Amidst reliability issues with thePeugeot-poweredMP4/9, Häkkinen scored several podiums and finished fourth in1994. After further winless seasons for McLaren in1995 and1996, he achieved his maiden victory at theEuropean Grand Prix in1997. Amidst afierce title battle withMichael Schumacher in1998, Häkkinen won his first championship at thefinal race of the season, becoming thesecond World Drivers' Champion from Finland. He successfully defended his title in1999, beatingEddie Irvine by two points in lieu of an injured Schumacher. Häkkinen won several races during his2000 campaign, where he was unable to beat Schumacher to a third title. Häkkinenretired at the conclusion of the2001 season—taking his final victory at theUnited States Grand Prix—having achieved 20 race wins, 26 pole positions, 25 fastest laps and 51 podiums in Formula One.
Häkkinen was born inHelsingin maalaiskunta,Finland, on 28 September 1968 to Harri, ashortwave radio operator and a part-time taxi driver, and Aila Häkkinen, who worked as a secretary. He has one sister, Nina, who ran a fan site for him until its closure in 1998.[1] Häkkinen lived in the same street asMika Salo with the two later becoming friends.[2] As a child, Häkkinen playedice hockey andfootball.[3]
When Häkkinen was five years old, his parents rented ago-kart for him to take to a track near their home. Despite an early crash, Häkkinen wished to continue racing, and his father bought him his first go-kart, one thatHenri Toivonen had previously competed with.[4] He later won his first karting race in 1975 at theKeimola Motor Stadium where he raced in the regional karting championships in 1978 and 1979, winning the Keimola Club Championship in both years. Häkkinen found further success in 1980 when he won the Swedish Lapland Cup and finished fourth in the 85cc class of the Lapland Karting Championship. Around this time, Häkkinen also drove aVolkswagen Beetle on the frozen lakes of Finland with friend Mika Sohlberg.[5]
In 1981, Häkkinen won his first major karting title, the 85cc class of the Finnish Karting Championship. The following year, he finished runner-up in the 85cc class of the Formula Mini series and later won the Ronnie Peterson Memorial event and the Salpauselka Cup in Lahti. Häkkinen moved to the Formula Nordic 100cc class for 1983, where he became the champion on his first attempt and also participated in the A Junior Team Races for Finland alongsideTaru Rinne, Jaana Nyman and Marko Mankonen, with the line-up taking the championship.[6]
In 1984, Häkkinen won the 100cc Formula Nordic title and later participated in theWorld Kart Championship race held inLiedolsheim. He took his second consecutive 100cc Formula Nordic Championship in 1985 ahead of Jukka Savolainen. He took part in the Nordic Championship A-Class in the same year, finishing runner-up toTom Kristensen. Häkkinen went toParma to participate in the World Kart Championship where he retired before the event's final heat due to a mechanical problem. In 1986, he reached his third consecutive Formula Nordic 100cc title and also took part in karting events across Europe.[6] To further fund his career, Häkkinen got a job with a friend repairing bicycles.[7]
In 1987, Häkkinen made the transition from karting to car racing when he purchased a 1986 Reynard Formula Ford 1600 from fellow FinnJJ Lehto. In that year, he entered the Finnish, Swedish and Nordic Formula Ford Championships, winning each title on his first attempt and won nine races combined. Häkkinen also entered two races of the EDFA 1600 Championship and raced in the Formula Ford Festival held atBrands Hatch, where he finished in seventh position.[8] In 1988, Häkkinen entered the GM Vauxhall-Lotus Challenge with theDragon team, where he secured three victories and finished the runner-up in the championship, behindAllan McNish. He later entered the Opel-Lotus EDFA Euroseries in the same year, taking four victories and became Champion with 126 points, ahead of nearest rivalHenrik Larsen.[8]
Going into 1989, Häkkinen moved from the Euroseries into theBritish Formula 3 Championship driving a Reynard 893 chassis for Dragon. He finished seventh position in the championship, scoring 18 points. He was later invited to participate in the Cellnet Formula Three SuperPrix forWest Surrey Racing as a guest driver where he secured pole position and the victory.[9] He also raced in the tenth round of the French Formula 3 championship at Le Mans-Bugatti on 24 September and finished third behind Éric Hélary and Laurent Daumet.
