ive always said it, on the era of controversies and arrogant drivers/cheats mika was always a humble and nice one. one of the drivers that put the age old "you need to be an asshole to be a champion" saying to rest.
It was a great shame when he went to see the Ron, because in 1999 to 2000 he was fighting with the Michael for the championship. Still at least he went out with 2 championships under his belt and became a very well respected racing driver. Deep respect to the Flying Finn!
I think if he would have partnered Raikkonen in 2003 and 2005 I think he may have won another 2 championships. But still, its how history was meant to be.
Falkor The Luck Dragon I think I agree with you, sometimes I wonder that Coulthard wasn't a good partner for Mika coz that german dude wanted to make a rivalry with Mika. he lost focus on blocking opponents behind to make sure they wouldn't reach Mika's tail.
Very honest. Said he retired because he wants to spend time with family and not worth it to risk his life for the sport anymore. All the trophies on the wall doesn't mean a thing when compare to the time with family, and if got injured and paralyzed or died. Respect.
golferchin76 That too but the main reason was that he was tired of non stop PR work that he had to, Mclaren drivers did almost 3 times more PR work than drivers in other teams. The kickoff for Mikas retirement happened in Suzuka 1998 after he won the championship and they had just started the celebration, Ron came in and basically cut the music and said the party is over I have agreed to do a tire test with Bridgestone work begins tomorrow 8am. After the test Mika went on a 3 month non stop PR tour around the world and afterwards he said he didn't even know what country he was on and then the new season started.
I too was a huge fan of Mika here in Brazil because of all that, he was human, he wasn't a machine made for winning. He was a man, a normal person. Anyone remembers when he made a mistake (Monza?) and he went behind he rails and started to cry, angry at himself? I LOVED that.
Idiots can be fearless and drive on the limit. But they don't respect being there. Because there's nothing to fear. Their mind isn't capable to predicting all the possible outcomes of their actions. Their speed is furious, but without intelligence. There's no reverence for what they're doing. All the excitement comes just from being in the moment. Mika is the exact opposite of this. True courage comes from facing real fear. When Mika talks about racing, there's a certain _thousand yard stare_ quality to his eyes. He's so in touch with his car, mentally and physically, that he's keenly aware of how badly his body can be mangled in .001 of a second. It's impossible for him to take _driving on the limit_ lightly. This is why Mika is, perhaps, the most courageous driver of the last two decades. Every decision weighed heavy on him. He couldn't just act on instinct. He _had_ to think about it.
SpaceManDawn well said..what an enlightened cat this guy is.. i had wondered what had happened to him..he was such a force for awhile there..and then i havnt heard his name for so long now.. good for him..so glad to see he's made it out with everything still intact..now if he just stay off the ski slopes.. classy guy.
Very, very well said. I always thought that Mika was the fastest driver I had ever seen outside of Senna, but he had a deep, mature understanding of what it meant to be on the limit.
Such a gifted driver Mika is, for me the great love that is Formula 1 will always be the rivalry between Mika and Michael, I do not think in my lifetime there will ever again be such sportsmanship between these two fantastic champions.
I watched Senna and Prost rivarly... But Hakkinen and Schumacher rivarly was best F1 ever had...one of best friends off track...and on track Mortal enemies...
@@winfield347 Yeah, I know that you are trolling but still. Have throw something back. Better than Villeneuve, Hill, Räikkönen, Button, Mansell, Both Rosbergs, Hunt, Rindt etc... etc.. Those really average drivers who won only once :)
I raced motocross and 1981 was my last year of racing. It was time for college. I know how he feels but on a much smaller scale. Sad but health and family is more important.
+gasripper2 Yeah wow so how did you come with a decision its time to stop like mika said im sure it wasn't an easy decision but why did you decide to retire and go to college and what not?
I don't know, I was racing a lot. Thursday night OCIR, Friday nights corona RW and Sundays Saddle-back. My parents were not too found of me racing and they always told me college was the only way to success. College isn't for everyone. Thanks for asking I have found memories and I watch Hannah and Ken Howerton battle live in 1981. What a day! I raced that day also.
