MICHAEL SCHUMACHER’S GREATEST RIVAL! Mika Hakkinen- A Retrospective

[@AidanMillward]

Fun fact: thirty seconds after that picture with JM Fangio II was taken, Mika said: “yes”

[@simontravers2715]

& Just yes I imagine, almost talked as little as Kimi (though I watched a compilation of Hakkinen interviews audio only, he mostly answered with just chuckles)

[@theF1oracle]

I might be wrong, but the 'yes' answer to many of the questions put to him was because he suffered hearing damaged in the Adelaide crash. He wouldn't pick up everything said if it was a pretty long question so he decided that a 'yes' was better than 'could you repeat please' or 'i'm sorry, i didn't catch that'

[@thesunnynationg]

I even think this was the greatest Rivalry in F1 Period.

[@bumblebity2902]

@@theF1oracle He had some press conference said repeat the quesiton, like European GP 2000

[@simonandrachelperchard5779]

Yes to what?

[@bmstylee]

And let us not forget Mika taught Captain Slow how to rally. The man was that good.

[@ovejrp1]

😂😂😂

[@simontravers2715]

May asking if all his quirks made him Finnish, he got 2/3 bless him.

[@CyanRooper]

"I'm sliding about like Mika Hakkinen."

[@Erik_The_Viking]

One of the best TopGear episodes ever

[@HammerHeart3229]

Or Mr Slowly as the Italians like to call him!

[@detonator2112]

Mika had a competitive, reliable car only for 3 years. He took 2 WDC's, 26 poles and 20 wins from that. One hell of a driver and ridiculously underrated.

[@harmkuijpers6642]

One of the moments where Häkkinen showed his class as a human being was Monza, 2000. It was obviously an emotional win for Schumacher, not only because of his 41st win, with which he equaled Senna, but it probably also was a relief that he'd finally won again and with it closed the gap to Häkkinen. I'm pretty sure after that dominant start of the season, the three non-scores and the fact that he'd lost the previous race to Häkkinen as well, after leading the first part of the race, he felt the title was slipping away from him again. So when enquired about how much the win meant to him, Schumacher burst in tears, and while Ralf was comforting his brother, and the press kept asking questions to Michael, Häkkinen said something of the like 'give the guy a break'. Michael did not only fear Mika, he probably also was the only driver he truly respected and the respect was mutual. You saw that on and off track.

[@stephencurry8552]

I have often thought of the moment you describe. While Michael has meant so much to me. I was always as well a Hakkinen fan, and was not upset when he won a title over Michael. I am glad I read your comment.

[@PaperBanjo64]

Fun fact! Mika Hakkinen's final win was also Murray Walker's final race as a full-time announcer.

[@sh-spectrum409]

Ah yes, the 2001 United States Grand Prix was his full-time swansong and afterwards he was succeeded by James Allen.

[@laurenmp7486]

I loved Mika's post race interviews, where he barely said a word and he'd still get people laughing.

[@cyberfutur5000]

Do you know the interview where he talks about Kimi being his friend (definitely 2001, maybe after Monza) ? I love that one, for some reason it always makes me laugh way to much...

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

'.....Yes....'

[@laurenmp7486]

@@cyberfutur5000 I've seen that one! And yeah it's great!

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Throwing water on The Michael during a press conference and legging it...

[@raptor1672]

@@y_fam_goeglyd Nah it was Eddie that he had the water fight with. Michael just sat there and threw his hands up.

[@Sarimful]

Hakkinen and Coulthard are McLaren to me as well. This was a wonderful trip down memory lane.

[@Brenooliveira072]

Finnish driver, silver car, Ron Dennis, V10 Mercedes engine and some of the most frustrating mechanical failures one can imagine. I miss this McLaren.

[@googleaccount4159]

Yeah same here. He made me a life long McLaren fan. Loved watching him try and beat Micheal each week and I still remember the thrill of THAT Spa race.

[@nikeestar]

I agree with Brundle, that Mika was faster overall but Michael was a better all rounder. But Mika deserves far more plaudits that he gets from most fans and journalists.

[@shoegeezer63]

Mika is a legend - humble, tremendously quick, and just an absolute sportsman. My favorite driver of all time

[@reptongeek]

16:26 Mika had once joked to Ayrton Senna of all people that he had bigger balls. His overtake on Zonta and The Michael was the most iconic example. In order to pull the move off, he went through Radillon flat with a broken wing because of the chop Michael gave him the previous lap.

[@tristanwhite3472]

That was awesome

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

I met Mika when I was small. It was on the Lotus stand at the British Grand Prix. He was a gentleman and I still have the sticker and badge he gave me.

[@aoife1122]

Of course, Mika Häkkinen is one of the greatest drivers to ever grace the F1 grid. Even fans of The Michael have no qualms to acknowledge that. For the better part of his first four years at Ferrari, they had doubts in Maranello whether Schumacher was the right man for the job, in no small part thanks to Mika. P.S. Mika's race start at Suzuka in '99 was one for the history books, sheer brilliance. ;)

[@JohnSmithShields]

It took Mika a little time to get his first F1 win, but once he did, wow.

