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TheHäkkinen–Schumacherrivalry orSchumacher–Häkkinen rivalry was aFormula 1rivalry betweenMika Häkkinen, a two-time Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion fromFinland, andMichael Schumacher, a seven-time Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion fromGermany. Widely regarded as two of the greatest Formula 1drivers of all time, their rivalry primarily spanned from the late 90s to the early 2000s. Known for their intense competition and contrasting driving styles, their rivalry began at the1990 Macau Grand Prix. Both Häkkinen and Schumacher entered Formula 1 in the1991 season, with Häkkinen joiningLotus and Schumacher joiningJordan before later switching toBenetton. They were involved in some minor competitions from the1992 to1997 Formula 1 seasons. Schumacher became the first of the two to win a World Drivers' Championship, claiming the title in the1994 Formula 1 season with hisB194. He followed this up with a repeat title in1995 in hisB195, achieving back-to-back championships.
Their fierce rivalry in Formula 1 became even more prominent during the1998 to2001 seasons. Häkkinen, who joined McLaren in1993, secured two consecutive world championship titles, in1998 with hisMP4/13 and in1999 with hisMP4/14. Schumacher was his closest rival that season. The competition between Häkkinen and Schumacher was briefly interrupted in the middle of the 1999 season when Schumacher had to miss six races due to a broken leg after an incident at the1999 British Grand Prix. During the2000 and2001 seasons, after joiningFerrari back in1996 to revive the team's fortunes, Michael Schumacher, driving theFerrari F2000 andF2001, achieved a remarkable resurgence by securing his third and fourth World Championship titles, successfully overcoming Mika Häkkinen in theMcLaren MP4-16 amid a highly competitive rivalry.[1]
Before the2001 Italian Grand Prix, Häkkinen announced he would take a break from F1 for the2002 season for family reasons. In July 2002, Häkkinen changed his mind and decided toretire completely. His retirement ultimately marked the end of his rivalry with Schumacher, who continued to race until the end of the2006 season winning three more championship titles on the trot starting from 2002, finished third in2005, and wound up second in 2006. Schumacher would later make a return to Formula 1, competing for the German-based teamMercedes from the2010 season through the2012 season.
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The beginning of the rivalry between Häkkinen and Schumacher can be traced back to their first meeting in the1990 Macau Grand Prix. Before the race, Häkkinen was theBritish Formula Threechampion withTheodore Racing, supported byWest Surrey Racing, while Schumacher was theGerman Formula Threechampion withWTS Racing.[2] TheMacau Grand Prix was the biggest and most prestigious race inFormula Three.[3]
At that time, the Macau Grand Prix consisted of two sessions, each lasting 15 laps. The winner was determined by combining the total time from both races.[4] Häkkinen won the first race, finishing 2.7 seconds ahead of Schumacher. Therefore, in the second race, he only needed to finish behind Schumacher with a time difference of no more than 2.7 seconds to win overall.[4] In the second race, Häkkinen tried to play it safe by staying behind Schumacher, who was moving slowly towards the end of the race. Feeling that Schumacher's pace was too slow, Häkkinen then attempted to overtake him but failed, causing his car to collide with the back of Schumacher's car.[5] Due to this incident, Häkkinen's car was damaged, and he could not finish the race, while Schumacher managed to continue and win the overall victory despite damage to the rear wing of his car. After the race, Schumacher apologized to Häkkinen for the incident and considered it a racing accident.[6]
Häkkinen and Schumacher both made their Formula One debut in the 1991 season. The difference was that Häkkinen raced from the beginning of the season withLotus,[4] while Schumacher entered in the middle of the season withJordan before switching toBenetton.[7] In the 1991 and 1992 seasons, the two drivers did not have significant competition. Häkkinen struggled with the uncompetitive Lotus car, while Schumacher began building his reputation as a potential great driver by winning his first F1 race at the1992 Belgian Grand Prix.[8] Häkkinen became a test driver after receiving an offer fromMcLaren for the 1993 season. He got another chance to race in the last three races of the season, replacingMichael Andretti, whose contract was terminated.[9]