My all-time hero of F1. Many promising drivers suffered severe injuries that turned their careers around. Herbert, Panis, Massa to only name a few, were never the same after their injuries. Something in their psyche woke them up, made them aware of the danger of what they’re engaging in. Mika had his horrible accident and came out of it faster than ever before. Where many backed off, he kept pushing and redefining F1 against one of the most successful drivers to grace the sport in MSC. To then be humble, recognize that he left his mark in what he was so passionate about and retire to spend time with his family was just the epitome of what I deem a wonderful career. I hold very deep respect for this man. He followed his passion, overcame life-threatening adversity, had success against all odds and understood when it’s time to pass the baton onto the next generation. Not just an outstanding athlete, but also an amazing human being. May he age well and have many happy moments among friends and family. Bless you Mika and bless you all who read this. ❤
Always been very schumacher fan. But watching this make me cry. seasons 1998-2000 was great, absolutely great battles with lots of respect for each other. miss you, mika
Example of what a great man should be! He does things for himself, follows his own dreams and ambition. The same passion that made him a great driver, will surely make him just as great a father.
The accident in '95 at Adelaide was scary. The in-car shot isolated we viewers from crash at the end of Brabham straight. Even F1 coverage had no idea how hard the hit was. Mika was suddenly in a coma and fighting for his life due to his head snapping forward (ne' Dale Earnhardt). 1000 days later, to the day, he won the championship. I always knew Mika had balls after his impressive run with the Lotus in '92. But to come back after nearly dieing? That takes someone very special.
I am and always will be a Schumacher fan, but out of all of his adversaries, Mika Hakkinen has by far my greatest respect, both for being a great driver and also a great sport, he never once was a bad loser and he never once was unfair. For this, even though he was the "enemy" of Schumacher fans, he never will be disrespected in any way by them.
I was sad when I heard that he was retiring but it was understandable. F1 was never the same for me again after that but he did give me 2 great years for being champion in 98 and 99 abd for that Mr. Hakkinen, I say thank you
when i started watching F1, it was because Schumacher and Hakkinnen... every Grand prix, when i was watching, people would say On what position is Schumacher? On what position is Mika?
Mika was and still is one of the greatest talents Motorsports has ever seen. He had already two titles, he could have got more for sure. He wanted to protect he's family and he couldn't think what Hugo's life would have been without a father.
We always missed you in F1 Mika, your skill, humor and your example as a sportsman. But we are grateful that you came out alive. I am Brazilian, everybody know what i mean...
Mika, You are a True champion... Miss you to this day... I respect your decision of not racing... because of you i started following F1 and am continuing it... BTW, SPA 2000 race was out of this world...
to ajd0408 - totally agree. Back to a top team and challenging for 4 years at top level,after almost passing away at Adelaide.... Respect to a brave man and a fair driver.
this guy had blistering one lap speed on a par with senna........and his biggest and best days came after his horrendous crash in Adelaide......that takes some coming back from. Balls of steel.
Mika is a class act. My favorite quote: "We have to increase the speed in order to maintain the speed." Sounded hilarious coming from the mouth of the mono-syllabic Finn, but there is a great shred of wisdom in it nonetheless.
Yeah, that was what I thought too as soon as I heard about the divorce. But I hope that Hugo will make an attempt to fill his father's shoes someday. With Mika's knowledge and experience it would probably be relatively easy to make Hugo into a good driver (if he wants to drive of course) like Keke helped Nico or how any of the other 2nd gen drivers have gotten help from their fathers.
I believe Mikka saw what most drivers at the top of game eventually see but dont know how to react to, and thats a repeating vision of a terrible possibly life ending crash. We know Arton Senna had many dreams and was intensely disturbed of his visions which in deed came to pass. Mikka had a great press and made the rite decision. what i love about mikka is that he choose his family over his career. Thats a man indeed.
I recall my mother watching your commercial with Becker - she loved your smile saying "nooo"to Becker inviting you for tennis !That was a little happy break in her painful last days - she called you "the smiling champion"- Since she has passed away in 99 I wanted to thank you - Sorry youtubers it's sad but I had to =
Mika Hakkinen was a real champion, so what he didn`t win 7 world titles, he didn`t always have the best car on the grid, but his character,his personality puts him apart from Schumacher and many others.Thats why I respect him
Smart move he had. Some don't know how to stop. Alain Prost stopped also at the right time, at the best time: when he was world champion. Great ending. Hakkinen is one of my favorite F1 driver.