In 1990, Häkkinen applied to become a member of the "Marlboro World Championship Team" through what was akin to a fully sponsored racing driver academy. Its members were short-listed for testing by a judging panel including MarlboroMcLaren team principalRon Dennis,1976 Formula One World Drivers' ChampionJames Hunt, and Formula 3000 team bosses, Mike Earle and Hugues de Chaunac. Häkkinen was also aprotégé of1982 World Drivers' ChampionKeke Rosberg.[10] In an April 2015 interview, Earle recounted that Häkkinen's application was the last one that he reviewed at the end of a long day, despite protests by Hunt who had already made plans to head to a pub for a beer.[11] Häkkinen performed strongly in his test and went on to secure Marlboro's sponsorship. That same year, therefore, Häkkinen left Dragon and moved to the West Surrey Racing team and won the British Formula 3 series, by taking nine victories en route to the Championship, with 121 points, ahead of fellow Finn Salo. In November, Häkkinen entered theMacau Grand Prix where he drove to pole position and won the first heat of the event. He retired from the second heat due to a last-lap collision withGerman Formula Three driver and future Formula One rivalMichael Schumacher, who was classified as the overall winner.[8]
Häkkinen made his first test in a Formula One car with theBenetton team driving 90 laps around theSilverstone Circuit and set quicker lap times than regular driverAlessandro Nannini. He found it difficult to fit into the Benetton but liked the steering and throttle response. Häkkinen expected not to be offered a seat at Benetton and he decided to sign with theLotus team for the1991 season.[8] Making his debut in theUnited States Grand Prix alongside teammateJulian Bailey, Häkkinen qualified thirteenth on the grid and suffered an engine failure on the sixtieth lap and was classified thirteenth. The next race inBrazil saw him finish ninth, and scored his first Formula One points by reaching fifth place inSan Marino.[12] Häkkinen suffered from a dip in race form as he encountered consecutive retirements in the next two races—his car suffered from an oil leak inMonaco and spun out inCanada.[13][14] Before Canada, Bailey lost his seat at Lotus due to a lack of funding,[15] so Häkkinen was partnered byJohnny Herbert andMichael Bartels throughout the remainder of the season.[16]
Although Häkkinen secured a ninth-place finish inMexico, he did not qualify for theFrench Grand Prix. Over the remainder of the season, he did not finish four of the nine races he entered. Häkkinen finished his debut season sixteenth in the Drivers' Championship, scoring two points.[12]
Häkkinen remained at Lotus for1992 and was partnered by Herbert.[17] At the opening round of the season inSouth Africa, Häkkinen finished in ninth position, which he followed up with his first points of the season inMexico. He took a further finish inBrazil, although he did not qualify for theSan Marino Grand Prix and suffered consecutive retirements in the following two races.[12] AtMonaco, Lotus introduced their new car, theLotus 107. Häkkinen later gathered further consecutive points in the following two races,[12] before he was forced into retirement at theGerman Grand Prix due to an engine failure.[18] A similar pattern followed in the next three races, which was broken when he finished fifth inPortugal and suffered a retirement at the penultimate round of the year inJapan. Häkkinen concluded the season with a seventh-place finish inAustralia.[12]
During the season, Häkkinen became embroiled in a contract dispute. Häkkinen, who was under contract to Lotus, opted to joinWilliams. However, Williams had not submitted their entry for the 1993 season, and Häkkinen was unable to join the team when he learnt that Lotus team principal Peter Collins would veto the Williams team entry if they had signed Häkkinen.[19] Häkkinen later approachedLigier although his contract contained a clause of which his managerKeke Rosberg disagreed. He later approachedMcLaren team principalRon Dennis for a contract with the team, which was drafted atCourchevel Airport. The dispute eventually went to the Formula One Contract Recognition Board, who ruled in favour of McLaren after two days of deliberation.[19]
For1993, Häkkinen joined McLaren, originally as a race driver, although he became the team's official test driver whenCART driverMichael Andretti was hired by the team.[19] Apart from regular testing duties, Häkkinen entered twoPorsche Supercup races, held as a support race for theMonaco Grand Prix, where he started at pole position and took victory in both races. He was promoted to a Formula One race seat after theItalian Grand Prix, when Andretti left Formula One. Häkkinen entered thePortuguese Grand Prix where he out-qualified regular driverAyrton Senna. During the race, he retired due to collision with a concrete wall.[20] At the next race held inJapan, Häkkinen claimed the first podium of his career with a third-place finish,[21] and ended the season when his McLaren car suffered a brake pipe failure inAustralia.[22] Häkkinen concluded the season with 15th in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 4 points.[12] In December, McLaren confirmed that Häkkinen would remain with the team on a three-year contract from the 1994 season onwards.[23]
