#Mika #Keke

F1 drivers at the Independence Day Reception, annually hosted at the Presidential Palace on 6th of December

Mika Häkkinen

Kimi Räikkönen

Keke Rosberg

Keke & Sina Rosberg sparked controversy in 1986 with Sina wearing a suit and bowtie not far from his husband's style; on the contrary to the style etiquette of women having to wear gowns at the time. They later disappeared from the ball, leaving quite early.

++BONUS:

Sebastian (in Finnish): "It was a good day. Where's my invitation to the Palace? I'm almost a Finnish man."

#Nico #Seb

Chinese Grand Prix 2016 cool-down room. everyone remembers the iconic seb blowing up at kyvat but before that he actually congratulates nico in german, needs to get his attention like 4 times. (there's also a longstanding belief that nico spoke in german in cooldown rooms only to mind game lewis, but it's actually seb who would start speaking to nico in german first)

rough translation because nico's voice is muffled and seb swallows half his words:

seb: (FOUR TIMES) nico, you won't be able to sleep tonight huh? - you won't be able to sleep tonight, 'cause you're so well rested - I said, you won't be able to sleep tonight, you're so well rested, it was so quiet up front/you were so untroubled up front...

nico: something was possible today lol

and then seb turns to kyvat to yell at him in English 😭😭 (and here's Nico's reaction)

Lewis and Jenson watch DC kiss Mika. Because that’s apparently a thing that new teammates do? Watch Ayrton & Alain cuddle & fight, and Mika & DC kiss. What exactly was the purpose of sitting Jenson and Lewis in front of this film, again….?

Anyway, Lewis’s opinion on them pre-kiss: “they look like lovers.” Jenson is busy laughing at how young DC looks, Lewis looks sort of… wistful? Or is that just my imagination?

This entire segment with them is gold, I love it.

(Sorry for the poor quality, I achieved this technical miracle by the hi-tech solution of holding up my phone to my TV.)

Mika talks about his rivalry with Mika Salo during the British F3 Series, 1990.

#Mika

Mika²

#Mika

Mika Hakkinen | 1994 Shell Passport ad [x]

#mika

Sporting rivalries: Michael Schumacher vs Mika Häkkinen

Ok but imagine racing each other from formula 3, rising through the ranks together to finally compete against their heroes, only to be the only two who witnessed Ayrton Senna's car spinning out to his death from their rearview mirrors as Imola 1994 forever became an intertwining bond between those that death seems to cheat.

Imagine going to compete for world championships together, breaking world records together, but still remaining the only competitor each other ever feared. Imagine having accepted their fate to always die on the track, mourning friends and peers who left them, leaving f1 irredeemably thankful for the lives they got to walk away with.

Imagine years later finding out about the accident, the comma, realising that maybe you two weren't the lucky ones anyway, and that perhaps it is the greater pain after all, to be the one left behind when the other is gone.

Michael Schumacher hanging out with Mika Häkkinen in their pre-F1 days

Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen standing on the podium of the 1994 Imola race that killed their childhood hero, Ayrton Senna

Mika Häkkinen comforting a crying Michael Schumacher, who was told that with his win that day he has equalled Ayrton Senna's all-time records

Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen celebrating their world championship wins together

After Michael Schumacher's decade-long comma inducing skiing accident, Mika Häkkinen wrote him a letter, asking him to keep fighting, and that he will wait for him for as long as he needs.

Their eternal Ferrari and McLaren racing through Spa, 2000.

#Mika

Young Mika*

#Makkinen

1994 Belgian Grand Prix