Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen [ mikɑ tick inɛn ː ] ( born September 28, 1968 in Vantaa ) is a Finnish former racing driver. He launched between 1991 and 2001 to 161 Grand Prix races in the highest class of motorsports formula 1 and won twice in that time the World Cup. After a three year break gave Hakkinen in 2005 as a driver of a comeback DTM for Mercedes- Benz, before he finally retired in late 2007.
In Formula 1 Hakkinen is next to his longtime rival Michael Schumacher is the most successful pilot in the late 1990s. Its in the public perceived as reserved, always humble and friendly nature make him especially in Germany one of today most popular motor sports.
- 3.1 Career stations
- 3.2 Statistics in Formula 1 3.2.1 Grand Prix wins
- 3.2.2 Individual Results
- 3.3.1 Siege
Sports career
Beginnings in motorsport
Mika Häkkinen started his racing career in 1973 as a five- year-old in Kart Two years later he won his first race. At the age of eleven years, the Finn, almost all karting championships in which he took part began to decide for themselves. In 1987, Häkkinen in the junior single-seater series Formula Ford in 1600, in which he won three titles in his first year: that of Finnish, Swedish and Nordic Formula Ford 1600 Championship. The following year he won the Formula Opel Euro Series before moving to the British Formula 3 in 1989. In his first season, Häkkinen took seventh place in the final standings. In 1990, he also secured the title in this category. At the international Formula 3 race of the year in Macau, he met for the first time in his later rival Michael Schumacher, the German Formula 3 champion. The two dominated the action on the track until Hakkinen retired due to an accident with Schumacher in the struggle for the victory just before the end. However, his performances earned him a contract offer in the wake of the Formula 1 team Lotus one which accepted Häkkinen without hesitation.
Formula 1
Lotus (1991-1992)
In his debut race in the Formula 1 Grand Prix of USA 1991 in Phoenix, Arizona, Hakkinen retired with engine failure in his Lotus - Judd. In fourteen other race he could win two championship points that finished 15th place in the World Cup. For the following season the team switched to stronger Ford engines. Häkkinen was able to win eleven points and ranked in order to end season in eighth place. Since he his manager, former Formula 1 world champion and fellow countryman Keke Rosberg, discouraged people to go one more season in the under-funded Lotus team, Häkkinen joined as a test driver for McLaren, where he chances of a future commitment as a regular driver figured itself.
McLaren (1993-2001)
After numerous test kilometers and two guest appearances in the Porsche Supercup, which he won, he replaced from the Grand Prix of Portugal 1993 American Michael Andretti and drove in his first qualifying faster than his team-mate Ayrton Senna. On the baffled question of the three -time world champion, as Hakkinen could go that fast for God's sake, this is alleged to have replied: "Balls, Ayrton, balls! ". In his third race for McLaren in Suzuka Häkkinen in 3rd place Senna left the team and Häkkinen went up to the hope of the British racing team on.
Tough construction work and serious accident
But the departure of the Brazilian first headed up a low, switching to the powerful, but much too heavy and prone Peugeot engines for the 1994 season proved to be a mistake - even if Häkkinen thus was able to pull some podium finishes and fourth world rank. Since it was far from Siegen, team boss Ron Dennis was forced to change the engine partner again. The so-called " elephant wedding " with Mercedes -Benz was the result.
McLaren, however, made it in the years 1995 and 1996 not to build a competitive chassis to the powerful Mercedes- aggregates, and so Häkkinen was able to achieve more than respectable results as the second places at the Grand Prix of Italy, and Japan in 1995. In training for the last race of the season in Adelaide, Australia Häkkinen pounded into the tire barrier and suffered severe head injuries. It was not clear at this time whether he would ever deny race.
Breakthrough and first world championship
1996 returned Häkkinen recovered back, drove for McLaren again and was able to achieve faster lap times than his team- mate David Coulthard. The season of 1997 then brought the breakthrough - for the Finns as well as McLaren: Häkkinen managed at the season finale at Jerez in Spain its first victory after he had already failed several times in the lead.
Through extensive rule changes ( narrower track, grooved tires etc.) for the 1998 season, McLaren was able to overtake the competition. At the season opener in Melbourne Hakkinen and Coulthard drove to the first two positions. Häkkinen continued to dominate the season and had his teammates under control. While rival Ferrari with Michael Schumacher overtook continuously on the Silver Arrows, but could no longer thwart Häkkinen title.
Successful and unsuccessful title defense
In 1999, McLaren presented again the fastest car in the field. Häkkinen thus qualified eleven times for the pole position. While he had won in the previous eight races, he managed only five times this season. His title rival, Ferrari driver Schumacher broke in an accident at Silverstone, the right tibia and fibula and fell for six races from. Now Häkkinen with Schumacher's team-mate Eddie Irvine has had to measure the before the end of the season was a race even with four points ahead of him. However, the final race in Suzuka Japanese won Häkkinen, Irvine was third, with which the Finn won the world championship.
