Hakkinen - man of dignity, honor and character

[ozrevhead]

Originally posted by f1manoz
I don't if there is much more I can add to this as Suzy and Adam covered basically everything I would say!

I was always a fan of Mika from the beginning. He conducted himself like a gentleman, with honour and dignity.

He never got involved in cat-fights and name calling with other drivers. If he had problems, he talked them out or let his driving do the talking for him. Remember Austria 1999 when DC took him out? Did Mika chastise him to the press? No, Mika said nothing and the matter was handled in private.

Regarding press conferences, I always thought Mika was quite witty during them but most people didn't get his type of dry humour. It was a shame.

As for your ridiculous comment about Mika crying Inigo, well at least he showed he has emotions and not the 'ice man' everyone claims he was!

Mika, in my opinion, was the most talented and fastest driver on the grid for a long time, but never had machinery capable until late in his career. His championships were not tainted by labels of cheating, he was and still is loved by his team he worked for almost a decade and he is respected by all his peers and everyone concerned with Formula One.

Mika Hakkinen: A True Formula One Hero

I can't say more that what you or anyone else has said as everying is true. I am so jelouse of those who has met him - i would love to meet him. He is a very talented and fast driver but more importantly he is dignified and his is a true gentleman - no word to word shootout with other drivers and is greacous in defeat as well as victory! Everyone who drives an F1 car is corrageous but after surviving that crash in Adelaide 1995 to win the world champoinship twice was unbelevable and that was what made me become a mika fan for good!!

If he comes back - YAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! if he does not, im gonna miss him terribly!!!!

Mika is an and as you have said f1manoz, a true hero - a true sportsman!

[calais]

Originally posted by Inigo Montoya


No need to get defensive Bib. I'm Canadian, so I don't have the American patriarchal ideal of manhood (or whatever the heck you said I had). I was just pointing out one instance where Mika did not look all that dignified.

I know this thread is about Mika and not Michael. Just curious - did Michael breaking down and crying during the press conference after being asked if it meant anything to him that he had tied Senna with 41 wins make you like him more? Didn't think so.

I guess critisicm of drivers is only welcomed around here when they go by 3 letter acronyms.

as far as dignity and class go, you cant compare mika and TFG.
mika has it in spades
TFG has none!!
and never will!!

[Baby Spice]

Mmmm...anti-schumi, where? We are only talking about Mika, I would definitely like a thread like this so we can talk about him, i always want to know more about him as a person outside the car, I miss his best-line style.

[Suzy]

*Suzy is in millitant mode this morning*

Mika is an emotional person - but he's not the only one. I've seen Michael cry in public, Rubens cry in public, Badoer cry in public... is crying weak? Racing drivers have as much right as you and I to shed tears if something goes wrong. I cry from time to time when something has got me right down and I can't pick myself up - or if I've done something really stupid and there's no excuse for it. It makes me feel better. I try and do it in private - Mika thought he was in private - he had no idea that a helicopter and half the world's press corps were waiting there for him!

As for Monza in 1999: prior to that race, he had this reputation as an iceman totally devoid of emotions! Yet the minute he showed any emotion, he was stamped on by people who used it to claim he was a big baby! One year later at the same place, Michael wept and the same people who had kicked Mika a year earlier insisted that Michael was a hero! Ironically it wasn't the first time Mika had cried in public: he cried in the press office in Jerez 1997 and again on the podium in Australia 1998. Nobody mentions those do they? Or was Mika not important enough then for people to take any notice?

Without wanting to get into a long-winded psychologial analysis of anybody, it is considered better by all psychologists to vent your feelings at a particular time rather than bottle it up. If you keep on hiding your feelings then you will eventually "crack" - and that is what I suspect happened to Mika in Monza 1999 - something trivial (such as spinning off the track) was the final straw. I'm not suggesting that a temper tantrum in public is the way to go; go home and thump a pillow or something.

*Suzy now goes to thump her computer as she's fed up with this week*

[f1manoz]

Suzy, again you speak wonders

IMO Mika Hakkinen showing us his emotion at Monza 1999 was the pivotal moment of the season.

It's a pity some talk about it with such derision and talk about Mika as being less than a man. They are just ridiculous statements made by people who obviously don't know what makes up a real sportsman.

[Jukebox]

I have a very high degree of respect towards the flying finn...on track he was a formidable foe for TGF

[Red]

Now-now, the next generation is looking promising!


















PS:

Originally posted by liz
I have had my digs at Mika, (and he's certainly welcome to have his digs at me when I deserve them)

Brilliant.



PPS:

Originally posted by freud
offcourse Todt have an affection for Michael.. after all Michael literally 'hired' him

Huh?

[Inigo Montoya]

Originally posted by Baby Spice
Mmmm...anti-schumi, where?

Uhmm, only about 97% of the active threads on the forum.

As for your ridiculous comment about Mika crying Inigo, well at least he showed he has emotions and not the 'ice man' everyone claims he was!

