Mika Häkkinen F1 Profile & Career Stats
Former Formula 1 Driver
Mika Häkkinen
F1 career: 1991 - 2001
Driver Profile
Championship Titles
- 1998McLaren14 clear of Michael Schumacher
- 1999McLaren2 clear of Eddie Irvine
Full Career Statistics
| Drivers' Titles | 2 |
| Grand Prix Entries | 165 |
| Grand Prix Starts | 161 |
| Total Points | 420.00 |
| Avg. Points per GP | 2.55 |
| Grand Prix Wins | 20 (12,1%) |
| Wins from pole | 10 (6,1%) |
| Pole Positions | 26 (15,8%) |
| Front Row Starts | 39 (23,6%) |
| Avg. GP Grid | 7.1 |
| GP Podiums | 51 (30,9%) |
| GP Fastest Laps | 25 (15,2%) |
| GP Points Finish | 83 (50,3%) |
| Avg. GP Position | 4.4 |
| Hat-tricks | 5 (3,0%) |
| GP DNFs | 62 (37,6%) |
| Total GP Laps | 7.720 |
F1 Career Team History
Key Career Landmarks
Race
1991 USA F1 Grand Prix1991 USA F1 GP 22 years, 163 days22y, 163d
2001 Japanese F1 Grand Prix2001 JPN F1 GP 33 years, 16 days33y, 16d
1991 USA F1 Grand Prix1991 USA F1 GP 22 years, 163 days22y, 163d2001 Japanese F1 Grand Prix2001 JPN F1 GP 33 years, 16 days33y, 16dPole
1997 Luxembourg F1 Grand Prix1997 LUX F1 GP 29 years, 0 days29y, 0d
2000 Belgian F1 Grand Prix2000 BEL F1 GP 31 years, 334 days31y, 334d
1997 Luxembourg F1 Grand Prix1997 LUX F1 GP 29 years, 0 days29y, 0d2000 Belgian F1 Grand Prix2000 BEL F1 GP 31 years, 334 days31y, 334dWin
1997 European F1 Grand Prix1997 EUR F1 GP 29 years, 28 days29y, 28d2001 USA F1 Grand Prix2001 USA F1 GP 33 years, 2 days33y, 2d
1997 European F1 Grand Prix1997 EUR F1 GP 29 years, 28 days29y, 28d2001 USA F1 Grand Prix2001 USA F1 GP 33 years, 2 days33y, 2dPodium1993 Japanese F1 Grand Prix1993 JPN F1 GP 25 years, 26 days25y, 26d2001 USA F1 Grand Prix2001 USA F1 GP 33 years, 2 days33y, 2d
1993 Japanese F1 Grand Prix1993 JPN F1 GP 25 years, 26 days25y, 26d2001 USA F1 Grand Prix2001 USA F1 GP 33 years, 2 days33y, 2dFastest lap
1997 Italian F1 Grand Prix1997 ITA F1 GP 28 years, 344 days28y, 344d
2001 Hungarian F1 Grand Prix2001 HUN F1 GP 32 years, 325 days32y, 325d
1997 Italian F1 Grand Prix1997 ITA F1 GP 28 years, 344 days28y, 344d2001 Hungarian F1 Grand Prix2001 HUN F1 GP 32 years, 325 days32y, 325dPoints finish
1991 San Marino F1 Grand Prix1991 SMR F1 GP 22 years, 212 days22y, 212d2001 Japanese F1 Grand Prix2001 JPN F1 GP 33 years, 16 days33y, 16d
1991 San Marino F1 Grand Prix1991 SMR F1 GP 22 years, 212 days22y, 212d2001 Japanese F1 Grand Prix2001 JPN F1 GP 33 years, 16 days33y, 16dWin from pole
1998 Australian F1 Grand Prix1998 AUS F1 GP 29 years, 161 days29y, 161d2000 Belgian F1 Grand Prix2000 BEL F1 GP 31 years, 334 days31y, 334d
1998 Australian F1 Grand Prix1998 AUS F1 GP 29 years, 161 days29y, 161d2000 Belgian F1 Grand Prix2000 BEL F1 GP 31 years, 334 days31y, 334dHat-trick1998 Australian F1 Grand Prix1998 AUS F1 GP 29 years, 161 days29y, 161d
1999 Brazilian F1 Grand Prix1999 BRA F1 GP 30 years, 195 days30y, 195d
1998 Australian F1 Grand Prix1998 AUS F1 GP 29 years, 161 days29y, 161d1999 Brazilian F1 Grand Prix1999 BRA F1 GP 30 years, 195 days30y, 195dTitle1998 Japanese F1 Grand Prix1998 JPN F1 GP 30 years, 34 days30y, 34d1999 Japanese F1 Grand Prix1999 JPN F1 GP 331 years, 33 days31y, 33d
1998 Japanese F1 Grand Prix1998 JPN F1 GP 30 years, 34 days30y, 34d1999 Japanese F1 Grand Prix1999 JPN F1 GP 331 years, 33 days31y, 33dF1 Career Finishing Positions
1st
20
2nd
14
3rd
17
4th
13
5th
10
6th
8
7th
4
8th
2
9th
4
10th
1
12th
1
14th
3
19th
1
DNF
62
DSQ
1
DNQ
2
DNS
2
DNF Did Not FinishDSQ DisqualifiedDNQ Did Not QualifyDNS Did Not Start
Performance Breakdown
Bio
Mika Hakkinen Biography
Mika Hakkinen driving his first race at the 1991 US GP in Phoenix in the Lotus 102B
Two-time Formula 1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen had great success and tough times in F1. His main rival was Michael Schumacher.