In the 1994 season, Häkkinen returned full-time to F1 with McLaren. In the same season, Schumacher managed to win his first World Drivers' Championship title, which he successfully defended in the following year.[10] During the 1994-1995 period, Häkkinen only managed to achieve 8 podium finishes.[11] In the 1996 season, Schumacher moved toFerrari. With a less competitive car, this time Schumacher's level was on par with Häkkinen, who was driving for McLaren.[12] However, Schumacher still secured three victories in that season, followed by five more wins in the 1997 season.[13] Häkkinen won his first F1 race at the1997 European Grand Prix. In that race, Schumacher, who was competing for the title, was disqualified from the championship after attempting to blockJacques Villeneuve in an unsportsmanlike manner.[13]
The 1998 season marked a significant turning point in the rivalry between Schumacher and Häkkinen. This time, McLaren had a competitive car that led Häkkinen to win eight races and secure the drivers' championship title.[14] In that season, Schumacher also put on an impressive performance, winning six races and remaining a strong contender for the title until the final race of the season at theJapanese Grand Prix. In that race, Schumacher faced bad luck on the race day, even though he started from pole position. Technical issues with his car forced him to start from the back of the grid. Despite a promising start, Schumacher eventually had to retire from the race, which also confirmed Häkkinen's championship victory.[15] After the race, Schumacher congratulated Häkkinen on his success.[14]
In the 1999 season, Schumacher and Häkkinen once again emerged as favorites to compete for the championship title. They had a competitive battle in the early races of the season.[16][17] However, Schumacher's chances of winning the title came to an abrupt end when he suffered an accident during theBritish Grand Prix, resulting in a broken leg and forcing him to miss six races. Ferrari's second driver,Eddie Irvine, became the team's main hope to replace Schumacher, withMika Salo, who was recruited from theBAR team, also stepping in. Schumacher made a comeback towards the end of the season, specifically at theMalaysian Grand Prix. This time, he chose to support Irvine's bid for the championship. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain, and Häkkinen once again became the world champion after winning theJapanese Grand Prix. Despite this, Schumacher's efforts in those two races helped Ferrari secure the Constructor's Championship title for the first time since the1983 season.[18]
In the 2000 season, both Schumacher and Häkkinen were determined to win their third world championship title.[19] Schumacher started the season strongly, winning the first three races inAustralia,Brazil, andSan Marino.[20] Meanwhile, Häkkinen had a rough start, failing to finish in the two races and only managing to get a second-place finish behind Schumacher in San Marino.[20] Both Schumacher and Häkkinen then had to acknowledgeDavid Coulthard's victory in theBritish Grand Prix.[21] Häkkinen managed to secure a victory inSpain, which was later countered by Schumacher's win in theEuropean Grand Prix.[22][23] However, Schumacher's luck turned inMonaco when he suffered a DNF (Did Not Finish), and at the same time, Häkkinen struggled and could only manage a sixth-place finish. InCanada, Schumacher returned as the race winner, but he then faced a series of unfortunate events with three more DNFs inFrance,Austria, andGermany. Meanwhile, Häkkinen won the Austrian Grand Prix and turned the tables by leading the championship through an impressive victory inHungary, where Schumacher, despite starting from pole position, only managed to finish second.[24] The rivalry between the two drivers reached its climax inBelgium when Häkkinen secured a spectacular victory by overtaking Schumacher three laps before the finish.[25] As the season approached its end, Schumacher's fortunes began to improve when he won the race inItaly, holding off Häkkinen's challenge.[26] In theUnited States Grand Prix, Häkkinen faced misfortune as his car's engine caught fire, while Schumacher once again emerged as the race winner.[27] The world championship title was finally decided at theJapanese Grand Prix. In this race, Häkkinen initially had the lead in the first half of the race before Schumacher turned the tables and won the race through a clever pit strategy devised byRoss Brawn.[28] After the race, Häkkinen congratulated Schumacher on his success in becoming the champion of the 2000 season. Schumacher concluded the season with a victory inMalaysia, while Häkkinen could only manage a fourth-place finish after receiving a penalty for a jump start.[29]
