Hyperfixation Corner: A Special  | Oops!… They Did It Again - The Friendship Of Jenson Button And

#Prosenna

This photo needs to be resurrected, it’s screaming ‘our get along shirt’ energy and I’m living for it

and then we have this pose

#Mika

hi could you explain to us why michael... obeyed mikka?? lol like young michael wouldn't be afraid to annoy the other drivers but with mikka he was always reserved

fsdjgfds okay so not to psychoanalyze a celebrity but. The thing to understand about michael - and this is key to everything - is that he had an absolutely rigid, unbreakable separation in his mind between the track and his personal life. Like to Michael, as soon as he was in the car that was another person with another goal, and I think Mika was the only person who ever really understood this and changed his approach accordingly to get Michael's respect in both areas. I think there are 3 main reasons Michael was more inclined to listen to Mika.

1- Damon Hill once said that Michael simply didn't understand that other people couldn't do what he did. To him, it was the other drivers' fault that they couldn't keep up with him and weren't prepared to push the limit as far as he was. To him, what he could do was normal and the other drivers were just not trying hard enough. So he didn't respect them and treated them accordingly on track. Mika understood that you had to take the fight to Michael, and he was one of only a handful of drivers who COULD take the fight to Michael. So you get moments like Spa 2000, where Michael is driving dirty and Mika - instead of backing down and cursing him like the others - reinvents the fucking overtake, picks the PRECISE spot where he can catch Michael out, and doesn't let Zonta or ANYTHING stop him. Michael loves racing for racing's sake, it's his passion. So he's not angry that Mika just HUMILIATED HIM. He's impressed, he's grinning through the podium and press, and he respects Mika for it. So when Mika tells him "don't do that again" about the defending Michael just did to him, Michael doesn't do that again. (To him anyway.) Because he knows Mika will just put his head down and counter it. It won't work.

2- When Michael bullied other drivers on track they were - understandably, rightly - furious with him off track. They talked shit about him in the press, they argued with him and each other about it. To Michael, this didn't make sense. Racing was not reality, and them holding grudges against him for things he did in the car made him lose respect for them. It also made him less inclined to actually patch things up, so their relationships only deteroriated and he cared even less what they had to say about his driving. Mika, on the other hand, arguably hated the press even more than Michael. He said the bare minimum to them. He was there to race, not talk to a camera. So he never talked shit to the press about Michael because... why? Why bother? If he had a problem he took it straight to Michael. So off track Michael also gained respect for Mika - and vice versa I think - because they let each other live in peace as soon as the helmet came off.

3- Just. The sheer amount of history he had with Mika compared to other drivers. They went way back. Mika was arguably one of the first drivers to get a taste of Michael's outrageous defending ruining his entire day. They were friendly WAY before they were actually racing each other on a regular basis. When Mika had his horrible accident and almost died - before they were even anything approaching Iconic Rivals - Michael visited him in the hospital very quickly, and Mika returned the favour when Michael had his worst crash at Silverstone. I think Michael, for all he expected others to rigidly separate the personal life and the track, sometimes slipped up himself. Defending too hard at Monza in 2011 because he was in front of the *tifosi* comes to mind. And I think his personal history with Mika, plus the massive reminder of Mika's mortality he received during their careers because of Mika's big crash, made him marginally more careful with Mika than he was with other drivers.

But then this is all speculation and me guessing really. It could have been as simple as Mika's bluntness got through to Michael sdhsfdhgfsd.

Jenson is literally the capybara of the 00s-10s F1 they put that man with the most mentally unhinged competitors and teammates and he was chill. He was like the dogs they give to cheetahs in zoos to calm them down except it was him, one dog, and 22 cheetahs.

#Simi

#Mika

MIKA HÄKKINEN, 1994

[20th August 2023] Mika Häkkinen talks to Sport1.de about McLaren's factory tours, his history with Michael Schumacher, how it is for young drivers getting into F1, and his daughter, Ella, following in his footsteps

(German⇢English)

Sport1.de: Mr Häkkinen, we meet here in the McLaren factory in Woking, near London. Are you often here (on site)?"

