HÄKKINEN: I HAD A DISCUSSION WITH SCHUMACHER QUITE OFTEN

Mika Häkkinen, the 1998 and 1999 Formula 1 Champion, reflected on two iconic battles between him and Michael Schumacher, the 1990 Macau F3 race and the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix.
Häkkinen and Schumacher have treated us to some great fights over the years when the shared the F1 track, the latter admitting the Finn was the rival he respected most.

Schumacher said: “Mika Häkkinen was the best opponent in terms of his quality, but the biggest admiration I had for him was we had 100% fight on track but a totally disciplined life off track. We respected each other highly.”

While many remember their fights when driving for Ferrari and McLaren, the rivalry started back in 1990 at the F3 Macau race, which ended with contact which Schumacher survived but Häkkinen didn’t.

Speaking exclusively to GrandPrix247, Häkkinen reflected on that race, he recalled: “Macau, of course, that was a sad race.

“There was a great prize money from the race if you win that race and it was a crazy, crazy type of race weekend because on Sunday there was a two races and they calculate it from those two races to calculate the points and that that gives you the overall result for the race and so I won the first heat. And Michael, I think was two to three seconds behind.

“So, for the second start to Michael Schumacher. He was able to overtake me after a few laps so only what I needed to do is to stay just behind him,” he added, “but I think [it] was the last lap when he made quite a massive mistake which gave me the opportunity to overtake him on a straight line.

“The mistake what he did was so big that way I had to overtake but when I did try to overtake him he looked at his mirror and when I tried to overtake it he turned the steering and I pressed him in the rear tyre so my race was over.

“So of course, I was disappointed team was disappointed lost a good prize money,” Häkkinen admitted.

Schumacher after that made his F1 debut in 1991 with Jordan where he qualified seventh announcing his arrival in top flight in style. His race did not last more that the first lap as he retired with a failed clutch.

After that, Benetton scooped Schumacher as the German started his full F1 career at the 1991 Italian Grand Prix, while Häkkinen started his full time career nine races earlier with Lotus at the 1991 American Grand Prix.

With Schumacher at Ferrari and Häkkinen at McLaren, the pair delivered one of the most intense rivalries in F1, but that great overtake the latter achieved in 2000 at Spa-Francorchamps at the end of the Kemmel straight remained as a highlight.

Häkkinen reflected: “Then Formula 1 you know we had some serious races together, Michael and I, and indeed in Spa we had a great race together that Michael was leading the Grand Prix.

“The last couple of laps he was still leading Grand Prix and I was second and I could create a great opportunity to overtake him even [when] he was pushing me on the grass couple of times when we’re going 200 miles per hour.

“So I had a quite a spectacular overtaking maneuver against him when driver called Ricardo Zonta was driving middle of the track on the straight line and Michael decided to overtake him on the left and I overtook on the right so this [was a] very spectacular situation in Grand Prix racing.

“I had a discussion with Michael quite often,” Häkkinen revealed. “Spa, of course I did discuss it with him because he was far too aggressive in the race because I was so much quicker, so it was not good to create that kind of danger situations.

“And Macau I do not think I went to see him, I don’t think he came to see me, he just had a feeling like this was a racing incident, Mika drove in my rear tyre and that’s it.