[@ThePapaja1996]

Wonder if Norris follow the same path.

[@AidanMillward]

@@ThePapaja1996 not if he keeps choking under pressure.

[@RANDOMZBOSSMAN1]

Similarities to Mansell in that regard once their got their first win the floodgates opened

[@palm92]

@@RANDOMZBOSSMAN1 To be fair to Mika and especially Nigel they competed in absolutely insane eras stacked with talented, and Hakkinen was in lousy cars until 1997.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

​@@RANDOMZBOSSMAN1 F1 fans (including me) and the commentators were saying that would happen. It's not uncommon. He was the epitome of "late winner syndrome."

[@kdm6287]

It was the respect Mika and Michael had for each other that i enjoyed so much. Mika had the speed so naturally, Michael had the speed through hard work and skill.

[@Duval-In-The-Wall]

Hakkinen was absolute class, a rivalry would never get toxic with him

[@gringostarr69]

Thank you Aidan for making this. A viewer from 3km from Mikas home where he grew up living next of the another countryman Mika Salo. They literally lived next houses (buildings) from each others. Every finn was holding their breath after the adelaide crash and tricostromy (if that is the correct term) when Dr Sid Watkins cut his wind-pipe. Everyone was sure he isn't going to race anymore since his eyes where moving in different pace. Damn. 1994 was the first year my dad took me to my first f1 race to hungaroring, but to my unluck, either Mika nor JJ wasn't driving. We had been on campervan for 4 weeks and there were no internet back then. Everyone remembers why the 94 season was doomed and still remember where I was watching the imola gp at may day. Mika is to me one of the greatest and have talked to him few times. He is a humble guy and when you see him walking at streets of helsinki at 6 am just the two of us was some experience. God I miss those times from mid to late 90's.

[@stevegillies1687]

I really liked DC's comment on their podcast about Mika, I'm paraphrasing, but basically that Mika had the higher ceiling whereas Michael had that ability to just run at 99.99% of his own best pace every lap of a race. But on his day nobody could match Mika, not even "The Michael" and thats probably what scared him so much! :)

[@Duval-In-The-Wall]

Hakkinen with more reliable cars is a devastating prospect

[@ScottCutshall]

To me Mika is 90's F1... fast as Taco Bell through a human's gastrointestinal system and always 100% humble & equally a gentleman. Him, DC and that absolutely gorgeous McLaren livery will always be my favorite (all too few) years of the sport.

[@richboy900]

Hakkinen is certainly up there. I don't want to say underrated but many don't mention him. McLaren to me was the Mika/Kimi era

[@johnweissenberger7719]

As a Ferrari and “the Michael “ fan, Mika was bloody good and classy!

[@billmcdonald4335]

That Move. It's all I need to know for me to say with total conviction that Mika is as good as they ever get.

[@weallfollowmanutd]

Was a great piece of judgement, but he did that when he had a sensational car that suited him. He wasn't the same driver when the car wasn't perfect

[@Miwna]

Because there was no Swedish driver at the time, the next best thing was a Finn. So when I started watching F1 I immediately became a fan of Mika Häkkinen, and boy did I pick a good one.

[@carldewet6428]

You Drove it Hard, Mika - what you've Forgotten some F1 Drivers will Never Learn.

[@vern7424]

My earliest F1 memory was getting a Hot Wheels version of his McLaren in a Happy Meal when I was 6 years old.

[@SpeedIng80]

Being German and therefore quite easily a Schumacher fan, Hakkinen just was an opponent back then. But in hindsight I have to acknowledge that Hakkinen truly was Schumacher’s toughest opponent and more than that - a really cool and nice guy! In some way similar to Stefan Edberg in Tennis.

[@saintuk70]

Imo that 98/99 Mclaren was one of the best looking cars ever - love it to this day.

[@AidanMillward]

@@saintuk70 which one? 2001?

[@ADITYAMISHRA-h7g]

@AidanMillward the west livery cars pretty much....

[@CyanRooper]

The evil looking West livery was a great contrast to the bright red Ferraris of the time.

[@ConfiUser3]

The Schumacher-Häkkinen rivalry is the Federer-Nadal rivalry of Formula 1. Two great drivers competing with huge respect for each other and no bitterness at all. What I enjoyed about Häkkinen was that he truly was an equal with Schumacher and the respect both had for each other. Maybe saying that they were friends is a bit of a long shot, but they never had beef with each other and were always friendly with each other, nearly no incidents with each other on track, always tried to outdrive each other and were always grateful even in defeat, knowing that they learned something. Not every rivalry has to be bitter. Sometimes, just having respect for each others talent and try to outdo each other competitively without mind games can be even more thrilling.

[@suorastas1]

As a Finn Mika is always number 1 for me. 1998 was the first season I watched and have been ever since. To think that next season might the first one for me without a Finnish driver on the grid is almost unthinkable. I thought the Heikki Caterham years would be the bottom of the barrel.