He started his racing career at the age of five (1973) with karting. It turned out he had talent and skill. He won his first race at the age of 7. He then took part of regional and national karting championships in Finland and at the age of 10 he started to win each championship he entered until 1986.
After karting, he got into open-wheel racing. In 1987 he took part of 3 Formula Ford 1600 championship in Scandinavia, the Finish, Swedish and Nordic championship. He won all 3 championships.
In 1988 he entered the Opel Lotus Euroseries Championship and the British GM Euroseries. That season he won the Opel Lotus Euroseries Championship and finished second in the British GM Euroseries.
Mika Hakkinen in the Lotus 107 cockpit (1992)
After this adventure, he stepped up to the British Formula 3 Championship and could really shape up his skills in 1989 and 1990. In 1989 he had a learning curve and finished 7th in the championship. In 1990 he already was used to the much faster Formula 3 cars and won the championship for West Surrey Racing. This resulted in a Formula 1 contract with Lotus for the next season.
Mika's Formula 1 career
In 1991 Mika Häkkinen started his first Formula 1 career in Phoenix for the 1991 US Grand Prix. He qualified 13th on the grid in his Lotus and had to retire, due to a Judd engine failure. He had 3 different teammates that season, Julian Bailey, Johnny Herbert and Michael Bartels. Häkkinen scored his first and only points that 1991 F1 season in his 3rd race for Lotus by finishing 5th in the San Marino Grand Prix. He started the race on Imola circuit as 25th! He ended his first season on 16th place on the 1991 drivers championship table.
Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen before the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Estoril circuit in Portugal (1993)
In 1992 he stayed at Lotus and had a much better season. The Judd engine was changed to a Ford engine and picked up regular points. He only had Johnny Herbert as teammate and the Lotus 107 with Ford engine had a very fragile gearbox and engine. Mika retired 6 times, 2 times with gearbox problems and 2 times with engine failure. Although Herbert out qualified Hakkinen with 9-7, Mika scored more points than Johnny, because Herbert had to retire 11 times!. Mika scored 11 points in total to end on 8th place of the 1992 drivers championship table.
1993 - 2001 at McLaren
During the 1992 season, Häkkinen wanted to move to the quicker Williams car but got into a contract dispute with Lotus. Häkkinen, who was under contract to Lotus, opted to join Williams, but Lotus team principal Peter Collins would veto the Williams team entry if they had signed Häkkinen.
Mika Hakkinen spins in the McLaren MP4/9 with Peugeot engine (1994).
Mika then tried to get a seat at Ligier although his Lotus contract contained a clause of which his manager Keke Rosberg disagreed. He later approached the McLaren team and principal Ron Dennis signed the contract.
The dispute eventually went to the F1 Contract Recognition Board, who ruled in favour of McLaren after two days of deliberation.
He still could not drive in 1993, because McLaren had hired Michael Andretti to race and Ayrton Senna was their number 1 driver. It was until Andretti had enough of being beaten by Senna and left after finishing 3rd at the Italian GP to drive IndyCar again.
Hakkinen, at last, could drive for McLaren for at Portuguese Grand Prix. Mika Hakkinen was very determined and even out-qualified three times Formula 1 Drivers Champion Senna in his first race.
Mika Hakkinen testing the McLaren MP4/11 Mercedes at Estoril, Portugal (1996).
In the race, he drove second for a long time and could even have won his first race for McLaren if he hadn't crashed into the barrier in the last corner of the Estoril circuit by trying to pass Jean Alesi. In the penultimate race of the season at Japan, he scored his first Formula 1 podium by finishing 3rd.
McLaren filled up the seat left by Senna who moved to Williams, with Martin Brundle. Mika had a tough season with the McLaren MP4/9 which was powered by Peugeot.
He got a race ban for the German Grand Prix because he collided with too many other drivers. The engine also wasn't very reliable and he retired 4 times with engine failure. Nevertheless, the engine seemed to be very powerful and he did score 6 podiums to end as 4th on the 1994 F1 drivers championship table.
In 1995 he had a sever crash in practice for the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide which almost killed him.
Mika Hakkinen driving the McLaren MP4/12 at the 1997 Canadian GP
It took 6 seasons before Häkkinen won his first Formula 1 race. The 1997 European Grand Prix was his first F1 victory at Jerez. It was also the race where Michael Schumacher got his heavy penalty for deliberately driving into Jacques Villeneuve's Williams to prevent him from passing and winning the 1997 drivers championship.