Yes, I am an ambassador for my former team that I was able to win both of my World Championships with. I even have my own office in the motorhome at every racetrack. Today I'm in Woking because McLaren is introducing a project, one that I fully support. Formula 1 has to take better care of fans worldwide and open up more. This includes offering the fans - who in the end, as Bernie Ecclestone always said, pay our salaries - the opportunity to get a look behind the scenes of a Formula 1 factory. We have now started that.

What is so special (about the tours offered of the McLaren F1 factory)? And will fans also meet you on the tour?

That depends on my diary, but it's possible in principle. I think the idea is brilliant. Others should follow suit. The special thing about Formula 1 is the technology, but also the professionalism in building cars, and the business. The McLaren factory is a high-tech work of art, a workplace that motivates [people] at the highest level. Many more people should get to see this, to learn from it for themselves.

When you stand in front of both of your World Championship-winning cars from 1998 and 1999: what do you think of?

The car was brilliant for the circumstances at the time. In fast corners it virtually screamed "more, more, more" - it helped me to beat even Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari.

Oh yes! Tell us about your battles with Schumacher.

We have a long history together. We were already racing against each other in karts at 14 [years old]. Our somewhat humorous rivalry began then. In a race in German Formula 3, I defeated him as a guest entrant - he didn't like that at all. Nevertheless, we had wonderful battles. He was quite a tough opponent, never left much space, always defended extremely hard. There are so many things that I admired about him. The most important: he never gave up [or "never let up"]. 'Surrender' simply was not in his vocabulary. I hope that this quality helps him now as well.

Were you sometimes also angry at him?

Sometimes? Often! For example in 2000 in Spa, when he pushed me onto the grass at a speed of 300 [kph]. At the time I said to him that he should use his common sense. At these speeds, it's life-and-death. He just tilted his head and looked at me questioningly. For him, that was racing. That made him the best of us, in the end. Michael was, as well as having great natural talent, someone who worked unbelievably hard, was mentally very strong and was also very clever. He knew very well what he wanted and he also said it very directly. For the people at the top today, it's very much exactly the same: victories don't come by chance. They are the result of hard work. Yet another thing that Michael was particularly good at: he succeeded at finding the right people for him. It's first and foremost about the people, not about the car. The people are the most important thing.

Which moment in your battles with Michael Schumacher do you particularly remember?

The ones where I saw him in my rearview mirror. Those were the best of all... (laughs)

In Germany you were always very popular, unlike many other opponents of Schumacher - because you were considered the "Gentleman"...

I believe that everything comes around - everything that you do, comes back to you. And so out of that an image just forms.

Michael's son Mick has now lost his seat in Formula 1 - how do you assess his situation?

It's generally very difficult these days for young drivers. Before, in my time, there were many more tests and the drivers had time to develop [or "improve themselves"] there, technically, in co-operation with the team. Today there's practically no more tests; at most you sit in the simulator and are judged following that. It is very hard for the young drivers to show that they are improving, truly getting good. You have to actually bring together all the different aspects at once [or "first off"]. When I came to McLaren, the team gave me time to develop. Today you have to have success straight away. If you don't, you're out... That's why in my opinion the people that you work with are also so important for the future.

Do you have any advice for Mick, for how he could come back?

Brake later, step on the gas earlier! (laughs)

Your son Hugo also once drove karts - why did he stop?

Hugo drove for six years, but then somehow [or "for whatever reason"] he felt it was too stressful. School, driving - for him they didn't fit together anymore. Perhaps I would also do some things differently, if he were to start again now. But now my 12-year-old daughter, Ella, is driving, as is my 9-year-old son, Daniel. She is very talented, really special, has a lot of [or "so, so much"] power...

Your daughter... would you like her to follow in your footsteps and make it to Formula 1?

I have to be really careful with what I say now, so I don't build up any pressure there. But motorsport today looks for women, wants women. And she loves racing so much. That's why I support her as well as I can. To one day make it into Formula 1 is naturally a very difficult journey. If she wants to get there, then she has to do everything for that [or "give everything to it"], has to work very hard. Then she can do it. Of course I have experience with how you have to prepare for everything up to that point, with how you win World Championships. I could help her to a certain degree. But we obviously have to see how she develops.

