F1 grills Mika Hakkinen

Two-time world champions are a rare breed. Over the F1 decades only six have emerged: Alberto Ascari, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mika Häkkinen and (unless his luck changes) Fernando Alonso.

They exist in a plane above the 'singleton' champs - Hulme, Hunt, Scheckter, the Rosbergs et al - and as that roll-call attests, they're a pretty special bunch. Three have passed, Alonso races on until at least the end of 2018, Fittipaldi seems from a distant era.

But Häkkinen? Well, as the most successful Finn among many flying fellows, his presence still looms large. Michael Schumacher's defining rival; in his 1998-99 pomp, maybe the quickest of all. And, happily, very much still with us.

Today, Mika welcomes F1 Racing onto a yacht chartered especially for the Monaco Grand Prix and moored just inside Tabac. As is customary when boarding such elegant conveyances, first we must de-shoe and deposit our footwear in a quayside box; F1 Racing notes that photographer Steven Tee, with practised elegance, is wearing appropriately plain low-rise socks. "Of course," he sniffs, shooting a withering glance at the less suitable knitwear worn by the words side of the equation.

Up one more deck via a ladder, while maintaining three points of contact at all times, we observe the crowning glory of the yacht Ava: mounted proudly on its deck is the 1998 McLaren MP4-13 in which Mika won that year's Monaco Grand Prix (his "greatest" win, he reckons).

It's an entirely fitting backdrop for a conversation with a living legend during the course of which, as we are about to discover, he'll share revelations about a life-that-nearly-was as a circus performer, his fondness for tortoises, and how it felt to come back from a near-fatal crash and find his capacity for driving astonishingly fast happily undiminished.

These gems and more await in a chat framed by questions garnered from the great and good of the Formula 1 paddock - questions that are notable, incidentally, both for their range and for demonstrating the underlying affection in which Häkkinen is held.

Monosyballic in his day, except to those he truly trusted, modern Mika is an altogether more unbuttoned character. Hard to recall, now, that Häkkinen was once an interview regarded with trepidation by all but a select handful of hacks. These days his wit and loquacity are unbound. On which topic...

Did you really have a pet tortoise when we were team-mates together at McLaren in 1994? Martin Brundle, Sky F1 commentator

Mika Häkkinen: That is absolutely correct! I had a tortoise [Mika pronounces it 'turtus'] because I was travelling a lot and it was impossible to have a dog or a cat, so I thought 'okay, a tortoise'. They're easy maintenance; you don't have to walk them outside, and, you know, that's really fantastic. And people always think they are really slow - but actually they are not slow.

F1 Racing: Did you take it with you to races?

MH: No, I left it here in Monaco.

F1R: Some pet tortoises can make a mess on the floor. Did you have that problem?

MH: No, I taught it. It was okay.

Do you remember how many times we passed each other at the final of the Scandinavian karting championship at Bohus in 1985? Would you have passed me if there had been one more lap? Tom Kristensen, nine-time Le Mans winner

MH: [A pause] Do I remember that situation? Let me start to answer this question with the last bit first. And the answer to this is: of course I would have overtaken him! Of course! [Much laughter.]

I had some brilliant races with him. Not only that race. There was also a race in Zaragoza, in Spain - a fabulous race together. And what I remember about him... a very aggressive [Häkkinen intones this in a husky whisper] competitor. You know, when he was racing it was really hard. So you had to really keep 'eyes open' with him. You had to be really careful. I mean, he's a real - I don't know the right word in English! But like I said, you really had to be careful with him. If you pushed him too hard it was going to be a shunt, for sure.

Do you remember when we put those cans of paint on that bonfire under the bridge near our home? Mika Salo, fellow Finn & ex-F1 racer

MH: Oh I do remember that! It was exactly what your parents say: 'Don't do things like that!' But of course we did it anyway. It was a great memory of course, but I really don't recommend it to kids to try that.

F1R: How old were you?

