When we are talking about amazing racers, history will provide many duels that were noteworthy. Naturally, there were Prost vs. Senna races, Hunt and Lauda clashes, and even modern Hamilton and Vettel duels. However, among them all, the rivalry between champions and amazing drivers such as Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher caused many to pick sides, spark debates, and even argue over the topic. The question is, was it the greatest rivalry in F1 history?
The Best Drivers of Late 90s and Early 2000s
F1 always provided top-notch entertainment, with races being very dynamic and packed with adrenaline. This spectacle was a niche for sports enthusiasts, similar to the fantasy sports that can be found at www.promoguy.us today. And things were very different then, as the quality of drivers was extremely high, and the vehicles didn’t provide a huge advantage. Thanks to that, it all went down to the skills of the drivers. And when you look at the names, it is impossible to comprehend how only three of them were at the podium.
We had another big rivalry, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, which ended with a tragic crash of the Brazilian racer. Besides them, there were champions such as Jacques Villeneuve, Damon Hill, and Nigel Mansell. Great names, and legendary drivers of the sport. And they were competing with amazingly talented opponents such as Jean Alesi, Nelson Piquet, and Heinz-Harold Frentzen. And then, in 1998, everything changed, as the following seven championships were won by two drivers – Schumacher and Hakkinen.
Even though they always had great respect when talking about each other, there was fire when they met at Grand Prix’s. The Finnish driver was crowned champion two times in a row, in 1998 and 1999. After that, we saw an unbelievable and record setting consecutive streak of five season wins by the legendary Schumi. Keeping in mind that the German won the titles in 1994 and 1995, we realize that these two names are on top of 9 out of 11 seasons, with only Villeneuve and Hill who managed to get in there between them.
Rivalry During the Years
With two champions such as Schumacher and Hakkinen surely were, we had intense clashes and amazing duels. It is a shame that their rivalry lasted only for three years due to Mika’s retirement, as he wanted to spend more time with his family. It was often considered that the Finnish racer was the only one that sparked fear in Michael Schumacher. They both debuted in 1991 in F1, but the peak of their rivalry occurred seven years later. In the first Hakkinen’s championship victory, they were neck to neck in races won. And in the second successful campaign for Mika, Schumacher had bad luck, as he crashed during the British Grand Prix. The crash resulted in a broken leg, therefore Michael missed 6 races in that season.
Conclusion
One of the most important things when this rivalry is mentioned is the amount of respect they had for each other. They were both very professional and had a lot of nice words for one another. Unlike many rivalries, this was one in which they both realized they don’t have to succumb to trash talking, and other filthy tactics. This was a duel between top racers, and unfortunately, it didn’t last as long as we wanted.
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