Mika Häkkinen

Finnish racing driver

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Mika Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver who competed professionally in motorsport. He is notable for his achievements in high-level racing competition, particularly in Formula One where he won multiple world championships.

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Mika Pauli Häkkinen ( Finnish pronunciation: [ˈmikɑ ˈhækːinen]; born 28 September 1968) is a Finnish former racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1991 to 2001. Nicknamed "the Flying Finn", Häkkinen won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in 1998 and 1999 with McLaren, and won 20 Grands Prix across 11 seasons.

Born and raised in Vantaa, Häkkinen began his career in karting aged five, winning several regional and national championships before graduating to junior formulae in 1987. A protégé of 1982 World Drivers' Champion Keke Rosberg, Häkkinen won his first title in Nordic Formula Ford before winning the 1990 British Formula Three Championship with West Surrey Racing. A member of the Marlboro driver academy, Häkkinen signed for Lotus in 1991, making his Formula One debut at the United States Grand Prix. After two seasons with limited success, Häkkinen moved to McLaren as a test driver in 1993, replacing Michael Andretti for the final three rounds of the season to partner Ayrton Senna; he achieved his maiden podium at the Japanese Grand Prix.