(Notes on translation, original answers (in German) and source below the cut)

The source is an interview (x) published by the German sports news website Sport1.de. The original text of the interview is below. The translation is mine so forgive any errors or clunkiness. Concerning accuracy; I generally went for meaning instead of word-for-word, but I tried to preserve the way that he expressed things. Also I'm not sure if he answered the questions in German, or if Sport1 translated an interview that was conducted in English (there are some details that make me think it is a translation from English, but I can't find any original English answers if they exist). All this to say don't draw detailed conclusions from the exact word choices.

Specific notes: - 'schaffen' (which is the verb used in "then she can do it") has multiple slightly different meanings. It would make sense to also translate this sentence as "then she can make it" or "then she can achieve it". Since this is a central quote I thought I should offer the alternatives. - 'großartig' (the adjective used in "we had wonderful battles") can also be translated as magnificent, great, terrific, etc.

Original German text:

Herr Häkkinen, wir treffen uns hier in der McLaren-Fabrik in Woking nahe von London. Sind Sie öfters vor Ort?

"Ja, ich bin Botschafter meines ehemaligen Teams, mit dem ich 1998 und 1999 meine beiden WM-Titel gewinnen konnte. Ich habe sogar ein eigenes Büro im Motorhome an jeder Rennstrecke. Heute bin ich in Woking, weil McLaren gerade ein Projekt vorstellt, dass ich voll unterstütze. Die Formel 1 muss sich noch mehr um die Fans weltweit kümmern und sich mehr öffnen. Dazu gehört auch, den Fans, von denen Bernie Ecclestone immer gesagt hat, dass sie am Ende unser Gehalt bezahlen, die Möglichkeit zu bietet, einen Blick hinter die Kulissen einer Formel-1-Fabrik werfen zu dürfen. Damit haben wir jetzt angefangen."

Sie reden von der Zusammenarbeit mit dem deutschen Reise-Startup GetYourGuide. Bei dieser Berliner Firma kann man jetzt eine Tour durch McLarens Formel-1-Fabrik buchen und unter anderem auch Ihre Weltmeister-Autos betrachten. Was ist so besonders daran. Und: Werden die Fans auch Sie bei der Tour treffen?

"Das hängt von meinem Terminkalender ab, aber grundsätzlich ist es möglich. Ich finde die Idee brillant. Andere sollten ihr folgen. Das Besondere an der Formel 1 ist ja auch die Technik, die Professionalität beim Bau der Autos, das Business. Die McLaren-Fabrik ist ein Hightech-Kunstwerk, ein Arbeitsplatz, der auf höchster Ebene motiviert. Das sollten viel mehr Menschen zu Gesicht bekommen, auch um davon für sich selbst zu lernen."

Wenn Sie vor ihren beiden WM-Autos von 1998 und 1999 stehen: Was denken Sie dann?

"Das Auto war für damalige Verhältnisse brillant. In schnellen Kurven schrie es quasi „mehr, mehr, mehr“ und hat mir so geholfen, sogar Michael Schumacher im Ferrari zu besiegen."

Genau! Die Fans, besonders die aus Deutschland, werden Sie dann auch nach Ihren legendären Duellen mit Michael Schumacher fragen. Was werden Sie ihnen, etwas über 20 Jahre später antworten? Erzählen Sie von Ihrem Duell gegen Schumacher!

"Wir haben eine lange Historie zusammen. Wir fuhren ja schon mit 14 gegeneinander Kart. Unsere irgendwie lustige Rivalität begann schon damals. Bei einem Rennen der deutschen Formel 3 habe ich ihn als Gaststarter mal besiegt. Das gefiel ihm gar nicht. Trotzdem hatten wir großartige Duelle. Er war ein ziemlich harter Gegner, hat nie viel Raum gelassen, immer extrem hart verteidigt. Es gibt so viele Aspekte, die ich an ihm bewundert habe. Der Wichtigste: Er ließ nie locker. Aufgeben gehörte einfach nicht zu seinem Wortschatz. Ich hoffe, dass ihm diese Eigenschaft auch heute hilft."

Waren Sie manchmal auch sauer auf ihn?