During 1993, Häkkinen, along with Senna, tested theLamborghiniV12 engine in a modified version of theMcLaren MP4/8 race car dubbed the "MP4/8B" at bothEstoril andSilverstone. Both drivers were impressed with the engine, with Häkkinen reportedly lapping Silverstone some 1.4 seconds faster in the MP4/8B with its V12 engine than he had with the team's race car fitted with theFord V8.[24]
Häkkinen stayed at McLaren for1994 and was partnered by experienced driverMartin Brundle. He endured a torrid start: at the first two races of the season, Häkkinen retired as his car developed engine problems in theBrazilian Grand Prix and gearbox issues in thePacific Grand Prix which included a collision with Senna on the first lap.[25][26] He later reached his first podium finish of the season at theSan Marino Grand Prix, although he suffered a dip in form as he was forced into consecutive retirements in the next four races.[12]
Häkkinen raced to a further podium finish at theBritish Grand Prix, despite a last-lap collision with Jordan driverRubens Barrichello for which he received a one-race ban, suspended for three races.[8] The ban was enforced after theGerman Grand Prix, where Häkkinen collided with Williams driverDavid Coulthard with the Finn's car sliding into another group of cars. He was replaced byPhilippe Alliot for the next race inHungary.[27]
Häkkinen returned for theBelgian Grand Prix, initially coming third but was later promoted to second after the disqualification of Benetton driver Michael Schumacher.[28] He got consecutive 3rd-place podium finishes in the next three races, before rounding off the season by finishing the final two races inJapan andAustralia, albeit outside of the points scoring positions. Häkkinen managed a fourth place in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 26 points.[12]
Häkkinen remained at McLaren for1995, and was partnered byNigel Mansell. During pre-season testing, Häkkinen and teammate Mansell complained the car, theMcLaren MP4/10, was not wide enough to fit in, resulting in their hands and elbows striking the sides of the cockpit.[29] Mansell was forced to miss the opening two rounds, so Häkkinen was partnered withMark Blundell.[30]
Häkkinen started off the season by finishing fourth inBrazil,[31] and later retired inArgentina due to a collision which punctured his left rear tyre that followed a spin. He took a further points finish with a 5th place atSan Marino, before suffering from consecutive retirements in the next three races.[12] For theFrench Grand Prix, McLaren introduced a revised version of their car, theMcLaren MP4/10B. This did not revive Häkkinen's fortunes as he did not finish in the points scoring positions, and later suffered consecutive retirements in the next four races,[12] but got second place at theItalian Grand Prix.[32] He was forced to miss thePacific Grand Prix due to an operation forappendicitis and was replaced byJan Magnussen.[33] He returned for theJapanese Grand Prix, with a second-place finish.[34]
At the season finale held inAustralia, Häkkinen's car suffered a tyre failure during the event's first qualifying session on Friday, which resulted in his car becoming airborne and crashing sideways into the crash barrier on the outside of Brewery corner, the fastest corner of theAdelaide Street Circuit, at an estimated speed of 120 mph.[35] The session was suspended with Häkkinen being critically injured due to sustaining askull fracture, internal bleeding and a blockage of his airway. His life was saved by the efforts of the trackside medical team, including the President of the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety,Sid Watkins, and volunteer doctors Jerome Cockings and Steve Lewis,[36] from theRoyal Adelaide Hospital. Cockings performed an emergencytracheotomy on the track, delivering oxygen to enable Häkkinen to breathe.[37] Watkins later arrived in the medical car, allowing the doctors to continue, restarting Häkkinen's heart twice.[38][39] Häkkinen was immediately transported by ambulance to the nearby Royal Adelaide Hospital which was located about half a kilometre from the circuit. There he remained in a critical condition under care of the Trauma Service, the Neurosurgical Unit, and the Intensive Care Unit and remained in the hospital for approximately two months. He eventually made a remarkable recovery.[40] As an expression of thanks for the elite class medical attention he received, Häkkinen donated a substantial undisclosed sum of money to help build a much-needed helipad for The Royal Adelaide Hospital, and made a special trip to Australia for the official opening ceremony in March 1997.[41]