[@chrisdavidson911]

You're absolutely right when you say Martin doesn't get the credit he deserves! Johnny won the qualifying competition 9-7. Mika went like hell and was fair with his team mates, which isn't something you can say about The Michael. British Saloon Car Championship 1963 to 1966, Jim Clark's Lotus Cortina. 1 retirement, 1 dsq, one 5th, one 4th, everything else was podiums. In '66 he only did half the races and still finished 2nd in his class.

[@King_Goat_JJ]

When I think of F1 rivalry I always go to Hakkinen & the Michael. Not only cause it is my favourite rivalry when it came towards the end of the season in especially 98 & 2000 both drivers put in some phenomenal performances climaxing at Suzuka 2000. That qualifying both separated by 0.009 & in the race it was 53 laps of qualifying, nothing to separate them. Hakkinen is all time legend of the sport. He showed throughout his career how talented he really was

[@judethedude96]

This is a positive comment for the KZbin algorithm

[@darragho6358]

Yes

[@hedlund]

Quite.

[@sidsuspicious]

Indeed.

[@JohnSmithShields]

definitely

[@crapmalls]

Skibbidy

[@azapro911]

Prior to Alonso's rise, Hakkinen was the rival that Schumacher knew could beat him in a straight season-long fight.

[@miss_tempest]

1997 was the first F1 session I watched. When I say "watched", I mean as much as a 10-year-old in Australia can. Being a formative experience, I became a Coulthard fan and followed him to Red Bull. I was a faithful Red Bull fan until 2022, when Max's tantrums when he didn't get his way finally got to me. I remembered my 1997 roots and returned to my first team, McLaren. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk

[@julieg1984]

F1 casual, but I did watch every race of Michael Schumachers 1999 Ferrari constructor's championship season, on good old speed or speed vision(yank obviously). I loved watching Mika and DC battling Schumacher that year. Thanks for this series, I mean franchise, I also enjoyed the other video where you took us around Phoenix Street circuit in game to illustrate the points about the track. Cheers from Phoenix, just 115° fahrenheit today...

[@MacTV303]

I live in Phoenix also and also grew up watching thos epic battles on Speed Vision Channel back then. 😊

[@ben6993]

Schumacher wasn’t in contention for the title that year because of his crash

[@julieg1984]

At the time I was still in the Chicagoland area actually, I moved to Phoenix about 10 years ago. Another little tidbit slightly related to another recent AM video, the one about JPM-so the town I grew up in had a racetrack built around the same time, Chicago motor speedway. I could literally take a 5 minute walk and be at the racetrack (was site of horse track beforehand). Shell was a big sponsor of jpm and chip ganassi and had a promotion where you picked up a little card at their gas stations and you were given tickets to the Saturday qualifying, I went and got to see jPm take the pole and I even got his autograph! I was always rooting for jPm in F1. I also went to the NASCAR race here in Phoenix this spring it was good times.

[@julieg1984]

Right, I do remember them battling a few races, but you are correct as a F1 casual I'm confusing the years. I have very fond memories of this era of F1, as a yank I loved F1 97 on PS1, "you're right there Murray", and I think that is the reason I got into F1 when I was shown on speedvision, after the Ferraris dominant run (or I guess during their string of constructors crowns) I became a fan of BAR when Honda made their return with Jensen button, but didn't get into I too much. I also follow checo's career due to country of origin homerism. Id like to get more into F1 in general and this channel helps immensely. I think if I play a more recent F1 game I'll get more into general F1 fandom. If only F1 returned to Phoenix it would be the bees knees! When I was at the NASCAR track I was doing some research and seems like they modified the road course of the track and made it unusable when they changed the wall of the oval so an F1 race at the NASCAR track in Phoenix is just a fuel fume delirium dream I reckon.

[@FelixTheHat302]

Hakkinen donated a heap of money to the Royal Adelaide Hospital after his crash, so they could build a helipad on the roof. At that stage, they still landed on a nearby oval.

[@lorddeox]

Mika was my first ever favourite, and he still his my favourite driver of all time.

[@thesunnynationg]

13:50 I can remember Mikas DNF at Imola like it was yesterday. Even though I am a big Schumi supporter, I had Tears in my eyes. he was cowering behind the barrier crying into his helmet.

[@unusualart2023]

Oh Mika Hakkinen Legend Champion and the guy who taught James May how to do a Scandi flick

[@hugeiftrue4224]

Mika was always my favourite as a little tacker. Absolutely loved watching him work his magic on track.

[@stedibear]