Yes, but as I pointed out, this only counts when its Mika, and not when its Michael... Personally, I don't think either of them looked particularly dignified at the time.

I'd love to see Mika back because he is a great driver (possibly even faster than TGF over a single lap) and not because he's "dignified" and "of high moral character" or any of that bs.

99% of us have not even met the guy (suzy excluded) and can know what he is really like. So we are left to judge whether he is dignified based on his conduct in interviews and on the track. I think we can all agree that his interviews told us nothing, and I pointed out an instance where he definitely did not act with dignity.

IMHO, they are all overpaid crybabies.

[f1manoz]

Just a point, Inigo, I never actually said ANYTHING about TGF in my post.

And as for TGF at Monza 2000, I did believe it because I believe it was an outlet after all the frustration he had suffered, plus to be told he had just equalled Sennas achievement, his idol, would have just caused those tears.

[Airhead]

Yes Mika did have it all. The speed, above all the speed. Out qualifying Senna in his first appearance for the team. Surviving Adelaide. Never uttering a poor word on a fellow competitor in public, never, never acting petulent and snearing at his colleagues.

Makes you wonder who got short changed doesn't it?

Probably us the punters stuck with Michael the Magnificant. The champion for those of us who are clinically dead.

[JPBeltoise]

Originally posted by mac
My lasting memory of Mika will be Indy 2001,...

I remember watching Mika decline to spray his champagne after having won the 2001 US Grand Prix, saving it instead to give to his mechancics, who were gathered beneath the podium. That moment proved, if there was any doubt, that Mika is a very classy guy. And I do miss his press conferences. Remember how gracious he was when Schumi won the title in 2000, and Mika said something to the effect that he had already won it a couple of times, so it was time for someone else to have it? So, although I hope he *doesn't* return to competetive driving at this point (I think he's following Jackie Stewart's example of knowing when to stop), the sport isn't the same without him.

[mjstallard]

I like the way that Hugo has an old school Mika haircut. You can just tell that he is gonna be racing one day...

[DNQ]

I have four heros:

Angus Young
Wayne Bennett
John Lennon
Mika Hakkinen

[Tristan]

All this "Mika as a hero".... but he's so DULL!! And he was dreadful last year.

It's just my opinion, but any "hero" of mine has some vestiges of a personality left. Irvine, for example (go on!! LAUGH!!! I don't care !! )

[Inigo Montoya]

Originally posted by Tristan
All this "Mika as a hero".... but he's so DULL!! And he was dreadful last year.

***APPLAUSE***

[koby]

overtaking Michael at Spa 2000 was breathtaking - press conference afterwards where he trapped Michael into admitting he was "blocking" was equally skillfull.

Finland probably has the best driving talent pool in the world per head of population - lets hope there is another Hakkinen in F1 sooner rather than later.

[Kex]

Hakkinen's quite a funny guy really. I don't think he'll be returning to F1 though.

[Adam43]

I suppose Irvine is a character. But Mika has character.

And Irvine is dreadfull every year

Mika could see he wasn't driving to his normal high standard so decided to take a break. He could have stayed at McClaren and tooled around for another year collecting his pay-cheque.

[f1manoz]

People who think Mika is dull obviously don't know much about character referencing because I find him quite amusing even in press conferences. Very witty man and someone I would love to have over for dinner or drinks.

[Suzy]

I invited him to dinner once after a test session... he smiled, winked at me - and then started telling everybody within earshot that "she doesn't hang about does she"?. I nearly died of embarrassment I desperately tried to salvage the situation by saying "I said DINNER Mika!" to which he just smiled and said "oh, DINNER!. I thought you were keen"!

He never did come to dinner though...

[Inigo Montoya]

"They are just ridiculous statements made by people who obviously don't know what makes up a real sportsman"

and

"People who think Mika is dull obviously don't know much about character "

F1manoz - is this really necessary? Instead of making judgements about what people who post their opinions do and don't know, why not just accept that some don't have the same opinion as you?

[mjstallard]

I always looked forward to Mika's press conferences...the wonderful, dry subtlety of his humour was, simply, ace. I like this sound file:

http://www.fortunecity.com/olympia/t...7/presscon.wav

I don't get how people don't see his humour...each to their own I 'spose.

I do hope we get to see more of him in F1, in one form or another...it's a poorer place without him.

[ljakse]

As some of you know, I'll become a father in app 5 months. I don't know (don't want to) if it's a boy or a girl. However, my 'woman' and me are discussing names for our child. If it's a girl we've come to an agreement, but if it's a boy, well, there is an ongoing war. She don't want to here about it, and I want name my son (guess?) Mika.

Do I need to say anything more about my opinion on him?


P.S. Suzy, if I wasn't spoken for, I would have ask you to marry me after those comments on Mika

[Y! da Man!]

hey freud...

where did u see the monaco pics??....i just saw a couple...know anyplace where id get some more??..


MIKA RULES!

[Kex]

I'm sure Mika would be "super-disappointed*" to see some of these comments about him.


*quote, post-race interview, Spain '01