Hakkinen - man of dignity, honor and character

freud · 23 May 2002, 16:36 (Ref:293724)

Mclaren invited Mika Hakkinen to join the team for Monaco Grand Prix and looking at the photographs of Mika with Ron Dennis, Norbert Haug, David Coulthard and Kimi Raikonnen it is evident that Mika has tremendous respect among the people at Mclaren. And when I say 'respect' its genuine respect. Its the feeling that this guy has 'character'. Unlike Michael, Mika competed with his teammate and won two titles which, in my humble opinion, mean much more than combined 5 titles of Michael (4 of which have been won with help as Herbert puts it). Its not 'my' opinion but opinion of racers like Martin Brundle, Damon Hill, Heinz herald Frentzen and John Alesi that Mika is the most talented driver to hit f1 in past decade and is without doubt fastest when it comes to raw speed.

Mika is a man of character, honor and dignity. I think that's what makes him such a unique driver. Without doubt if Ferrari ever needed a driver this moment to boost their image, its Mika Hakkinen.

EERO · 23 May 2002, 16:45 (Ref:293734)

wouldja look at that pudgey little face...

I meant Hugo, Moffat.

Glen · 23 May 2002, 16:45 (Ref:293735)

Fraud

Is there any story that you cannot give a tortured, anti-Schumi, spin?

Tristan · 23 May 2002, 16:47 (Ref:293737)

Character?? Right-oh.

**Adam43** · 23 May 2002, 16:48 (Ref:293739)

**Adam43** · 23 May 2002, 16:56 (Ref:293748)

I think he had character. A bloody good one at that.

It was a character that felt that he didn't have to have an opinion on everything and shout his views all over the paddock. But that meant when he did say something it was all the more important. Just because someone doesn't talk incessant rubbish does not mean they lack character!

He also didn't moan. For instance he never criticised Michael when others did. When he stopped enjoying F1 he dealt with it well, I thought. A man that knows his own mind.

He could also deal with stupid press conference questions better than all the others! Mainly with a short answer and a wry grin.

From what I've written it sounds like he's dead! Is this what not being in F1 does for you!

freud · 23 May 2002, 16:59 (Ref:293751)

Watching Hugo carrying the handle of Mclaren Mercedes is a joy to watch. I am sure he will be following his father's footsteps. Notice the expressions of Ron Dennis and Norbert Haug... how much they love Mika Hakkinen and his family. I think its really a big tribute to Mika Hakkinen. I have noticed the looks of Ross Brawn and Jean Todt when they are with Michael.... its like they are thinking 'We know what you really are.. we created you'. Michael might have a lot of fans since he is driving a Ferrari and Tifosi would favor a monkey driving a Ferrari. .. big deal?

Glen... please dont lose your mind. Its not a spin, its a point of view. I know you will put a spin into everything to try to prove how good Michael is but DO YOU HAVE GENUINE RESPECT FOR MICHAEL? Think about it!

EERO · 23 May 2002, 17:12 (Ref:293755)

All sillieness aside. I do miss him and I think that he is a truely wonderful guy. I also know that lurking beneath that dour facade, is a wry and funny man. I cannot wait to read the Memoires.

For now, he looks rested and happy, and I also think he seems to have added a little weight, which might be an indicator about whether he will ever be back in an F1.

Glen · 23 May 2002, 17:19 (Ref:293764)

Fraud

Lose my mind? Take a lot more than you got.

I don't try and prove how ood Michael is - the facts speak for themselves.

freud · 23 May 2002, 17:29 (Ref:293770)

Gosh, I wish there was a magic pill that could've relaxed U.

EERO sums it up... I only add that I hope Mika decides to make a comeback. He's much more talented than anyone else on the grid right now and surely if the Macs are fast in 2003 he'll prove his worth.

Mr V · 23 May 2002, 17:47 (Ref:293779)

i think the toads affections for tgf are as genuine as ron's for mika,but for different reasons, ron's because he "nutrtured" mika into the driver he became, and also because of the accident in Adelaide '95. toads for the fact that tgf has brought him and ferrari success that they were employed to do!

freud · 23 May 2002, 17:51 (Ref:293789)

offcourse Toad have an affection for Michael.. after all Michael literally 'hired' him

freud · 23 May 2002, 17:53 (Ref:293792)

Lovely!

Suzy · 23 May 2002, 18:06 (Ref:293824)

*Suzy goes into overdrive and into a very long-winded Mika-defence mode*

Listen folks: I've had encounters with Mika many times over the last few years and let me tell you all that he has character oozing out of him. It may not show in front of the cameras but away from the media he is one of the most relaxed guys on earth. He jokes around, he chats openly and he's honest. My first meeting with him was arranged for me after I'd tried to meet him for 7 years (in the end somebody took me to the McLaren motorhome to see him). After that, he always took the time to come and chat to me if we saw each other in the paddock; he knew my name and that means a lot. I don't think either of us realised that we'd be seeing a LOT more of each other during the coming years...:blush:

As for McLaren: they do think he's wonderful. He's always got on well with all his mechanics and engineers as well as the McLaren hierarchy and it is reciprocal. Yes, Ron does love Mika dearly (I do too!) and this is something that was evident prior to Mika's 1995 accident. Why? Why shouldn't Ron see Mika as an additional member of his family - an adopted son? I'm quite sure that everybody has friends who are regarded as "family" in some way or another and colleagues to whom they are particularly close.
It's a personal thing that goes way beyond racing. I'm not going to bash Michael as this is not his fault, but my feeling about the relationship between Michael and the Ferrari hierarchy is that they love Michael because he wins races. When he broke his leg, all they were concerned about was getting him back into the car at the earliest opportunity - hence the stories about the Ferrari being fitted with an accelerator that could be controlled by hand so he wouldn't have to use his leg!

