Valtteri Bottas shares what Mika Hakkinen did to Michael Schumacher that made him fall in love with F1

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Every Formula 1 driver has a unique journey into the sport and seeks inspiration from different people growing up.

Some countries have a culture of loving motor racing while others have to forge their own path.

Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas is currently the only Finnish driver on the F1 grid and while the country has a population of less than six million people, they’ve produced a surprising number of world-class drivers.

While Finnish drivers are better associated with rallying – last season’s World Rallying Championship winner was Bottas’s fellow countryman Kalle Rovanpera – they’ve also made their mark on Formula 1.

Leo Kinnunen and Mikko Kozarowitzky were the first drivers to reach F1 in the 1970s, but it wasn’t until Keke Rosberg that a driver really made their mark on the sport.

Speaking to the Formula 1 website, it was a much more recent Finn who had a profound impact on Bottas’s life.

The most recent Finnish world champion is Kimi Raikkonen, securing Ferrari’s latest title in 2007.

However, the country’s most successful F1 star is Mika Hakkinen and before he won two championships in 1998 and 1999, he was still challenging the likes of Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve.

Bottas has now pinpointed the moment in Hakkinen’s career that made him fall in love with Formula 1 and set him on the journey to reach the sport.

After ten race victories, while Bottas has never been able to match his fellow countryman’s achievements, he’s still been a top driver in the sport for some time.

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Valtteri Bottas on the Mika Hakkinen moment that made him fall in love with F1

Asked what made him fall in love with Formula 1, Bottas said: “The final hit for me was in 1997 when Mika Hakkinen won his first race in the last race of the season [at Jerez].

“That famous race when Jacques [Villeneuve] and Michael [Schumacher] collided. That was the final thing [where I thought], ‘Okay, wow, that’s something crazy!’”

Hakkinen made his F1 debut in 1991 with Lotus but by the time the 1997 season rolled around, he was in his fifth year with McLaren.

He was still chasing his first victory and in a season dominated by Villeneuve and Schumacher, Hakkinen had to watch his teammate David Coulthard win twice before reaching the top step of the podium.

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Mika Hakkinen’s season finale win in 1997 led to back-to-back world championships

Bottas was only eight years old during the 1997 season and it would be another four years before he took part in the Finnish Cup karting championship that set him on his way to F1.

Going into the last race of the 1997 season, Schumacher was a point ahead of Villeneuve but the Canadian’s Williams was quicker than his rival’s Ferrari.

The pair clashed during the race but unlike Schumacher’s crash with Damon Hill in 1994 that guaranteed the German his first title, Schumacher only took himself out of the race with Villeneuve able to carry on.

Villeneuve secured the necessary points to win the title, but Hakkinen led home Coulthard to secure a McLaren one-two that ended up being a sign of things to come before the turn of the century.

Hakkinen beat his teammate and a strong Ferrari team in 1998 and 1999 to earn his two championships before eventually retiring in 2001.

Bottas has previously shared the advice Hakkinen has given him in his career to reach the top of his game in F1.

Schumacher eventually called Hakkinen the best opponent he faced in F1 ahead of the likes of Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

It’s a sign of just how impressive the Finn was during his time in the sport.