MH: Oh my god we must have been like ten or something.

F1R: Scientific experimentation?

MH: It was, it was...

Would you have been quicker if you hadn't had your Adelaide crash? [Häkkinen crashed almost fatally during qualifying for the 1995 Australian Grand Prix.] Otmar Szafnauer, Force India COO

MH: [Long pause] No, I don't think I would have been quicker, but I think I would have continued my career longer. It had an effect on me. It made me realise that when an accident like that happens - and it can happen at any time in F1 because motorsport is dangerous - it made me think, as soon as I won my world championships, 'hmm... don't push your luck any further'.

F1R: But you were still pushing even after your two titles, weren't you? In 2000 you were fitter than ever and you had another big fight with Michael, almost all season long, but the car wasn't very reliable.

MH: Yeah it's true, it's true - fantastic! [Mika has a moment of rapture.] I mean what cars Adrian Newey designed. Those McLarens were absolutely brilliant. But at the same time, when we move on in our years, the competition got tougher and tougher. And the designers and engineers all the time learn more techniques, for example, reducing weight, so all the time parts have to be smaller. But then came the issues with temperatures and reliability. And they were big issues. But after all these years, looking back, you know, we had a fantastic time.

Your first test back after your Adelaide crash, you were immediately, totally on the pace. How the hell did you do that? Mark Webber, multiple grand prix winner

MH: The positive thing was that the test happened at Paul Ricard, which is a great circuit, easy to drive, very safe, very fast. Before the test I had mixed feelings. I wasn't uncomfortable, but I wasn't sure how I would react, how I would feel. Especially when I got there and everyone looked at me like 'What alien is coming here?'

So it was a very unpleasant moment. And then when I put my crash helmet on and sat in the car, I felt: 'I am in my own world!' And when they started the engine it sounded perfect and all the gearshifts were perfect going up the pitlane. I immediately felt that this was designed for me. I could have just left it in the garage and walked home so fast and started crying, you know?

But then it was: 'I want to go for it!' When I was at the track, I felt comfortable and good in the car, like I had lost nothing - not my confidence, nor my talent. I wasn't coming to the corners like crazy, I was building up to speed. So it was a lot of work for the team who were supporting me, the management team, my family who gave me the space and gave me the power to go to the test and not say; 'Oh Mika, how do you feel now?' [He leans in and grasps F1 Racing on the shoulder for emphasis]

No, no, no... I believe that life has to continue. And I think that all of these little things affected me positively, and I had such a great management team, and I had a great grand prix team, so I wasn't going to let any of them down if I could help it.

How many days did you party after you won your first world title? Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes F1 driver

MH: [Chuckles] Oh, that's a good one. I wish I could have! I would have loved to party. But after the race, next morning, straight to the airport, different promotions... it was like one month on the road! Different countries, different cities, different prize givings. We had great partners, so when we won, of course, we had to say: 'We're the winners."

So you have to work when you are a winner. Not only when you are losing, but also when you are winning - you have to work double hard then, to promote the brands that have supported you.

I was travelling all over the place for one month. I'll never forget. I was completely exhausted. Of course there was a one-day party after the grand prix, but after that it was just work, work, work, work...

Is it true that Johnny Herbert tried to get into a bath with you in your Lotus days? Karun Chandhok, Channel 4 commentator and ex-F1 driver

MH: Oh yes! Oh yes... I mean it's absolutely correct! And this happened in Magny-Cours in a hotel room, because we had to share a room. The budget of the team was so minimum, and it was one of the first years we raced in Magny-Cours, so all the hotel rooms were booked and I had to share a room with Johnny - and, yeah, he wanted to get in with me! [At this point Mika raises his right hand and wiggles his little finger, for reasons about which F1R is too polite to enquire...]

But we all know Johnny Herbert. He is such a funny character and he always tries to find the best from everything. At that time, I was a young kid and I was so serious. I didn't speak too much and of course that encouraged Johnny to take the piss out of me by trying to jump in the bloody bath! But he was just kidding.

