Mika Häkkinen's remarkable journey in the world of motorsports began in 1973 when he enrolled in primary school and joined his local karting club at the tender age of six. His unwavering dedication to karting lasted until 1986, during which he claimed the Finnish and Nordic karting championship title an impressive five times.
In 1987, Häkkinen transitioned to the Formula Ford 1600 and secured the Finnish championship title in the same year. The following year, he joined Opel Lotus in the English Euro Series GM Lotus, where he emerged victorious overall with four wins. His remarkable performance in the English Formula 3 Championship from 1989 earned him a 7th-place finish.
In 1990, Häkkinen's Formula 3 Grand Prix victory in Monaco marked a significant milestone, followed by his overall championship title in the same year. In 1991, he secured his first Formula 1 contract with Lotus Judd, although his points tally was limited to just two. The subsequent years saw Häkkinen driving for Lotus-Ford, where he secured an 8th-place finish with 11 points.
In 1993, Häkkinen joined the esteemed McLaren Ford team alongside Ayrton Senna, initially as a replacement for Michael Andretti. Following Senna's tragic accident at the Imola Grand Prix in 1994, Häkkinen became the first driver in the McLaren team, where he achieved an impressive 4th-place finish in the world championship standings despite the new and inferior Peugeot engine.
The subsequent years saw Häkkinen's rise to prominence, as he finished 7th overall in 1995, 5th with 31 championship points in 1996, and 6th in the World Championship with West McLaren Mercedes in 1997. The 1998 season proved to be a watershed moment, as Häkkinen secured eight victories and won the Formula 1 World Championship by a wide margin, also contributing to Mercedes-Benz's constructors' championship title after 43 years.
In 1999, Häkkinen repeated his World Championship title with victories in Brazil, Spain, Canada, Hungary, and Japan, while his team, Mercedes McLaren, secured the constructors' world championship once again. The 2000 and 2001 seasons saw Michael Schumacher dominate the World Cup rankings with Ferrari, but Häkkinen still managed to secure the Fize title with four Grand Prix victories.
In 2001, despite two victories in Great Britain and the USA, Häkkinen finished fourth in the World Cup standings with 37 points. After retiring from Formula 1 at the end of the 2001 season, Häkkinen returned to rallying in 2003 and went on to secure a driver contract with AMG-Mercedes in the DTM touring car championship in 2005. He remained a driver in the DTM until 2007, accumulating 77 points, 3 poles, 6 podium places, and 3 victories in 30 races.