In the 2000 season, Häkkinen wanted to fight for the title again. This time, however, to recover are Michael Schumacher. The German had the better start to the season, winning the first three races, while Hakkinen could only take a second place. Häkkinen took a mid-season on his rival. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, five races before the end Hakkinen overtook the Ferrari driver in the World Cup and seemed his third title in a row counter to drive. The following three races came to an open slugfest: Häkkinen won again in Belgium and thus extended his points lead from. In this race, he also succeeded in overtaking, which is counted among the most spectacular Formula 1 at all, as he left the driving in the first place Michael Schumacher and Ricardo Zonta the already lapped simultaneously behind. In Italy, Schumacher won just ahead of Häkkinen. When the U.S. Grand Prix Hakkinen fell out while Schumacher won. For now eight points behind before the race in Japan Hakkinen had to win in order to have a chance at the World Cup before the last race in Malaysia. Schumacher sat down but before his Finnish Counterparty, thereby securing the World Cup.
Motivation problems and End of career
The McLaren of 2001 was the competition Ferrari inferior. Then there were technical failures, which bedeviled the motivation of the fins rapidly. To the Monaco Grand Prix around ( as he revealed later), he decided to end his Formula 1 career, waited with the public announcement but still up in the summer. At the Spanish Grand Prix Hakkinen led a lap to go with about 40 seconds on his rival Schumacher. A good two kilometers from the finish, however, suspended the hydraulics of his McLaren and he had to park the car at the edge of the track. The race at Silverstone he could win. Finally, he also won in Indianapolis to the U.S. Grand Prix and ended his Formula 1 career. In total, he drove in 162 Formula 1 races out first 26 starting positions, 25 fastest laps and 20 Grand Prix victories and collected 420 championship points.
On 29 November 2006 Häkkinen rose after five years of absence again in a Formula 1 car: As part of the winter test program he presented his former team McLaren a vehicle. Team boss Ron Dennis denied but immediately alleged comeback plans of his ex- pilot.
DTM
On November 6, 2004 Häkkinen announced after three years break from racing in the Stars -and- Cars - event at the DaimlerChrysler plant in Stuttgart, his participation in the DTM from the 2005 season of Mercedes -Benz. Already in his third race in Spa -Francorchamps, the Finn won the pole position and won the victory. However, this performance he was unable to get consistent enough in the series to have a chance at the championship to gain. In his three years in this series Häkkinen always one of the favorites of the public and was quite competitive. Nevertheless, he could not ultimately prevail and therefore, on 3 November 2007 - almost exactly three years after the announcement of his commitment - announced his retirement from active racing.
Punishment
When DTM race on September 23, 2007 in Barcelona Häkkinen was occupied with the hitherto sharpest punishment in the history of the race series. The race stewards evaluated his maneuver against championship contenders Martin Tomczyk at Audi as rude conduct and imposed a fine in the amount of 22,000 euros against him. He was also set back for the next race on the grid ten places. Hakkinen expressed publicly that he feels unfairly treated and the fun would take him such decisions of the stewards at Racing. In the press has been suggested that the resignation of the former world champion was linked to this incident.
Personal
Häkkinen was, from 1998 to 2008 Erja Honkanen (* 1961), a former Finnish TV - journalist, married. The marriage produced two children come. During his active career Häkkinen had some advertising contracts with German companies, including Mercedes -Benz and Deutsche Telekom. It also Häkkinen's wife Erja was often involved, which made them known to a wider audience in Germany. By advertising films Finn earned in Germany much sympathy, though his closest rival at that time the German Michael Schumacher. Also Häkkinen exit from Formula 1 did not diminish his popularity in Germany.
Häkkinen bears since the beginning of his career nicknamed the " Flying Finn" (flying Finn ).
In the wake of the British motor TV show Top Gear on 16 November 2008 introduces Häkkinen James May - one of the moderators of the program - the secrets of rally racing in Finland. This Hakkinen drives with May as a passenger first few laps around a track in a Mercedes C63 AMG, then back down to several kilometers on gravel in Finnish forests in a rally car based on a Mercedes 190.
Mika Hakkinen lives with his family in the Swiss Canton of Thurgau.
Statistics
Career stations
Statistics in Formula 1
Grand Prix victories
- 2000: Spain ( Barcelona)
- 2000: Austria ( Spielberg )
- 2000: Hungary ( Mogyoród )
- 2000: Belgium ( Spa -Francorchamps )
- 2001: Great Britain ( Silverstone )
- 2001: United States (Indianapolis )