Mika Hakkinen

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born and raised in Vantaa, Häkkinen began his career in karting aged five, winning several regional and national championships before graduating to junior formulae in 1987. A protégé of 1982 World Drivers' Champion Keke Rosberg, Häkkinen won his first title in Nordic Formula Ford before winning the 1990 British Formula Three Championship with West Surrey Racing. A member of the Marlboro driver academy, Häkkinen signed for Lotus in 1991, making his Formula One debut at the United States Grand Prix. After two seasons with limited success, Häkkinen moved to McLaren as a test driver in 1993, replacing Michael Andretti for the final three rounds of the season to partner Ayrton Senna; he achieved his maiden podium at the Japanese Grand Prix. Amidst reliability issues with the Peugeot-powered MP4/9, Häkkinen scored several podiums and finished fourth in 1994. After further winless seasons for McLaren in 1995 and 1996, he achieved his maiden victory at the European Grand Prix in 1997. Amidst a fierce title battle with Michael Schumacher in 1998, Häkkinen won his first championship at the final race of the season, becoming the second World Drivers' Champion from Finland. He successfully defended his title in 1999, beating Eddie Irvine by two points in lieu of an injured Schumacher. Häkkinen won several races during his 2000 campaign, where he was unable to beat Schumacher to a third title. Häkkinen retired at the conclusion of the 2001 season—taking his final victory at the United States Grand Prix—having achieved 20 race wins, 26 pole positions, 25 fastest laps and 51 podiums in Formula One. After retiring from Formula One, Häkkinen competed in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters from 2005 to 2007 for HWA. Upon his retirement from motor racing in 2007, he moved into driver management and became a brand ambassador for Mercedes-AMG. Since 2022, Häkkinen has been a commentator and pundit for Viaplay.

In Their Own Story

In 1998, Mika Häkkinen engaged in a fierce title battle with Michael Schumacher. The season culminated at the final race where Häkkinen secured his first World Drivers' Championship, marking him as the second champion from Finland after Keke Rosberg. The following year, 1999, saw Häkkinen successfully defend his crown. With Schumacher injured for much of the campaign, the battle shifted to a duel with Eddie Irvine. Häkkinen ultimately won by a margin of just two points, cementing his status as a back-to-back champion. His tenure concluded in 2001 after he achieved his final victory at the United States Grand Prix. Over his McLaren career, he amassed 26 pole positions and 25 fastest laps, contributing to a total of 20 race wins before retiring from Formula One at the end of the 2001 season.

Reader's Guide

Häkkinen was born in Helsingin maalaiskunta, Finland, on 28 September 1968 to Harri, a shortwave radio operator and a part-time taxi driver, and Aila Häkkinen, who worked as a secretary. He has one sister, Nina, who ran a fan site for him until its closure in 1998. Häkkinen lived in the same street as Mika Salo with the two later becoming friends. As a child, Häkkinen played ice hockey and football. When Häkkinen was five years old, his parents rented a go-kart for him to take to a track near their home. Despite an early crash, Häkkinen wished to continue racing, and his father bought him his first go-kart, one that Henri Toivonen had previously competed with. He later won his first karting race in 1975 at the Keimola Motor Stadium where he raced in the regional karting championships in 1978 and 1979, winning the Keimola Club Championship in both years. Häkkinen found further success in 1980 when he won the Swedish Lapland Cup and finished fourth in the 85cc class of the Lapland Karting Championship. Around this time, Häkkinen also drove a Volkswagen Beetle on the frozen lakes of Finland with friend Mika Sohlberg. In 1981, Häkkinen won his first major karting title, the 85cc class of the Finnish Karting Championship. The following year, he finished runner-up in the 85cc class of the Formula Mini series and later won the Ronnie Peterson Memorial event and the Salpauselka Cup in Lahti. Häkkinen moved to the Formula Nordic 100cc class for 1983, where he became the champion on his first attempt and also participated in the A Junior Team Races for Finland alongside Taru Rinne, Jaana Nyman and Marko Mankonen, with the line-up taking the championship. In 1984, Häkkinen won the 100cc Formula Nordic title and later participated in the World Kart Championship race held in Liedolsheim. He took his second consecutive 100cc Formula Nordic Championship in 1985 ahead of Jukka Savolainen. He took part in the Nordic Championship A-Class in the same year, finishing runner-up to Tom Kristensen. Häkkinen went to Parma to participate in the World Kart Championship where he retired before the event's final heat due to a mechanical problem. In 1986, he reached his third consecutive Formula Nordic 100cc title and also took part in karting events across Europe. To further fund his career, Häkkinen got a job with a friend repairing bicycles. In 1987, Häkkinen made the transition from

Did You Know?

• Häkkinen's first go-kart was one that Henri Toivonen had previously competed with.
• He won his first karting race in 1975 at the Keimola Motor Stadium.
• Häkkinen won the Swedish Lapland Cup in 1980.
• He was a protégé of 1982 World Drivers' Champion Keke Rosberg.
• Häkkinen's maiden Formula One victory came at the 1997 European Grand Prix.