Häkkinen finished the 1995 season seventh in the Drivers' Championship, with 17 points.[12]
The1996 season was the first in which Häkkinen was the more experienced driver in his team and was partnered by David Coulthard. Häkkinen was confident going into the season and set himself a target of winning races.[42] To ensure his fitness, Häkkinen spent time training inBali and in February, McLaren conducted a secret test at thePaul Ricard Circuit. In the event that Häkkinen was not prepared, McLaren had Magnussen to replace him should the need arise.[43] The season started well for Häkkinen: He earned consecutive points-scoring positions in the opening two rounds, before he suffered his first retirement of the season inArgentina as his car developed a throttle problem.[44] He later finished the next two races, albeit outside of the points scoring positions, before returning consecutive finishes inside of the points in the following four races.[12]
In the following race held inBritain where McLaren brought a revised version of the car, theirMcLaren MP4/11B, Häkkinen reached his first podium finish of the season with third place.[45] However, he retired from the next race held inGermany due to a gearbox failure.[46] This marked a turning point in Häkkinen's season as he finished the next three races, including consecutive third-place finishes inBelgium andItaly.[12] In September, it was announced that Häkkinen would remain at McLaren for 1997,[47] having previously been linked to Williams andBenetton.[48] He retired from the penultimate round inPortugal resulting a collision with teammate Coulthard, damaging Häkkinen's front wing and eventually led to his retirement on the 52nd lap of the race.[49] He rounded off the season with a third-place finish in season finale held inJapan. Häkkinen finished the season fifth in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 31 points.[12]
Häkkinen again remained at McLaren for1997 and Coulthard remained his teammate. Häkkinen's season got off to a good start: In the season-opening race inAustralia, he drove up to the third position and later scored further consecutive finishes inside of the points scoring positions in the next three races.[12] He suffered his first retirement of the season at theMonaco Grand Prix when he was involved in a collision with Benetton driverJean Alesi.[50] Häkkinen later took ninth position at theSpanish Grand Prix,[12] but later suffered three consecutive retirements in the next three races—a collision with Ferrari driverEddie Irvine inCanada and engine failures inFrance andBritain. At the latter race, he had seemed set for his first win, but his engine blew while he was holding off eventual winnerJacques Villeneuve.[51]
Häkkinen secured another podium finish with third place inGermany and later retired from an hydraulic problem inHungary. He later secured third place in theBelgian Grand Prix but was later disqualified when it was discovered that his car used an illegal type of fuel during the event.[52] He secured a ninth-place finish inItaly and later suffered from consecutive retirements in the next two races—engine failures in theAustrian Grand Prix and theLuxembourg Grand Prix while leading both races.[53] Häkkinen ended the season with a fourth position in the penultimate round inJapan and raced to his first Formula One victory at the season closingEuropean Grand Prix.[12] Häkkinen ended the season sixth in the Drivers' Championship, with 27 points.[12]
Häkkinen driving for McLaren at the1998 Spanish Grand Prix, where he claimed his third win in the first five races of the season
Häkkinen remained at McLaren for1998, partnered by Coulthard. Häkkinen was confident going about the challenge for the World Championship into the season, citing the involvement of technical directorAdrian Newey.[54] The season started off with controversy inAustralia when teammate Coulthard let Häkkinen past to win the race. Häkkinen had earlier been called into the pit lane by an engineer by mistake. Coulthard later revealed a pre-race agreement by the team that whoever led into the first corner on the first lap would be allowed to win the race.[55] Despite this, Häkkinen took back-to-back victories by winning the next race inBrazil.[56] He maintained his good form at theArgentine Grand Prix where he finished second, although he retired from theSan Marino Grand Prix when his car's gearbox failed. However, Häkkinen managed consecutive victories in the next two rounds, which was followed by a retirement from the race inCanada as his car suffered another gearbox failure.[57]
