Mika Pauli Häkkinen, nicknamed “The Flying Finn”, is a Finnish former racing driver. He was the 1998 and 1999 Formula One World Champion, driving for McLaren. He is one of three Formula One drivers from Finland to win the World Championship and is the only Finnish driver to win it more than once.
When did Hakkinen join McLean?
On September 28, 1968, five years after Mika Pauli Hakkinen was born, his parents arranged for him to test drive a go-kart at a track close to their house outside of Helsinki. Little Mika had a serious mishap on the first lap, but happily,
he was unharmed. His first, however, is not of his own anxiety, but rather the expression on his father’s face. Despite his rocky beginning, Mika persisted in pestering his parents, Harri and Aila, who work as secretaries and part-time taxi drivers, respectively, until they gave him his own go-kart. The entire family, including Mika’s sister Nina, participated in fun races as he improved as a karter. They created their own little team and traveled to various tracks.