and, although this was tainted by some bad luck in places, 2007 was to be his most competitive. Regularly qualifying on the front row, he took two wins at Lausitz and Mugello on his way to 8th in the championship.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/Haekkinen_Koenig_2007_amk.jpg/220px-Haekkinen_Koenig_2007_amk.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Mika_Hakkinen_2006_Goodwood.jpg/220px-Mika_Hakkinen_2006_Goodwood.jpg)
Possible returns to F1
After Häkkinen's sabbatical year and subsequent retirement, rumours of his return were reported on several occasions. Häkkinen was linked to Williams during the 2004 season, because of Montoya going to McLaren-Mercedes following year.[12]
At the end of the 2006 season there were further rumours regarding Häkkinen returning to the wheel of a McLaren-Mercedes for the 2007 season. Autosport magazine reported that Häkkinen had tested a McLaren simulator twice during November and discussed a possible comeback with the team. On November 24 McLaren announced that Lewis Hamilton would take the team's second seat in 2007,[13] ending the speculation of a possible return to a Formula One drivers seat. However, it was reported that Häkkinen had participated in an advisory role, with Ron Dennis stating that "He's a very interesting person to bring in and evaluate some of the things we are developing."[14] On Thursday, November 30, Häkkinen tested the 2006 McLaren-Mercedes MP4-21 for a full day at the Circuit de Catalunya, in Barcelona, Spain. He completed 79 laps of the circuit, but his fastest lap was three seconds off the pace of regular race drivers. McLaren said they were using his expertise to see how Formula One had evolved over the years since his retirement from Formula One at the 2001 Japanese Grand Prix, for possible developments which may have come out of this testing.
Häkkinen has also been named as the Responsible Drinking Ambassador for McLaren sponsor Johnnie Walker.[15]
Häkkinen has a street named after him in the Australian city of Adelaide in which he suffered a near fatal accident.
2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup
Team AMG China has entered a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup - 6 Hours of Zhuhai race, which will see Häkkinen make his ILMC debut in the GT3-based machine.[16][needs update]
Retirement
Häkkinen announced his retirement from competitive motorsport on Sunday, 4 November 2007.[17] He was quoted as saying that the decision "was not an easy one," but added that "racing is still in my blood and this decision does not mean that this will prevent me from racing for pleasure."[18]
In November 2008, Häkkinen announced that he will begin a new career in driver management.[19]
Helmet
Mika Hakkinen's helmet is white with a Dark Blue stripe, a Royal blue stripe and a Sky blue stripe in the middle, a blue circle on the top and his name written in the chin area of his helmet.
Racing record
Career summary
Season | Series | Team Name | Races | Poles | Wins | Points | Final Placing |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1974–1986 | Karting | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 5 times Finnish Champion |
1987 | Nordic Formula Ford | Reynard | 15 | ? | 9 | 40 | 1st |
1988 | GM Vauxhall-Lotus Challenge | Dragon | 10 | 4 | 3 | 127 | 2nd |
Opel-Lotus Euroseries | Dragon | 10 | 2 | 4 | 126 | 1st | |
1989 | British F3 | Dragon | 17 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 7th |
Cellnet F3 SuperPrix | WSR | 1 | 1 | 1 | N/A | 1st | |
Macau Grand Prix | Dragon | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | R | |
1990 | British F3 | WSR | 17 | 11 | 10 | 121 | 1st |
Italian F3 | WSR | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ? | |
German F3 | WSR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ? | |
Macau Grand Prix | WSR | 1 | 1 | 0 | N/A | R | |
Fuji F3 Race | WSR | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNQ | |
1991 | Formula One | Lotus | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16th |
1992 | Formula One | Lotus | 15 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 8th |
1993 | Formula One | McLaren | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 15th |
Porsche Supercup | ? | 2 | 2 | 2 | ? | ? | |
1994 | Formula One | McLaren | 15 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 4th |
1995 | Formula One | McLaren | 15 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 7th |