But, when Mika was in hospital, driving was the least of Ron's worries. Firstly, would Mika live? Secondly, will he be brain-damaged? Thirdly, will he ever walk again? Fourthly, are there any internal injuries? Fifth, how many operations is he going to require - and where? The prospect of Mika actually getting behind the wheel of a car again was not mentioned until Professor Watkins gave Mika the all-clear to race in late-January 1996.

Mika is a great loss to Formula One where off-track antics are regarded as part-and-parcel of a driver's ability. He has the utmost respect for all drivers - if he's ever had a problem with one, he chats to them quietly rather than sound off in public. Remember Spa 2000 when he and Michael got rather "close" at 200mph? What happened in parc ferme: Mika took Michael aside to have a quiet chat - and covered his mouth with his hand so that no cameras could lipread what he was saying! As for Michael: he took it all in, nodded in agreement and no more was said on the matter by either of them.

Will he make a comeback? I don't know the answer to that. I can only go by what I know of Mika and I suspect he will be back - but as a test driver/consultant for the team. I've been saying it for ages (I know I'm like a broken record on this subject) but I do think it will give him the chance to continue driving cars but without the hassle of competing.

Here endeth my sermon

*Suzy now quits Mika-defence mode and collapses with exhaustion and sore fingers*

Inigo Montoya · 23 May 2002, 19:08 (Ref:293910)

How dignified did he look when he cried like a baby in the bushes in Monza a few years back? <ducks for cover from blows by Suzy>

downforce · 23 May 2002, 19:46 (Ref:293938)

"Remember Spa 2000 when he and Michael got rather "close" at 200mph? What happened in parc ferme: Mika took Michael aside to have a quiet chat - and covered his mouth with his hand so that no cameras could lipread what he was saying! As for Michael: he took it all in, nodded in agreement and no more was said on the matter by either of them."- Suzy

Yep, one of my fav memories of '00.

Miss Hardt · 23 May 2002, 21:03 (Ref:294054)

He's just great.I didn't like him when he started winning because I thought he's just another guy who will keep on winning but 1999 made me change my mind!He's great!

Bibendum · 23 May 2002, 22:57 (Ref:294169)

I liked Mika more, rather than less, for (as Inigo puts it) "crying in the bushes." He made a mistake, his frustration was palpable, he betrayed emotion. Horrors! And every time I have seen Mika speak, I've thought what a really hilarious man he must be, far smarter in a verbal sense (which, um, tends to be the one I favour) than any other driver I can think of at present, and how fascinating it would be to sit down and talk with him. Dignity, Inigo, does not consist in being a wooden carving, whatever the sad, blinkered, American patriarchal version of 'manhood' might suggest; nor does it mean being pompous and self-regarding, unbending, unable to admit a mistake. What it does mean -- if you ask me, which of course you didn't! -- having a sense of self which enables you to treat other people with respect, humility and intelligence. And a bunch of other stuff I'm too busy to type right now, but that's a good start.

Liz · 23 May 2002, 23:13 (Ref:294179)

I have had my digs at Mika, (and he's certainly welcome to have his digs at me when I deserve them) but I agree wholeheartedly that the man has dignity, courage, a quiet sense of humour and an obvious drive to spare himself nothing in the pursuit of what he considers his highest good. And whether that decision puts him behind the wheel of the McLaren or behind Hugo's pram, it is his decision and he is man enough to stick to it as long as he thinks it is right.

I have the feeling Mika is the Mouse That Roared; when HE has occasion to get emphatic with someone, THEY are the ones who back down.

Finally, I would add that Hugo will never have occasion to look at a film of his father being jeered and booed by millions of people ... because even at Monza 1999 when some of us took a rather unkind view of Mika's sobbing in the bushes, we all cheered him as he walked past our grandstand and we genuinely meant it.

A man that any woman and any child or children can be proud to stand beside, and you can see in the faces of his wife and his child that they agree. You could ask no higher tribute than that.

mac · 23 May 2002, 23:21 (Ref:294183)

I think the relationship between Schu and Mika really shows the respect with which Mika is held. The fact that Mika always respected Michael no matter what he did. Also, that he was one of the only guys in the field that Schumacher truly respected. Hakkinen was one guy who Schu (and most other drivers) would never criticize.

My lasting memory of Mika will be Indy 2001, and THAT pass on Schu at Spa.

Tristan · 24 May 2002, 00:24 (Ref:294236)

My views: Yes, he was/is a very good driver. He isn't in the same league as Schumacher. He is the most boring man in the world. He isn't as great as everyone says, but then he's better than DC. Last year he went downhill in my estimations of him. And he is very boring.

Inigo Montoya · 24 May 2002, 00:47 (Ref:294249)

Quote:

Originally posted by Bibendum
I liked Mika more, rather than less, for (as Inigo puts it) "crying in the bushes." He made a mistake, his frustration was palpable, he betrayed emotion. Horrors!

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.

Liz · 24 May 2002, 03:39 (Ref:294318)

I didn't think TGF was sincere. I thought he was overtired. I'm not in the habit of liking people better because they are overtired.

Inigo Montoya · 24 May 2002, 03:49 (Ref:294326)

Ah yes, but even if he was overtired, as you claim, wasn't he just showing his "soft side", the one that is contrary to the American patriarchal image of blah blah blah...

So you didn't like him more for crying. I thought so..

f1manoz · 24 May 2002, 04:42 (Ref:294349)

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

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