I grew up in the same neighborhood as Mika had 18 years prior. Everyone knew he had grown up there, and most of the kids had some sort of connection to motorsport through family or friends. My classmate was the son of the "Finnish Murray Walker", who was our voice for F1 on the Finnish broadcasts. Everyone spent their sundays glued to the TV to cheer Mika on, and talked about the race the next time we were playing outside. One of my friends from my sports team was the daughter of Mika's very first (I think) sponsor, from the time when he was still only starting to race in karting in the national competitions. They ran a motorsports-themed restaurant, and if I remember correctly were family friends with Mika's parents. When I was around 5 or 6 years old, my dad took me to this Volvo building (or factory/dealership, idk) which was quite local and only a very short drive from our neighborhood, for a sort of christmas event for families I guess. They had Santa Claus, and Mika Häkkinen as the attractions for this event. This was either just before Mika's first season in F1, or between the two Lotus seasons, as I distinctly remember him wearing the Lotus racing overalls. At this time, I was too young and Mika too unknown for me to understand what was really going on, the fandom and sunday tradition came a few years later. The memory that sticks with me, is how during the event my father gave me a pen and paper, pointed to the blonde haired guy - sitting up in front of the audience, at a desk with people surrounding him - and told me to go "ask that man for an autograph". I had never heard the word "autograph", but instead of asking for an explanation - maybe I feared I'd look dumb not knowing - I did exactly what I was told. I walked up and asked for the thing, Mika looked at me with a smile and said of course. For a moment or two nothing happened, but Mika's gaze did drop down breaking eye-contact, then back up again. With that cheeky smile of his appearing on his face, and with his finger outstretched in a pointing manner, Mika asked if he could have the items I was still holding in my hand, completely unaware of their relevance or connection to the question my dad had told me to ask. Slightly confused, I quickly replied yes and handed the items over. Mika wrote something on the piece of paper and - as I was just about to walk back, thinking my delivery was completed - for some strange reason wanted to hand the items back to me. I thanked him, he thanked me, and quite confusedly I walked back to our table where my dad was sitting. I told him that the man had drawn something on the paper, but it didn't look like text. It was at this point my dad decided I was probably due an explanation of this bizarre ritual that had taken place. Motorsport for me, whether in the forest on a rally stage, on two wheels around a race track, or F1 back in the day, started that day with that autograph. Thanks Mika, you were the biggest single influence to me by far.

[@SellSignalDoomslayer]

I’ve been waiting for this video for about 3 years. Thank you Aidan you legend

[@minibus9]

awesome video, Hakkinen is one of the greats, he and Damon Hill where my two favourite drivers of the 1990s, i started watching in 1996. Also teaching James May adds to his greatness

[@pete5534]

Intelligent, fast, and brave - Mika was incredible, and very much respected by his peers. Mika is one of the greats.

[@JumboSeventyNine]

Hakkinen was rapid. On his day I think utterly unbeatable. As others have said though 'The Michael' won because he was just more complete. In Adelaide he had a cricothyrotomy rather than a tracheotomy but either way the circumstances that led to his survival were insane. With maybe a minute to live he had both a neurosurgeon and an intensive care specialist on the scene. The accident happening pretty much on the door step of the Royal Adelaide Hospital is another crucial factor. That's South Australia's largest hospital. Coming that close to death adds an extra element for me to how gutsy that overtake in 2000 was. Rapidly running out of room and flinging yourself around a back marker to take the lead while knowing all too well what happens when things go wrong is just a different type of thought process.

[@DanHill1991]

Haikkinen was and still is my favourite F1 driver and the reason I follow McLaren as a team. I was only a kid when he won his championships, but I was captivated watching him. The rivalry with Schumacher was also great, especially how much they respected each other.

[@Cycle.every.day.]

F1 98-02 was great with the top 4 often battling at the front Scumacher/Hakkinen/Coulthard/Irvine.

[@tomislavblazevic2742]

Hakkinen was phenomenal to witness in his heyday. A true giant of the sport. I would rate him above Raikkonen.

[@GregBrownsWorldORacing]

Great One! I remember he showed that Andretti's car could be held on the black part of the circuit. I learned about the Docs from Down Under and origins of The Michael. I also remember the livery going from West -> East -> Mika.

[@PedanticGaming]

I'll be honest I never rated Hakkinen as highly as other people seem to, I think mostly because I feel his 99 Championship win was him making VERY heavy work of an easy job.

[@Duval-In-The-Wall]

Him and McLaren don’t forget. Although winning the title in your “off” year is nothing to scoff at

[@PedanticGaming]

@@Duval-In-The-Wall It wasn't McLaren who chucked it off the road at Imola and Monza from commanding leads, and yeah having those mistakes and still winning is impressive, but if Schumacher had been there Hakkinen would've been screwed.

[@Duval-In-The-Wall]

@@PedanticGaming However, it was the McLaren that failed him from the lead in Australia, Britain, and Germany Also Coulthard took him out at Turn 1 in Austria lol

[@PedanticGaming]

@@Duval-In-The-Wall Yes that is true, but I'm more forgiving to mechanical failures in 90s cars than I am of top-class drivers making unforced errors.

[@michaelg2414]

Dario Franchitti went from DTM to indycar pretty damned well; only other tintop to single seater immediate success story I can think of

[@wingracer1614]

And then went from Indy to Nascar. That didn't go so well. A more recent example would be Kyle Larson. And no I don't mean his one Indy 500 start. No I mean he went from dominating sprint cars (open wheel single seaters of a different variety) to Nascar champ. I guess we could include JPM since he did win one Nascar race. I'd like to see what SVG could do in an Indycar.

[@raptor1672]

Mika will forever be my favourite driver. Damn fast, good bloke and great sense of humour! Oh and coming back from that crash in Adelaide was crazy!

[@LarryStranger]

I always thought of Mika as Michael’s main rival.

