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He didn’t say much, but Mika Häkkinen’s talent spoke volumes as Formula 1’s ultimate flying Finn beat Michael Schumacher to the 1998 and 1999 titles. Häkkinen served his F1 apprenticeship at ailing Team Lotus before signing as a test driver for McLaren. When Michael Andretti’s campaign stalled in 1993, Häkkinen stepped in at Estoril – and promptly out-qualified team-mate Ayrton Senna. He nearly died in an awful practice crash in Adelaide two years later but showed incredible resilience to come back, and when Adrian Newey provided him with a top-line car in 1998, he found his wings. Schumacher always said Häkkinen was his greatest rival, and he was no pushover either. When the Ferrari put the McLaren on the grass at nearly 200mph at Spa in 2000, Häkkinen composed himself, then pulled off one of the great F1 passes on the next lap. Afterwards he had a quiet word… but didn’t make a fuss. That wasn’t his way.