It looked like the winning of his first race change everything for Mika. He kept on winning the next 2 seasons and he even became F1 drivers world champion in 1998 and 1999. He was the only driver who was able to defeat Schumacher on his way to his glory days at Ferrari. Hakkinen and Schumacher were able to put each-other under enormous pressure. They were fears competitors but also showed a level of mutual respect never seen before in F1.
The most unbelievable pass ever is the pass made by Hakkinen on Schumacher in Belgium during the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix. Hakkinen was chasing the Ferrari of Schumacher through Eau Rouge and on the Kemmel Straight they lapped a back-marker. Ricardo Zonta was the driving the lapped car, Schumacher overtook him on the outside, but Hakkinen chose to stick to the right side of the backmarker and overtook both cars.
After the very strong season for Schumacher at Ferrari 2001 F1 season in which the German won 9 races and Hakkinen only 2, he decided to quit Formula 1 to enjoy and have more time with his family. It was a sabbatical initially, but it was his definitive retirement from the sport.
Cars
Mika Hakkinen F1 Cars
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- McLaren MP4-16 Mercedes driven by Mika Hakkinen in Belgium (2001)
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- McLaren MP4-15 Mercedes Mika Hakkinen, 2nd position. Suzuka, Japan. 6-8 October 2000
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- Mika Hakkinen driving the McLaren MP4-13 Mercedes at the morning training session, Austrian GP, A1 ring (Red Bull Ring) (1998)
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- McLaren MP4-14 Mercedes driven by Mika Hakkinen (1999)
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- McLaren MP4-12 Mercedes diven by Mika Hakkinen at the Canadian GP (1997)
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- Mika Hakkinen testing the McLaren MP4-11 Mercedes at Estoril, Portugal (1996).
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- Mika Hakkinen crashed out with the McLaren MP4-10 Mercedes in the Argentinian F1 GP in Buenos Aires (1995)
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- Mika Hakkinen spins in the McLaren MP4-9 Peugeot (1994).
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- Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen before the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Estoril circuit in Portugal (1993)
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- Lotus 102D driven by Mika Hakkonen in Monaco (1992)
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- Mika Hakkinen driving his first race at the US GP in Phoenix in the Lotus 102B (1991)
Seasons
Mika Hakkinen F1 Season Results
2× World Championships1998–1999 · McLaren
Two titles in two straight seasons.
- 1998McLaren100 pts14 clear of Michael Schumachersealed at 1998 Japanese F1 GP
- 1999McLaren76 pts2 clear of Eddie Irvinesealed at 1999 Japanese F1 GP
5th
2001
2nd
2000
1st
1999
1st
1998
6th
1997
5th
1996
7th
1995
4th
1994
15th
1993
8th
1992
16th
1991
Mika Hakkinen F1 Seasons Summary
| Year | Team | Engine | GP | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Pod | Pole | Laps | FL | Avg Pts | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 |
 McLaren |
 Mercedes | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 689 | 3 | 2.31 | 37 |
| 2000 |
McLaren |
Mercedes | 17 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 944 | 9 | 5.24 | 89 |
| 1999 🏆 |
McLaren |
Mercedes | 16 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 851 | 6 | 4.75 | 76 |
| 1998 🏆 |
McLaren |
Mercedes | 16 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 856 | 6 | 6.25 | 100 |
| 1997 |
McLaren |
Mercedes | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 718 | 1 | 1.59 | 27 |
| 1996 |
McLaren |
Mercedes | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 900 | 0 | 1.94 | 31 |
| 1995 |
McLaren |
Mercedes | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 536 | 0 | 1.13 | 17 |
| 1994 |
McLaren |
 Peugeot | 15 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 670 | 0 | 1.73 | 26 |
| 1993 |
McLaren |
Ford | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 113 | 0 | 1.33 | 4 |
| 1992 |
Team Lotus |
Ford | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 794 | 0 | 0.73 | 11 |
| 1991 |
Team Lotus |
Judd | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 649 | 0 | 0.13 | 2 |
Races
Wins
Podiums
Poles
Teammates
News
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Mika Häkkinen — Frequently Asked Questions
When did Mika Häkkinen start racing in Formula 1?
Mika Häkkinen started racing in Formula 1 in 1991.
Is Mika Häkkinen still racing in Formula 1?
No, Mika Häkkinen last competed in Formula 1 in 2001.
How many Formula 1 races has Mika Häkkinen won?
Mika Häkkinen has won 20 Formula 1 races.
How many F1 World Championships has Mika Häkkinen won?
Mika Häkkinen has won 2 Formula 1 World Drivers' Championships (1998, 1999).
How many F1 podiums does Mika Häkkinen have?
Mika Häkkinen has finished on the podium 51 times in Formula 1.
When did Mika Häkkinen win their first F1 race?
Mika Häkkinen won their first Formula 1 race at the 1997 European F1 GP.
What nationality is Mika Häkkinen?
Mika Häkkinen is Finnish.
Which teams has Mika Häkkinen driven for in Formula 1?
Mika Häkkinen has driven for Team Lotus and McLaren in Formula 1.
How many F1 races has Mika Häkkinen entered?
Mika Häkkinen has competed in 165 Formula 1 Grands Prix.
