McLaren Star®
International
Presents:
"The Magic About Hakkinen"
What is it that most people see in a person, and that makes
one call him-/herself a 'fan'or 'supporter'? Most likely, it is a character
trait that the person recognizes in him-/ herself or admires so much, that
they (almost) want to be a bit like that. So, what do most of us see in
Mika, and makes you visiting this site? In this article, I'll try to give
you some self-consciousness about it. 
Mika
Hakkinen, a strong personality within Formula 1, attracted attention right
from his debut in the sport. Though he's unfortunately forced to be more
careful nowadays – people watch a big star very carefully and are very
critical – he always tried to give very personal, original and serious
answers to the press, often with a smart squeeze of humor. Which brings
me to another quality of him: his intelligence. It is known that he thinks
deeply about everything he does. Moreover, he takes full responsibility
about his acts. In Monza, last season, Mika made a mistake by shifting
into the wrong gear. As a result, he spun off the track. The first thing
he did when he returned to the pits was apologizing to Ron Dennis and the
team. You'll never catch him complaining about the car or the progress
of the team. On the track, Mika is very sportsmanlike as you never catch
him banging other competitors. Now, be honest, isn't that what racing is
all about? He is just not there to enrich himself, by making salary-claims,
for example. He just loves the sport: his favorite races of 1999 were Magny-Cours
and Austria, races in which he really had to fight for a place on the podium.
These are not the only things that count: In a time of increasing senseless
violence and selfishness, you can think of him as an icon. He is
an example for how it should be done. Unfortunately, I cannot ignore
this, Michael Schumacher isn't. After an accident in Spa, he almost
wanted to fight David Coulthard, and that was, in my opinion, not justified.
As Schumacher is the most popular driver, he should be aware of his responsibility.
In closing, there is the looks of Mika: very serious in action, and roguish
for the rest of the time. This is caused by a sunny trait: he forgets bad
things very easily and sees the good side of things. This results in a
wry smile and sparkling eyes, which are fun to look at! May we have
an exciting racing season in 2001, resulting in a deserved championship
for Mika & McLaren!
P.S.: What's that magic about Mika's fans...?
© 2000 - Robert Van Der Have - All Rights Reserved.