[@N-Collective]

Norris this Norris that Piastri reminds me more of the late 90’s early 00’s greats more than ANYONE in recent memory. Yall will see next year when there’s real pressure…

[@javierservigon]

I started watching F1 back in 1999... among other things, what I found fascinating was that savage battle between the Flying Finn and The Red Baron. The quali session in those days was like a race in itself. It was always Mika doing a run, then Schumacher beating that time, then mika going out again and beating Schumacher's time and so on and so on.

[@ben6993]

He was battling Irvine for the title that year not Schumacher

[@greyone40]

Truly impressive to have his accomplishments after the horrific injuries in Australia.

[@davedewsnap288]

Mika Hakkinen has always been one of my favourite drivers, and a deserved world champion in 1999. One of the best. Contrary to popular opinion, he had a dry wit that I really appreciated. After destroying the Ferraris at the British Grand Prix in his final season (2001), in the post race presser he quipped “the car was very competitive today, and I was able to enjoy a cup of tea before Michael crossed the finish line.” 😂 Love you Mika! ❤️🙏😎

[@JutiMayranen]

The 1997 maiden victory for Mika Häkkinen was a highly emotional moment on so many levels. Firstly The 1995 Adelaide accident which almost claimed his life only for Mika to get back in shape just in time for 1996 season opener in Melbourne and be able to drive like nothing ever happened. This shows the fact that Häkkinen is in another stratosphere. Secondly The utter dismal luck Mika had in 1997. So many times he was close to getting that elusive maiden win only to be forced to retire due to mechanical or technical issues. Thirdly The simple fact that Finland finally had a race winner since the last F1 victory of Keke Rosberg in 1985 Australian GP. Mika Häkkinen came a long way from struggling with Lotus, facing uncertainty of ever getting to drive a McLaren in 1993 to finally getting the big win in 1997 with a team that would be a force to be reckoned in 1998.

[@diggysdungeon]

I think this tends to happen with the rapid Finnish drivers - they're so chilled out and tend to peak for a fairly short period of time so they get kind of get forgotten in the conversations of the greatest of all-time, but on their day (if the machinery could keep up) they were absolutely unbeatable. For outright pace, it's hard to beat Hakkinen and Raikkonen, which is why they're two of my all-time favourites. The longevity and consistency of the likes of Prost, Schumacher and Hamilton is incredible in its own right, but there's a certain thrill to the flat out, knife edge racers like Mika and Kimi.

[@reptongeek]

I've actually met Mika Hakkinen very briefly. He stayed at the hotel I worked at one day. I was slightly giddy to say the least

[@nehylen5738]

I loved Mika Hakkinen, and I say that as a Schumacher fan. I'd waited all 1993 long for Andretti to just go back home and be a family man, and challenge Mansell. Reading motorsports magazines then, I felt Hakkinen would be a worthy challenger for Senna, and he was right at that point when eventually he landed that MP4/8 drive. It saddened me both as a Frenchman and someone who liked Hakkinen that the Peugeot engine was just a turd then, but as I still recall Schumacher's 1994 pole lap in Monaco down to the exact time he made, I do remember Mika was the only one within a second of the guy. And teenage me considered that there were 3 talent-revealing tracks on the calendar: Monte Carlo, Spa and Suzuka (things haven't changed much, have they?). It's like I felt both would be whom I'd be watching duking it out 4 years later, over 4 seasons. Mika, to me, had that aura which the likes of Hill or Villeneuve lacked. He didn't disappoint (except in 2001).

[@franefjs]

Watching all sesions live back then in my teenage years, my perspective at the time was that after that crash in 1995. Mika lost his totaly agressive style of driving that he had before... There was just that special feeling to watching him him drive prior to that crash. Something similar was watching Mick Doohan changing his body language on the bike each time he would decide he wants to break away from the field after letting them follow him for couple of first laps...

[@ItreboR63I]

Always was my favourite

[@MrTurnerm]

Liam Lawson jumped into tintops(DTM) and won straight away. Was robbed of the championship. Great channel by the way.

[@MrSaywutnow]

I remember watching the interview where Mika described his injuries from Adelaide as "not fun." It's easily the second most Finnish response I've heard from an F1 driver. Raikkonen's "I was having a shit" is still number one. Motor Sport magazine's interview with Adrian Newey from a few years ago is also interesting - If I'm remembering correctly, Adrian basically said that Mika's way of communicating how the car was handling was a little different, but that difference was mostly rooted in Mika's raw talent and confidence behind the wheel. Once Adrian figured that out, he was able to work his magic.

[@purwantiallan5089]

Hakkinen was also ever appeared in some Top Gear episodes back in 2009.

[@idriscorvus2237]

Him and The Michael being the number one pairing in F1 RPF section

[@tjroelsma]

It's a real possibility that his cracked skull influenced his driving. That was an injury that was severe enough to cause permanent damage. And that damage may not show immediately, look at the tragic death of Maria de Vilotta, more than a year after she seemed fully recovered from that horrible crash.

[@skeptic10]

Being Mika fan since 1991, I think the crash in 1995 changed him somewhat. Before that he was talkative and really funny guy but from 1996 onward he kind of struggled with words. I always thought the head injury had something to do with it. He still maintained his sense of humor (and driving skills) though. After many many years when listening to his interviews now, he talks much better.