"Manchmal? Oft! Zum Beispiel im Jahr 2000 in Spa, als er mich bei Tempo 300 aufs Gras drückte. Damals sagte ich ihm, er solle mal seinen gesunden Menschenverstand benutzen. Bei diesem Tempo geht es doch um Leben und Tod. Er legte nur den Kopf zur Seite und schaute mich fragend an. Für ihn war das Racing. Das machte ihn am Ende zum Besten von uns. Michael war neben dem großen Naturtalent jemand, der unglaublich hart gearbeitet hat, mental sehr stark war und auch noch sehr clever. Er wusste ganz genau, was er wollte und er hat das auch sehr direkt gesagt. Für die Leute, die heute an der Spitze stehen, ist es ja ganz genau so: Siege kommen nicht von ungefähr. Sie sind das Ergebnis harter Arbeit. Noch ein Punkt, in dem Michael besonders gut war: Er hat es geschafft, die richtigen Leute für sich zu finden. Es geht in erster Linie nicht um das Auto, es geht um die Leute. Die sind das Wichtigste."

An welche Momente in ihren Duellen mit Michael Schumacher erinnern Sie sich besonders?

"An die, in denen ich ihn in meinem Rückspiegel gesehen habe. Das waren die allerbesten... (lacht)"

In Deutschland waren Sie im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Schumacher-Gegnern immer sehr beliebt – gerade, weil Sie als der „Gentleman“ galten...

"Ich glaube, alles dreht sich – alles was man tut, kommt zu einem zurück. Und so bildet sich eben ein Image heraus."

Michaels Sohn Mick hat jetzt seinen Platz in der Formel 1 verloren – wie schätzen Sie seine Situation ein?

"Es ist für junge Fahrer heute generell sehr schwer. Früher, zu meiner Zeit, da gab es noch viel mehr Tests, da hatten die Fahrer Zeit, sich zu entwickeln, technisch, in der Zusammenarbeit mit dem Team. Heute gibt es praktisch keine Tests mehr, man sitzt höchstens noch im Simulator und wird danach beurteilt. Es ist sehr schwierig für die jungen Fahrer zu zeigen, dass sie sich entwickeln, wirklich gut werden. Man muss ja eigentlich erst einmal die ganzen unterschiedlichen Aspekte zusammenbringen. Als ich zu McLaren kam, hat das Team mir Zeit gegeben, mich zu entwickeln. Heute musst du auf Anhieb Erfolg haben. Wenn nicht, bist du raus... Deshalb ist es meiner Meinung nach eben auch für die Zukunft so wichtig, mit welchen Leuten man zusammen arbeitet."

Haben Sie irgendeinen Rat an Mick, wie er zurückkommen könnte?

"Später bremsen, früher Gas geben... (lacht)."

Ihr Sohn Hugo ist ja auch einmal Kart gefahren – warum hat er eigentlich aufgehört?

"Hugo ist sechs Jahre gefahren, aber irgendwie hat er es dann als zu stressig empfunden. Die Schule, das Fahren – für ihn hat das nicht mehr zusammen gepasst. Wenn er heute noch einmal anfangen würde, dann würde ich vielleicht auch einige Dinge anders machen. Aber jetzt fährt ja meine 12-jährige Tochter Ella, genauso wie mein 9-jähriger Sohn Daniel. Sie ist sehr talentiert, wirklich speziell, hat sehr, sehr viel Power."

Ihre Tochter hat sich Ihre Weltmeister-Silberpfeile von 1998 und 1999 hier sicher auch schon angeschaut. Würden Sie sich wünschen, dass sie in Ihre Fußstapfen tritt und in die Formel 1 kommt?

"Ich muss da sehr vorsichtig sein, was ich jetzt sage, damit ich da keinen Druck aufbaue. Aber der Rennsport heute sucht Frauen, will Frauen. Und sie liebt den Rennsport extrem. Deshalb unterstütze ich sie, so gut ich kann. Es eines Tages bis in die Formel 1 zu schaffen ist natürlich ein sehr harter Weg. Wenn sie hierher kommen will, dann muss sie alles dafür tun, muss sehr hart arbeiten. Dann kann sie es schaffen. Sicher habe ich Erfahrung, wie man sich auf alles vorbereiten muss, bis dahin, wie man Weltmeisterschaften gewinnt. Ich könnte ihr also schon bis zu einem gewissen Grad helfen. Aber man muss natürlich sehen, wie sie sich entwickelt..."

#Mika

Mika Hakkinen | 1994 Shell Passport ad [x]

for mark

thank u, next

just three gays guys when they were young 🫶

makkinen

Keep ur war crime committing husband and chaos meow meow son in check