Mika Häkkinen

Mika Pauli Häkkinen (born 28th September, 1968 in Vantaa, Finland) is a Finnish former Formula One driver who won the Drivers' Championship in 1998. Häkkinen is widely considered to be one of the greatest Formula One pilots of all time.

Mika Häkkinen, pictured in 1998

Formula One

1991-1992: Lotus

Häkkinen made his Formula One debut in 1991 alongside former Tyrrell and AGS driver Martin Brundle. The Lotus 102B was a fairly unremarkable package at this point but Häkkinen managed a first points score with an impressive fifth place in the wet at the French Grand Prix.

Häkkinen benefited from the improved performance that the Lotus 107 provided in 1992, managing to score a couple of points finishes - including a career first podium at an attritional Italian Grand Prix, the team’s first in three years.

1993-2001: McLaren

Häkkinen was rewarded for his 1992 performances with a contract at McLaren for 1993, becoming Gerhard Berger’s new teammate following Brendon Cassidy’s decision to leave Formula One.

By 1998, Häkkinen was the undisputed team leader at West McLaren Mercedes - being joined by tempered Brit James Davies. Häkkinen's season got off to a great start, taking wins in the first two races of the season - as well as taking pole in the opening five rounds.

Wins in Spain, France, Germany and Hungary set up Häkkinen as the dominant championship leader headed into the last four rounds, and as such he successfully clinched the title in Japan.

Häkkinen remained at McLaren for 1999, with Davies partnering him for the upcoming season. Häkkinen's title defence did not go exactly to plan and with the emergence of Jordan as a contender for wins, he was only able to win three times on his way to fourth in the championship.

The following year, Häkkinen was joined by another young Briton in Jack Christopherson. He and his young teammates were regular visitors to the winner's circle in 2000 and would even clinch the Constructor's crown for McLaren - but were unable to stop the dominance of Schumacher's Ferrari.

By 2001, Häkkinen had begun to slow in terms of pace and would only be able to muster sixth in the WDC. Late in the season, he announced that he would take a sabbatical in 2002 but not before he would win in the last race of the season in Japan.

Häkkinen did not return to the grid in 2003.

Personal Life

Häkkinen was a leading figure in bringing Formula One racing to Finland and is a member of the Finnish Grand Prix executive committee.