Häkkinen followed this up by taking consecutive podiums in the next two rounds—third inFrance and second inBritain. He managed further consecutive victories in the next two rounds, and followed this up with a sixth-place finish inHungary.[12] In August, it was announced that Häkkinen and Coulthard would be retained for 1999.[58] Häkkinen retired from the following race held inBelgium when Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher collided with the Finn and was also hit bySauber driverJohnny Herbert.[59] He later managed a fourth position inItaly despite suffering from brake problems resulting from a spin.[60] Häkkinen finished the season by taking victory in the final two rounds at theLuxembourg Grand Prix and theJapanese Grand Prix, which ensured he took enough points to clinch the 1998 World Championship, with 100 points, ahead of nearest rival Schumacher.[61] Häkkinen was awarded theAutosport International Racing Driver Award for 1998.[62] He was also named theFinnish Sports Personality of the Year by journalists.[63] The Finnish Post Office issued stamps to commemorate Häkkinen's World Championship in January 1999.[64]
Häkkinen driving for McLaren at the1999 Canadian Grand Prix, where he drove to his third victory of the season
Häkkinen remained at McLaren for1999, with Coulthard partnering him for the upcoming season. The team suffered problems with their car, theMcLaren MP4/14, during pre-season testing, resulting in a lack of preparation. Despite these setbacks, Häkkinen was confident going into the season, saying: "I've gained confidence and experience and am more relaxed. With this title I no longer have to tell myself every morning I can win, to put pressure on myself."[65]
At the opening round inAustralia, Häkkinen was forced into retiring as his car developed a throttle issue.[65] However, he managed his first victory of the season inBrazil, despite his car developing a gearbox problem early in the race.[66] Häkkinen retired from the race inSan Marino when he collided with a barrier while leading.[67] At theMonaco Grand Prix, Häkkinen finished in third place, having slid on oil left on the track surface in the race. He followed up the results by having consecutive victories in the races held inSpain andCanada. Häkkinen took a second-place finish inFrance, and was forced into another retirement inBritain, as a result of a wheel failure.[65] During theAustrian Grand Prix, Häkkinen who started frompole position, was hit by Coulthard from behind and rejoined at the back of the field. Häkkinen eventually finished in 3rd place.[68]
During theGerman Grand Prix, it was announced that Häkkinen would remain at McLaren for 2000.[69] Häkkinen encountered further bad fortunes in the race when his car's right rear tyre exploded at high speed, forcing his car into a 360° spin before resting on a tyre wall.[70] He managed his fourth victory of the year atHungary,[71] and followed up the result with a second place inBelgium.[72] Häkkinen retired from the following race held inItaly, due to a spin while leading the race.[73] He finished further with fifth place at theEuropean Grand Prix, and achieved a podium finish with third place inMalaysia.[12] At the season finale held inJapan, Häkkinen took victory,[74] which ensured he took enough points to win the 1999 World Championship, with 76 points, ahead of nearest rivalEddie Irvine.[75] In November, Häkkinen was ranked seventh in theReuters Sports Personality of the Year Poll scoring 46 out of a possible 260 points.[76] He was also awarded his second consecutive Autosport International Racing Driver Award for 1999.[77] In November, Häkkinen was announced as one of the seven men shortlisted for the Finnish Sports Personality of the Year.[78] At the awards ceremony on 28 December, Häkkinen was awarded second place behind skierMika Myllylä.[79]
For2000, Häkkinen set himself new limits along with physical and psychological preparations for the upcoming season. He also believed that he along with Schumacher and Coulthard would be the key drivers of 2000.[80] He endured a bad start: at the opening round inAustralia, both McLaren cars retired with engine failure after completing less than half of the race distance; and in the following race inBrazil, Häkkinen was forced into retirement when his car's oil pressure became problematic.[81] However, this marked a turning point as Häkkinen took consecutive second-place finishes in the next two rounds,[12] and later reached his first victory of the season inSpain.[82]