[@RaferAlstonAkaLAZIO]

I was a lil kid when I started to watch F1 and somehow my family members used to back Michael and Ferrari, so I did the same. And first two seasons I watched my favorite driver lost to Mika. I HATED him. I hated him as much as a lil kid can pure hate something... But now, when i watch replays, hear interviews... I see how great Mika was. Truly a legend, one of the best ever. Fins are the best drivers in the world (circuit, rally and regular roads drivers combined) no doubt.

[@raykaufman7156]

Being a Yank, I hated Mika in the day for "taking" Andretti's seat, but I can't deny his talent. Time has softened my opinion, and if Michael feared going head to head with him, that's all you need to know...

[@markduchey8785]

5:26 “the following race at Suzuka, he beat Senna to a podium”. No he didn’t Senna won that race

[@poqqsgaming5929]

Incredible qualifier and could just dominate races. Even 2001, watching the full season, he was quite unlucky in the first half of the season, so many lost results, with only one I believe being down to a mistake from him. Excellent all round driver, possibly one of the best qualifiers ever. 26 poles from only 4 years with a front running car with Michael Schumacher as the opposition.

[@samghost13]

M I K A !!! The Flying Finn! Mika always said: Go full Throttle! Go Flat! He was a Hero to me! I saw him at Goodwood with that insane McLaren! McLarens Double Brake Car

[@stevenjones9118]

"The Lord of Sisu" - love it!

[@Rojo84]

Mika might actually be my favourite driver ever, probably for similar reasons of youth and a bit of nostalgia, but he is also an enigma. I think he could have been more in terms of numbers but that ultimately wasn’t in his character. Those three seasons were a classic era for F1, despite Michael’s leg break.

[@thegreattreon0177]

Hakkinen and Coulthard were my boys!

[@existentialTreat6]

If people need a reminder of how fast Mika was, 2000 San Marino pole position lap is a work of art.

[@ianwynne764]

Hello Aidan: Thank you for this. I have a very soft spot for Mika after seeing him on Top Gear. Anyone who can drive rally and F1 is very, very special. Have a lovely day.

[@kingbaylister]

This is a video ive have been waiting growing up i was always a Mika fan over Michael Schumacher and was deverstated to ssy the least when he retired. The 1998 Luxemburg grand prox is still to this day my favorite grabd prix of all time Mika qualified 3rd with Coulthard in 5th and ferrari on the front row. Irvine took the lead from micheal Schumacher at the start. The Ferrari's swutched places. Irvine holding Mika up for 14 laps giving Schumacher a 7 or 8 second lead. By lap 24 Schumacher putted yhe lead was 2 seconds mika overturbed this in in 4 laps to just come op im front of a stunned Schumacher. His starts wgere legandady the Hungarian grand prix in 2000 he beat both Coulthard abd Schumacher off the line and have basically the domination of the race. He would do this in Monaco in 1988 to me a personal favorite. The only driver to out qualify abd oyt race Micheal Schumacher and take to be close to beating him on the occasion he did in 1998 and nearly again in 2000 makes him yje greatest driver not to have won 3 world titles in my opibion could have won the 3 world titke in 2000. He had stared the seaskn slowly anf the engind lettinh go in the states handed rhe titke to ferrari.. It was a shame we didnt get the titke showdown in Malaysia which was the only tine the season i think didynt end in either Brazil or japan after Melbourne took over hosting the Australian grand Prix before the race in the UAE was a tjhing.

[@AntoniusTyas]

The aforementioned Michael Bartels later found great success in FIA GT as Maserati's stalwart alongside the likes of Andrea Bertolini and Bert Longin. Also, Mika was my favourite driver when I first experienced F1 in 2001. So chill yet immensely fast. Still is one of my favourite even today. Whenever a Mercedes or McLaren driver is potentially out me and my friends always said 'WILL MIKA COME OUT OF HIS SABBATICAL?!!' only to be disappointed that he didn't. Pity I didn't have a chance to see him actually fighting with Michael, I wish I was there in 1998. Also he got McLaren P1 so that's another plus point from me. I also have a 1/64 miniscale of his no. 11 McLaren 720S GT3 from 2019 Suzuka 10H IGTC round. I'm not selling that ever. Y'know, in an off-chance that I _might_ see him one day in Singapore Grand Prix, who knows...

[@owensnicholas]

I started watching F1 consistently in 1999. I still have the same association between McLaren and Hakkinen. We named a cat after him. I started out as an F1 fan rooting for Ferrari. They’re just brand X, you know? And they were the underdogs trying to do something amazing. But Mika taught me to be a fan of the -sport- instead of investing too much in an individual driver.

[@JWood62]

Mika was my guy during my early F1 years, too. Too young to really understand the gravity of 94 at the time, but something about those black and silver McLaren/Mercedes cars just stuck with me. It was Kimi after, and man, do I wish Kimi had won the championship in 2003.