How easy was it to scramble David Coulthard's head when you were his team-mate? Eddie Jordan, ex-F1 team boss

MH: [Laughing...] Actually it was quite easy. David is a very correct guy. Very straightforward, very correct.

Often in meetings we had with the engineers David had questions for me: 'What about you, Mika? How do you drive that corner? Are you going flat-out?' And really honestly I answered his questions: "Yes, yes, I go flat-out." And then I'd smile a little smile. And he went berserk: "Don't try anything!" And I think that kind of situation really wound him up very easily.

But now everything is okay. You get a bit older and you get more experience and everything is fine.

I know you now as a funny, friendly guy, but when we were team-mates you always kept your distance. Which is the real Mika? David Coulthard, ex-F1 driver

MH: Yeah, keeping my distance is true. And there was a purpose to doing that. I didn't want David to know me [there's a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, as he says this, and he giggles...]

F1R: You always have to beat your team-mate don't you...?

MH: Yeah, I let him wonder... because, you know, if you are in business or motor racing and somebody is successful, you want to copy this person and copy how he is doing these things. And that's what I was doing a lot... whether it was Nigel Mansell, or Ayrton Senna or Alain Prost... or any of my team-mates in the past.

I was copying a lot of things that they were doing - not just the setup of the car. Sometimes also taking things from them: how they communicate with people, why they come in half an hour earlier to the track - what are they doing? Why do they leave one hour earlier from the track - why do they do that? So all these kinds of things you have to learn and I didn't want to show 'The David' how I did it! Ha ha ha!

What is the secret to your speed? Hermann Tilke, F1 track architect

MH: There is one very simple answer - just to practise. Practise and keep on practising. I was a young kid when I was practising. It was in a city called Espoo in Finland and there was a very small race track there - a beautiful kart track, built in an old graveyard - quite an interesting location! So how did I find the raw speed and the precision of the driving? I practised with my dad and there was one really high-speed braking point on the track - very crucial because the corner after was so tight - so you had to get the perfect line to be able to exit quickly.

My dad had a Coca-Cola can [the way Häkkinen pronounces 'Coca-Cola can' in his uniquely accented rapid-fire delivery has to be heard to be believed] and he had this on a white line on the outside before turning in, and every time I was braking I had to brake exactly where the Coca-Cola can was. And he was moving it all the time closer to the corner... closer... closer... I tried everything with the car to slow it down - not just with the brakes, but also with the steering [he demonstrates by miming a steering motion in which the wheel is kicking back in his hands as he reaches 45° from the straight ahead].

That way, when the car is close to the corner, I was still able to take the apex. But of course, sooner or later when it was too far I missed the apex. So then he put it back to the right place, and when we were practising one day he took the Coca-Cola can away and I found that I'd learned that corner. So - it's all about practice and learning. There is no amazing secret really.

And also there is one other thing: you need to have a passion and you must love it. If you don't have a passion you are never going to learn. It's like everything in life... if you like something, it's much more fun to learn. If it's something that is frustrating, you don't learn it. Yes, you can learn it a little bit, but not perfectly if you don't have any passion for it.

Do you regret not competing at Le Mans? Johnny Herbert, ex F1 driver

MH: No, I don't regret it - and also, it's still not too late! I'm still a young man! I'm 49. But people who've done Le Mans many times tell me it's a very challenging race. Driving at night time, with different category cars on the track... some are really slow, so there is a lot of risk involved. And we've seen the accident that Mark Webber had - or that quite a few drivers had over there. Even if the cars are really safe, the speed is really high.

So why would I take that risk? Even if it's a great race. But life is... you live it one time, hopefully, and you enjoy your life. Le Mans is just the one weekend. So why do I want to destroy everything there? Even if it's a great race - you know I don't want to sound negative, but it's true.