Häkkinen finished in second position at theEuropean Grand Prix, having traded the lead position with Schumacher throughout the race.[83] He followed up the result by taking sixth place atMonaco, fourth inCanada and a podium finish with second position inFrance.[84] The day after the French Grand Prix, it was announced that Häkkinen would remain at McLaren for 2001.[85] Häkkinen won the following race held inAustria, although his team were stripped of constructors' points due to a missing seal on the electronic control unit in Häkkinen's car.[86] He took another podium finish with a second place inGermany, and later had another victory at theHungarian Grand Prix where he took the lead of the World Drivers' Championship from Schumacher.[87] Häkkinen raced to his second consecutive victory inBelgium, which included a simultaneous pass on Schumacher andRicardo Zonta in theKemmel straight.[88] Häkkinen later took second place inItaly,[89] and retired with an engine failure in theUnited States.[90] He rounded off the year with a second place inJapan where he conceded the World Championship to Schumacher,[91] and held fourth position in the season closing race held inMalaysia.[12]
Häkkinen driving for McLaren at the2001 Canadian Grand Prix, where he reached his first podium finish of 2001
For2001, Häkkinen pledged to make a challenge for the World Championship, citing inspiration from the birth of his son Hugo.[92] He also added that he was under less pressure to compete, saying that results over the previous year increased his desire to win.[93] The season started badly for Häkkinen, as he was forced into retirement in the opening round held inAustralia due to a failure with his car's suspension resulting in his car spinning violently into a tyre barrier.[94] The McLaren cars were off the pace inMalaysia, with Häkkinen managing to end at the 6th place.[95] He retired from the following race inBrazil when his car stalled on the starting grid,[96] Further points came at theSan Marino Grand Prix.[97] At theSpanish Grand Prix, Häkkinen looked on course to win his first victory of the season, until the final lap of the race, when his car was hampered with a clutch failure and was classified ninth.[98]
He suffered further consecutive retirements inAustria where he stalled his car on the starting grid,[99] andMonaco where his car's steering failed after fifteen laps of the race.[100] At the following race held inCanada, Häkkinen took his first podium of the season with a third-place finish.[101] He finished sixth at theEuropean Grand Prix, and was unable to start theFrench Grand Prix as his car developed a gearbox problem.[102] However, this marked a brief turning point for Häkkinen as he gained a victory in theBritish Grand Prix.[103] He was forced into another retirement inGermany when his engine failed,[104] later managing fifth position inHungary and fourth place inBelgium.[12]
Before theItalian Grand Prix, Häkkinen announced that he would be on a sabbatical for the 2002 season, citing the reason to spend more time with his family.[105] His seat was taken by fellow countrymanKimi Räikkönen in 2002.[106] Häkkinen later stated that fear after crashes during practice for the 1995 Australian Grand Prix and the 2001 Australian Grand Prix as well as a loss of a desire to compete for race victories were factors.[107] He was forced into another retirement during the race due to a gearbox issue. He raced to his final victory of his career in theUnited States despite incurring a grid penalty,[108] and ended the season with a fourth-place finish inJapan.[109] Häkkinen finished the season fifth in the Drivers' Championship, with 37 points.[12]
In July 2002, nine months into his sabbatical, Häkkinen announced that he would be retiring from Formula One. It was later revealed that Häkkinen approached McLaren team principal Ron Dennis during the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix and agreed a sabbatical, then returned to Monaco the following year to discuss and agree full-time retirement with Dennis.[110] In October, Häkkinen made his first appearance as a commentator for pay-for-view channelCanal Digital at theUnited States Grand Prix.[111]
In December 2002, it was announced that Häkkinen would be participating in theFinnish Rally Championship driving aMitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC2 with his co-driverArto Kapanen.[112] He also stated that he would not move full-time into rallying and learn about driver control,[113] although he later stated he would enter more rally events if he finished within the top two.[114] Making his debut in theArctic Rally, Häkkinen was delayed by four minutes as his team changed a tyre and eventually finished 30th.[115] He once again entered the event in 2004 driving aToyota Corolla with co-driverRisto Pietiläinen [fi] and finished seventh.[116][117]
During 2004, rumors circulated that Häkkinen was making a possible return to Formula One to fill in the vacant Williams seat left byJuan Pablo Montoya. In May, McLaren team principal Ron Dennis dismissed the rumors, stating that Häkkinen was not prepared for a comeback.[118] Häkkinen held talks with BAR and Williams and later decided against returning to Formula One saying in 2005: "It's impossible to think that I would race a Formula One car again because as time passes my reactions become slower and my eyesight gets worse – that's life".[119]
Häkkinen drove for the HWA team in the 2005 season.