[@regen9918]

Someone may have pointed it out already but the 1998 Imola retirement was due to a gearbox failure, not Hakkinen "binning it," you probably confused it with 1999 when he crashed while leading (and did the same while leading in front of the tifosi at Monza later in the year as well)

[@HammerHeart3229]

I completely agree about Mika and DC still being McLaren to you. Like you even after all these years the first thing that pops into my head when you say McLaren is either Hakkinen/DC or Raikkonen/DC with the silver and black West sponsored livery. I'm pretty certain Hakkinen and Raikkonen are half the reason why I supported McLaren as a kid. The other half being the aforementioned West livery that always made the car look like an absolute weapon! Saying that I'm not sure I'd say Mika is slept on by people nowadays though, he was a late bloomer but I think enough people still remember how good Mika was. Now Alain Prost on the other hand... If anyone is slept on I'd say it's him. The guy's a four time world champion yet it seems like barely anyone talks about him and even then it's always about his rivalry with Senna.

[@JoanneT-b2n]

The best was when Mika passed Michael at spa I could watch that every day

[@FreeTrial-u7j]

@AidenMillward 17:24 Häkkinen’s retirement at the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring in 1999 was caused by a *tyre* failure, not a suspension failure at all. Bridgestone had put a press release out following Coulthard’s tyre failure on the Saturday denying that their tyres were delaminating, they were claiming that tyre failures were caused by cuts to the tyres. This is *basic* information, Trans World Sport did a piece on it which was also included in the review of the season (Dave Ryan on the pit wall being interviewed by the F1 Digital team during the race saying “Bridgestone have put out a press release and until we get the car back, we’re not going to comment further on it than that.” Even the RTL produced World Feed showed the tyre exploding as Mika was about to approach the braking zone for the entry to the stadium. At the time, ITV’s coverage was watching the race, but the audio was Louise Goodman’s interview with Damon Hill about why he retired his Jordan (he had brake issues all weekend, having switched brake material after the warm up, before the race). However, Hill’s brake problems continued in the race, causing him to lock up & miss chicanes several times. The team told Damon to stay out, they usually always would say that, as they wanted the points, but Hill took the decision that not being able to stop the car at a circuit with top speeds like Hockenheim was simply too dangerous to continue, therefore he pitted & retired the car. As Hill was explaining why he looked angry as he got out of the car, because it was “another race where we’re not in the points umm….” His voice was dramatically cut off by firstly Brundle shouting “oh”, very closely followed by Murray Walker shouting *“OH COME ON, SORRY, SORRY! MIKA HÄKKINEN….” He was apologising for cutting across/drowning out Louise’s interview with Hill to describe Mika’s McLaren violently spinning after his left rear tyre exploded, sending pieces flying everywhere, including the rear wing end fence on the right hand side of the car. As if it wasn’t a memorable enough moment at the time already, the full race is also included in the F1 TV archive, and documented online as well. If you’re unsure of something, and as you did a few points in this video, you said you “think”, “I’m not sure”, “I probably should have looked at that”, that’s fine, perfectly understandable. However, when you make a statement as if it is a ‘fact’, when it’s something that simply isn’t true & nobody has ever even said or suggested before, then that’s just poor memory/research. On the subject of Mika’s 2001 front right suspension failure at Albert Park, Mika’s stated that it caused him to have blood in his mouth (it hasn’t been stated whether he bit his tongue/lip, or whether the drinks tube inside the helmet caught his lip/tongue). Blood in his mouth for Mika was a horrible reminder of his prior 1995 Adelaide accident, seeing as the need for his emergency trackside tracheotomy to allow him to breathe was because he had blood in his airway. There’s (obviously) lots that Mika cannot recall about that 1995 Adelaide crash, but he *does* remember the taste of blood at ‘some’ point. *That* was one of the first triggers of his psychological decision that he was starting to consider stopping due to safety. It’s also worth bearing in mind that marshal Graham Beveridge was killed earlier in the race as a result of the Villeneuve & Ralf Schumacher collision at turn 3, when one of wheels on Villeneuve’s BAR went through a gap in the fence & struck Beveridge in the chest at roughly 170mph. The safety car period was incredibly long while CPR was performed on Beveridge at the trackside, as well as in the ambulance, but to no avail. At the next race in Brazil, Mika stalled on the grid after the 5 lights had gone out, and said he was frightened to death of someone smashing into the back of his car, and was frantically waving his arms to signal to marshals to wave the yellow flags out & warn other drivers. With 2 psychologically horrible incidents in the first 2 races (3 of you include the death of the marshal), and with baby Hugo, he felt that the time was right to step away from the sport & spend time with his family. Today’s schedule of 24 races a season is exhausting enough for all employees who have to travel to every race (strategist Bernie Collins was fed up of ‘living out of a suitcase’ for the majority of the year for several years running), causing team to either leave the sport, go part time if they are able. Back in the 90’s & early 2000’s, whilst there were only 17 races, there was no restriction on testing, even during the season itself. So from the never ending travelling, testing, 3 incredibly stressful world championship battles in a row (where you rightly cited Mika’s engine fire/failure in the 2000 United States Grand Prix) left Schumacher to score the maximum 10 points for a win as effectively ending Mika’s title chances with such a swing in points. Over the winter, before the 2001 season even began, Mika even told Coulthard that he was exhausted & that Coulthard should really focus on winning the 2001 title.

