In the last episode of the Tom’s notes podcast series, Mika Häkkinen talks about the dark weekend in Imola and his own misfortune.
10:48•Updated 11:24
In the last episode of Tom’s notes podcast, which entertains the Finnish top names in motorsport, the guest is a two-time Formula One world champion Mika Hakkinen. Häkkinen was known on the racetracks as an unyielding, but fair racing partner. Hailing from Vantaa’s Martinlaakso, Häkkinen’s career had a difficult start, as after two years at Lotus he found himself as a test driver for McLaren.
– It was a conscious risk. It seemed not Ayrton Senna would continue with McLaren in the 1993 season, but when he decided to continue, I was the team’s test driver for almost the whole year. However, my confidence was at its peak, and when I finally got to the race in Estoril, I was faster than Senna in qualifying. In the race, however, the feet were quickly dropped to the ground, Häkkinen recalls.
The following year, Häkkinen drove the entire season as a race driver for McLaren, but the car was unable to compete due to the new Peugeot engine. There were constant technical problems, and Häkkinen could not match the speed of the front.
The 1994 Imola race weekend has gone down in history as one of the darkest in the sport.
– It was a shocking weekend when two drivers lost their lives in the same weekend. (Roland) Ratzenbetgerin after the death, however, the stable did its work, but of course everyone was pretty quiet. When Senna also died on Sunday, the atmosphere was really dark.
However, after Senna’s accident, the race continued as normal, and not everyone was aware of the seriousness of the situation. Won the race Michael SchumacherHäkkinen finished third.
– I was not told that Ayrton had passed away. I only found out about it before the podium, or even before the press conference (you switch to another service).
After the race, the events of the weekend hit Häkkinen really hard.
– When I got home to Monaco, I lit a candle in the evening to burn on the kitchen table. It was a really dark moment. You can’t change things, but you don’t have to accept them either. However, you just had to get up, because promotions and competitions were coming.
“The stern went under and I couldn’t do anything”
In the following season, Häkkinen had a violent accident himself. A run out at a speed of over two hundred in Adelaide, Australia was close to ending Häkkinen’s racing career.
– The air slowly left the rear tire, and you didn’t notice it right away. When I turned a corner, the rear went under and I couldn’t do anything. The car hit the guardrail at such an angle that I didn’t see the impact, and I didn’t have time to prepare for it.
After the hit, Häkkinen immediately noticed that all was not well. Somewhat surprisingly, Häkkinen remembers the hit and the following minutes clearly.
– I noticed that the legs did not move. I understood that now it was bad, even though there was no pain. There was just no way to move the legs.
– I thought, what the hell. I still remember that when a hole was put in my throat, when the oxygen didn’t pass, but then I lost consciousness.
Quick return to the tracks
Häkkinen woke up later in the hospital under strong medication.
– I was on such strong drugs that I didn’t understand everything. by Ron Dennis my wife came to visit and I thought she was an angel at first because she had blond hair.
The recovery was long, but Häkkinen returned to the tracks already in the opening race of the following season.
– During the recovery, racing did not cross my mind in any way. I just wanted to get well and out of the hospital.
Häkkinen got a new teammate for the next season by David Coulthard to join the McLaren team.
– David came to the team with a pretty tough attitude. I thought it was fine. I had just cracked my skull and I should still be able to do it, Häkkinen remembers the past now with a smile.
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