On 6 November 2004, it was announced that Häkkinen would make his debut in theDeutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series for theHWA Team in the2005 season.[120] He was partnered byGary Paffett,Jean Alesi andBernd Schneider. Häkkinen had previous experience of driving touring cars in July 2001 at theBrno Circuit alongside Schneider.[121] In January, Häkkinen once again participated in the Arctic Rally driving a Toyota Corolla with co-driver Risto Pietiläinen. Häkkinen retired when he slid off the road on the eleventh stage.[122]
Häkkinen's debut DTM season started well: He secured eighth position in his first race at theHockenheimring; and in the following race at theEuroSpeedway Lausitz, held his first podium in his DTM career. Two weeks later atSpa-Francorchamps, Häkkinen qualified on pole position and later took his first DTM win after only three starts.[123] Despite the early success, he did not score points in the next three races which included consecutive retirements atOschersleben and theNorisring. He later scored a further points position at the race held at theNürburgring, before further consecutive 12th-place finishes in the next two races. Häkkinen ended the 2005 season by taking a second-place finish atIstanbul Park and finished outside of the points scoring positions with 15th place at Hockenheim. Häkkinen finished the season fifth in the Drivers' Championship, with 30 points.[12]
On 15 November 2005, it was announced that Häkkinen would remain with HWA for the2006 season,[124] and was partnered by Alesi, Spengler andJamie Green. For the upcoming season, Häkkinen set his target of winning the championship, although he believed the competition from Audi would make the title challenge difficult.[125] Outside of DTM, Häkkinen participated in his fourth Arctic Rally, driving aMitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII with co-driver Risto Pietiläinen.[126] He finished 36th overall.[127]
Häkkinen's season got off well: At the opening race held at Hockenheim, he finished in fourth position; and in the following race held at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, he drove to his first podium of the season with third place. Häkkinen did not score points in the next two consecutive races, although he later held another podium position with third place at the Norisring. In the next three races, he was unable to score more points, although he had another podium position at the Bugatti Circuit. Häkkinen concluded his season with a retirement at the Hockenheimring when his car's diffuser became damaged.[128] Häkkinen ended the year sixth in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 25 points.[12]
In November, Häkkinen tested aMcLaren MP4-21 for one day at theCircuit de Catalunya where he completed 79 laps.[129] To prepare himself, Häkkinen spent time at theMcLaren Technology Centre to acquaint himself with Formula One's revised regulations.[130] In a 2017 retrospective interview Häkkinen revealed that he had been in advanced talks with McLaren for a return in the2007 season. He had however been frustrated by problems with McLaren's car in the test, which had reminded him of the reasons why he had taken the sabbatical in the first place, so the plans had collapsed.[105]
On 28 January 2007, it was announced that Häkkinen would remain in DTM for the2007 season for HWA,[131] and was partnered by Spengler, Green and Schneidler. Häkkinen stated that during 2006, his team's potential was not realised and aimed during 2007 to improve on his results.[131] He started the season by earning consecutive finishes in the first two races, albeit outside of the points scoring positions. At the third race of the season held at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Häkkinen won his first race of the season although only half points were awarded due to errors made by race organisers, resulting in the official race result remaining provisional.[132] He held pole for the following race at Brands Hatch where he finished in fourth position,[133] and followed the result with a ninth-place finish at the Norisring.[134]
Häkkinen had his second victory of the season at Mugello, after starting from 15th position.[135] He later managed 7th place atZandvoort and later finished with a 10th-place finish at the Nürburgring. At the race held at the Circuit de Catalunya, Häkkinen was involved in a collision with Audi driverMartin Tomczyk. Häkkinen was penalised with a €20,000 fine, received a ten-place grid penalty for the next round and was disqualified from the race.[136] He finished the season with a 17th-place finish at the Hockenheimring. Häkkinen finished the season 7th place in the Championship, with 22 points.[12]
Häkkinen announced his retirement from competitive motorsport in November 2007.[137] He was quoted as saying that the decision "was not an easy one", but added that "racing is still in my blood and this decision does not mean that this will prevent me from racing for pleasure".[138]