[@allgomesareevil6121]

MIIIKA HAKKINEN! (Voi Pojat!) OH BOY! to quote the finnish commentator at the time ^^ which you could easly call the finnish "Murray Walker." Great hype-man. I will say watch some of the races of that time DC wasn't bad in race pace equal in most case to Mika. Quali the thing that really puts him ahead. Otherwise he (Mika) could have the odd error in him, pushing the car too hard or not having the pace at the critical moment in the race.

[@dpause10]

Hakkinen was a terrific driver. I think even when he wasn't winning races 1994-1996, he was widely considered the most talented driver out there apart from Schumacher. While Coulthard was able to give Hakkinen a run for his money in 1997 and again in 2001, in my opinion you just need to look at the races toward the end of the 2000 season to understand how much better Hakkinen and Schumacher were than the rest. At Suzuka in 2000, they finished a minute ahead of Coulthard in third place.

[@BarbaricAvatar]

I'm going to be biased because Mika was the driver I supported from 1993 until his sabattical (whereby Kimi then took over). It's a shame that his first win was handed to him as that paints an unfair picture. But there were a chunk of races beforehand where the car let him down when the win was likely, as you mentioned. Hakkinen will always be my #1 but it's unfair to compare drivers of different eras because there were only ~16 races per season in the 90's and the cars were extremely unreliable compared to those of today. There was less opportunity for a driver to show what he could do and even if it was going well then some form of car failure will put paid to a stunning performance. It's a shame that Ron Dennis wouldn't budge on the hat sponsorship as it would have been wonderful to see Mika beat Micahel driving the same car in 2000!

[@txtmstrjoe]

In my personal F1 pantheon, Mika Hakkinen is second only to Alain Prost. (Yes, I've been watching and loving F1 since the early 1980s, which possibly explains why I don't rate the stats kings of the modern era as much as the ones who drove truly monstrous cars with a lot less technology and aerodynamic advantages and raced against a lot of great contemporaries.) Both are also quite lovely as people, honest and humble despite their phenomenal achievements in their time as racing drivers.

[@joribremer5260]

14:22 was my 1st race i visted with my dad (as a 12 year old.. ) apart from the noise I remember the cheers when Michael was in front , but became silent when Mika apeared in front (there werent big screens everywhere back tnen ) (we satting at the hairpin

[@simonkevnorris]

I went to Hungary in 1989 (where Mansell won in a Ferrari from 12th on the grid) and 1998 where Schumacher won by stopping one extra time. The McLaren fans were going crazy but went very quiet when Schumacher emerged in the lead. My first race was Adelaide in 1986. The cars that sounded the best were the Ferrari V12s from the early 1990s. Usually Alesi and Berger were the first cars out in FP1. At tracks like Monza you could hear the shriek of the V12 around the Royal Park. At Spa it was the same but around the hills and trees of the Ardennes.

[@giovannifebus3700]

Perfect timing!! 💯

[@elliott811]

Kalle Rovanperä is someone who comes to mind recently who switched disciplines and was quick, winning that Porsche race.

[@bumblebity2902]

MP4/9 weak point was only the engine aka Peugoet hand grenade.

[@simontravers2715]

*The Michael is not just gonna let me pass* (looks at MSC) *that correct?* *I overtook the backmarker & at the same time, overtook The Michael” 🇫🇮

[@recarsion]

5:00 I remember only two drivers in recent memory who switched disciplines and were immediately successful, Hülkenberg and Alonso, both winning at Le Mans and Alonso doing very well at the 2017 Indy 500 as well.

[@Sticktothemodels]

Hulkenberg and Alonso made the switch from single seaters late in their career and got on well almost immediately

[@f1jones544]

Lots of F1 drivers have done well in sports car prototypes later on.

[@PuncakeLena]

Ah yes, the dream team. Everyone has a driver combination from the early years of watching that they'll always remember and love. Mine's Heidfeld and Kubica for some reason

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Ron Dennis had a thing for Finnish drivers. It _usually_ worked. Mika was something special, when he wasn't being a bit of an idiot during his early years, but we forgave him because he clearly had talent that needed unlocking. If DC hadn't let him through under threat of being sacked, and JV's car wasn't damaged, heaven only knows how long it would have taken to get that first win. Those two doctors were phenomenal. Not just Mika & his family and team, but the F1 fandom owe them a great deal!

[@wibblewabblewoo6249]

I think both Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen are massively underrated. Both had some amazing teammates & were always nearly as fast or faster than them. Unlike Schumacher, who (apart from an old & past it Piquet) never had a great teammate, and often had preferential treatment. Also, read what Newey thought of them both. Knowing how to setup AND develop a car through a season is an important skill. Some people slag off drivers when they had the best car, without considering maybe it was the driver’s input which led to the engineers getting the most from the car. Communication is such an important skill for drivers.

[@tristanwhite3472]

Mika Hakkinen was around when I was growing up too 97 98 99 2000