In the 2001 season, both Schumacher and Häkkinen were once again favored as championship contenders. This time, Häkkinen felt more relaxed, especially after recently becoming a father, and he did not have the pressure of being the defending champion.[30][31] The start of the season had different outcomes for Schumacher and Häkkinen. Schumacher managed to win the first two races inAustralia andMalaysia, while Häkkinen struggled with his McLaren car and failed to finish in Australia, with an incident where he lost control and hit the wall.[32] Häkkinen's misfortune continued when his car suddenly stalled before the start of the race inBrazil.[33] He only scored points again inSan Marino, while Schumacher had already started building a lead at the top of the standings. InSpain, Häkkinen performed well and appeared to be on track to win the race until his clutch suddenly failed on the last lap, handing victory to Schumacher.[34] After the race, Schumacher showed sympathy for Häkkinen regarding the incident that happened on the last lap.[35] While Schumacher had a smooth 2001 season and eventually won his fourth World Drivers' Championship title after winning inHungary,[36] Häkkinen experienced one of his worst seasons. Häkkinen could only manage to win one race, which was inBritain.[37] During theItalian Grand Prix, it was announced that Häkkinen would take a full-year sabbatical for the 2002 season, and his position at McLaren would be taken by the young Finnish driver,Kimi Räikkönen.[38][39] Häkkinen later secured a victory in theUnited States, which turned out to be his last F1 race victory after he announced his full retirement from F1 in the mid of 2002.[40] On the other hand, Schumacher remained a dominant force in F1, winning a remarkable seventh World Drivers' Championship title in the 2004 season.
After Häkkinen announced his retirement from F1 in mid-2001, Schumacher paid tribute to him by saying, "Häkkinen is the best opponent I have ever faced. We may have fought hard on the racetrack, but when the race was over, I was amazed by his disciplined personal side. We had great respect for each other and let each other live peacefully."[41]
As a tribute to Schumacher's success in winning his fourth world championship title in the 2001 season, Häkkinen - who is atortoise lover - presented him with a gift of a tortoise.[42] Schumacher took care of the tortoise at his home in Switzerland, and to make identification easier, he placed his personal sponsor's logo,Deutsche Vermögensberatung, on the tortoise's shell. Schumacher considered Häkkinen's gift as "one of the greatest gestures he received from a former rival."[42]
After Schumacher suffered a serious injury from a skiing accident at the end of 2013, Häkkinen once again showed his support for Schumacher and his family. He expressed optimism that Schumacher would recover just like before. Häkkinen himself had experienced a head injury during an accident at the1995 Australian Grand Prix.[43]
In the documentary filmSchumacher released in 2021, Häkkinen reminisced about his rivalry with Schumacher, considering it one of the best experiences for both of them. He regarded Schumacher as a brave driver who occasionally pushed the limits beyond what was expected. Häkkinen acknowledged that it might have been difficult for them to be considered friends, but they respected and appreciated each other. Outside the racing arena, they had their own separate personal lives.[44]
| Driver | Years active | Entries | Start | Championship | Wins | Pole position | Fastest lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mika Häkkinen | 1991–2001 | 165 | 161 | 2 | 20 | 26 | 25 |
 Michael Schumacher | 1991–2006 2010–2012 | 308 | 306 | 7 | 91 | 68 | 77 |
| Driver | Championship position | Wins | Podiums | Championships | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | ||||
| Mika Häkkinen | 16th Lotus | 8th Lotus | 16th McLaren | 4th McLaren | 7th McLaren | 5th McLaren | 6th McLaren | 1st McLaren | 1st McLaren | 2nd McLaren | 5th McLaren | 20 | 51 | 2 |
| Michael Schumacher | 14th Jordan/ Benetton | 3rd Benetton | 4th Benetton | 1st Benetton | 1st Benetton | 3rd Ferrari | DSQ Ferrari | 2nd Ferrari | 5th Ferrari | 1st Ferrari | 1st Ferrari | 53 | 97 | 4 |
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