1996 | Formula One | McLaren | 16 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 5th |
1997 | Formula One | McLaren | 16 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 6th |
1998 | Formula One | McLaren | 16 | 9 | 8 | 100 | 1st |
1999 | Formula One | McLaren | 16 | 11 | 5 | 76 | 1st |
2000 | Formula One | McLaren | 17 | 5 | 4 | 89 | 2nd |
2001 | Formula One | McLaren | 17 | 0 | 2 | 37 | 5th |
2005 | DTM | AMG-Mercedes | 11 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 5th |
2006 | DTM | HWA-Mercedes | 10 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 6th |
2007 | DTM | HWA-Mercedes | 10 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 8th |
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete DTM results
(key)
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | Mercedes | HOC 8 |
LAU1 3 |
SPA 1 |
BRN 13 |
OSC Ret |
NOR Ret |
NÜR 4 |
ZAN 12 |
LAU2 12 |
IST 2 |
HOC 15 |
5th | 30 |
2006 | Mercedes | HOC 4 |
LAU 3 |
OSC 9 |
BRH 11 |
NOR 3 |
NÜR 12 |
ZAN 11 |
CAT 11 |
BUG 2 |
HOC Ret |
6th | 25 | |
2007 | Mercedes | HOC 10 |
OSC 17 |
LAU* 1 |
BRH 4 |
NOR 9 |
MUG 1 |
ZAN 7 |
NÜR 10 |
CAT DSQ |
HOC 17 |
8th | 22 |
* Half points were awarded in the race due to several errors made by the race officials.
Other interests
Häkkinen can ride a unicycle and has performed on stage riding one.[20]
In February 2010, Häkkinen offered driving lessons at Mercedes-Benz World to raise money for children's charity, Great Ormond Street Hospital.[21] The event was sponsored by myHermes, for which Häkkinen is the brand ambassador.
Häkkinen also featured on BBC Two's TopGear, teaching presenter James May how to drive fast in preparation for his first supercar test with the Pagani Zonda.
References
- ^ "Hakkinen loses his house". grandprix.com. 2008-05-18. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
- ^ "Heartbreak for Hakkinen". en.f1-live.com. 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
- ^ F1-Live.com. "Hakkinen and wife Erja to divorce". CAPSIS International. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Tässä on Mika Häkkisen ja Marketan Ella-vauva" (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
- ^ Gagnon, Marie-Julie. "Le fil de Mika". Radio Canada (in French). Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ Allan McNish interview[dead link]
- ^ Tremayne, David (2001). The Concise Encyclopedia of Formula One. Parragon. ISBN 0-7525-6557-5.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Hall of Shame". F1 Rejects. 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
- ^ "Mika Hakkinen: Laureus". Laureus.
- ^ "Hakkinen announces retirement". BBC Sport. 26 July 2002. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
- ^ "BBC Report on Final GP of 1999 Season". BBC News. 1999-11-01. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ "Häkkinen return dismissed". BBC Sport. 2004-05-31. Retrieved 2006-12-14.
- ^ "Who's Who: Lewis Hamilton". F1Fanatic.co.uk. 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
- ^ "Hakkinen happy after McLaren test". BBC Sport. 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ "Hakkinen Lands Drink-Drive Role". Grandprix.com. 2006-11-23. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ LE MANS: 29 Entries For Zhuhai SpeedTV.com. John Dagys. Posted October 18, 2011. San Francisco, CA
- ^ "F1 | ITV Sport". Itv-f1.com. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ "Au revoir Mika". Top Gear. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ "Hakkinen moves into driver management". autosport.com. 2008-11-11. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ "image". Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ Ken Gibson (2010-02-12). "Go for a spin with Hakkinen". The Sun. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 1968 births
- Living people
- People from Vantaa
- Finnish racing drivers
- Formula Ford drivers
- British Formula Three Championship drivers
- Italian Formula Three Championship drivers
- German Formula Three Championship drivers
- Finnish Formula One drivers
- Team Lotus Formula One drivers
- McLaren Formula One drivers
- Formula One World Drivers' Champions
- Monaco Grand Prix winners
- Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters drivers
- FIA GT Championship drivers
- Finnish expatriates in Monaco
- Finnish expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Porsche Supercup drivers