In November 2008, it was announced that Häkkinen would start a new career in driver management and would work alongsideDidier Coton [fr] in his firm Aces Associate Group.[139] Häkkinen contested his fifth Arctic Rally event in January 2009 driving aMitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX alongside co-driverIlkka Kivimäki and finished 19th overall.[140][141] Häkkinen made his debut in sports cars when Team AMG China entered aMercedes-Benz SLS AMG in November 2011 to participate in theIntercontinental Le Mans Cup at the6 Hours of Zhuhai race alongsideLance David Arnold andCheng Congfu.[142] During the event, the team retired after completing two hours.[143] In October 2013, Häkkinen participated in the GT Asia series for the two races held at theZhuhai International Circuit, driving aMercedes-Benz SLS AMG 300 alongside co-driverMatthew Solomon.[144] Häkkinen drove to victory in the first race after starting from sixth position. The victory resulted in a 15-second handicap during his mandatory pitstop for his second race and finished in fourth position.[145]
On 16 March 2017, McLaren announced that Häkkinen had rejoined the team as partner ambassador.[146] In November 2021, Häkkinen helped McLarenIndyCar driverPato O'Ward prepare for his test of theMcLaren MCL35M by familiarizing O'Ward on his championship winningMP4/13 aroundLaguna Seca.[147]
Häkkinen andEmma Kimiläinen competed together for Team Finland at theRace of Champions on 5–6 February 2022.[149] He is set to again compete in the race in 2023 alongside Formula One driverValtteri Bottas, who was originally going to be his partner at the 2022 edition before backing out.[150][151]
In December 2021, Häkkinen was announced as a Formula One analyst for the sports broadcaster Viaplay.[152] From 2022 onwards, Häkkinen became part of a permanent team of analysts on-site at the Grands Prix. In the team of analysts, Häkkinen is accompanied by David Coulthard andJos Verstappen.
JournalistPeter Windsor analysed Häkkinen's driving style for an article inF1 Racing magazine, writing that Häkkinen was an "oversteering" driver, which made him faster on slippery surfaces and meant that "tail-happy" cars suited him.[153] This allowed him to perform better at circuits that have medium-speed corners.[154] During his karting career, Häkkinen developed the habit of using the brake pedal with his left foot. He reverted to using his right foot when he participated in DTM, but became uncomfortable with this style and switched again to left-foot braking in mid-2006.[155] He became known as a "late season driver"; the second half of a season suited Häkkinen due to experience on these tracks and allowed time for his car to be altered towards his preference.[53]
Häkkinen was criticized for being a poor car developer, though this may have been exaggerated due to his initial struggles with the English language early in his career.[53]Adrian Newey, the designer of Häkkinen's championship-winning McLarens, described an instance of Häkkinen's approach to input on car development when Häkkinen kept telling him during the initial testing of theMcLaren MP4/13 that the car was understeering. Newey subsequently adjusted the car to correct for understeer, but this only made it slower. After digging deeper into the test data and listening closely to what Häkkinen was describing Newey realized the car was not understeering but had rear end biased instability on corner entry that Häkkinen was compensating for with understeer. This experience proved crucial for Newey's relationship with Häkkinen during their run together at McLaren, as after that Newey no longer had issues understanding Häkkinen's inputs on car development.[156] Newey said that Häkkinen's countryman, protege, and future McLaren driverKimi Räikkönen had a similar approach to input on car development.[156]
During his Formula One career, Häkkinen was regarded as taciturn, taking lengthy pauses before giving terse responses to questions.[157] Since his retirement, he has often been voted among the greatest Formula One drivers.[157][158] Michael Schumacher has stated that Häkkinen was the driver whom he gained the most satisfaction of racing against.[157]
Häkkinen has lived inMonaco since 1991. He also owns properties in France and Finland.[8] On 18 May 2008, his newly completed mansion in France was burned down after a light in one of his trophy cabinets short circuited. No injuries were reported, although Häkkinen's collection of Formula One trophies was destroyed.[159]
Häkkinen joinedJohnnie Walker as Global Responsible Drinking Ambassador forDiageo in September 2006, campaigning for the message of responsible drinking. He also led the organisation's Join the Pact campaign to spread consumer commitments for the prevention of drunk driving.[166] He is also brand ambassador forMercedes-Benz andUBS.[167] In 2016, he became an official brand ambassador forNokian Tyres.[168]
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