That reminds me, I once did a race in Scandinavian touring cars, just the one, and I'd got to F1 by that stage. Anyway, I was in a BMW M3 and I was like: 'I'm a Formula 1 driver, I can do this...' And I went to qualifying and I finished on pole, but only by a tiny margin. I was saying to the team that we have something wrong with the car, because in a straight line I was so slow and going on the rev limiter. And they're looking at the data and they say: "But you're not using top gear, man..." I was so embarrassed - I'm the Formula 1 driver! Well done, Mika.

Did you really try to come back to F1 after your retirement in 2001? Bernd Mayländer, F1 safety car driver

MH: Oh yeah. More than ever! I did a mega, mega training programme, all the simulator work at McLaren... all the data studies working with the engineers - I mean in a big way. The preparation was mega-professional. I had the whole team getting me ready for racing. But it didn't work out. I did a test in Barcelona and Lewis was testing at the same time...

F1R: Was that 2006?

MH: Could be...

F1R: Because there was talk of you coming back with BAR wasn't there? We even ran a cover: 'Why Häkk Should Have Come Back'...

MH: I remember during the test there was an engine problem and, because of that, the calibration of the gearbox wasn't matched, so it was locking the rear tyres every time under braking and it didn't perform. I wanted to do the test, I wanted to do the full day and maximise the test, but luckily the car didn't work properly. Because if I had been quick and if I had enjoyed it I would have been back to racing.

So it had some kind of meaning and purpose, the whole thing... it reminded me that it took seven years before I won my first grand prix, so the problems that I had in the car reminded me that's how F1 is: constantly fighting against problems. And I thought if it's going to take another seven years for me to win again, I'm not going to make it! [Laughs] Goddammit!

Were you better or worse than Michael Schumacher? Sergey Sirotkin, Williams F1 driver

MH: I was better than him! But you know, honestly, you have to have that self-confidence. But I believe Michael had a couple of areas where he was better than I was, and I had maybe a couple of things where I was better than him.

So I think that in terms of raw speed I was definitely quicker than him, but I thought Michael always had one particular advantage - Fiorano [Ferrari's private test track].

Back then he could drive 24 hours, seven days a week if he wanted to at Fiorano because at that time testing was allowed. When I went to Silverstone with McLaren, we were allowed to start running at 10am, then there was lunch, then it might start raining - so our testing was not sufficient. They had always this advantage.

When you look back, how much respect did you have for how good Michael Schumacher was, and has that respect changed over the years? Rob Smedley, Williams head of vehicle performance

MH: Oh yeah. Mika respects Michael of course, but he was also motivating me - to race faster. That's because we had some history. In Macau when we were racing in Formula 3 in 1990 we had a little crash together - I saw him looking in the mirror and he could see me coming, and he knew what was going to happen [they collided, putting Häkkinen out of the race as Schumacher went on to win]. When he arrived in F1 he immediately got into a good team, while I was struggling with Lotus, and there was... not jealousy, but I felt 'hmm...'

So the fact is that from day one - and still today - there's massive respect for Michael, for sure. His achievement and what he did is just unbelievable. An incredible racing driver who never gave up.

The 1990 Macau GP with Michael: what happened when you crashed? Did you lift? Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal

MH: Lift? No, of course not! He moved his line. You know F3 doesn't have so much power, so when you get a tow from the other car, you really feel it and you just need to make the pass really beautifully, but Michael just... 'EEEEERRRRGHHHH!' He was looking in his mirrors - you can see what a driver is doing - and as I turned like this [Mika mimes a flick of the wrists to the right] he turned the same way and [claps hands] that's it! Nothing that I could have done.

We were doing maybe 150mph, so it was a really big shunt. And it was so disappointing because, hmm... I didn't actually need to overtake him. The overall result was decided on two heats, so I could have finished in second place and been just one-and-a-half or two seconds from Michael. I could have just cruised behind him to the end of the race.

Dick Bennetts, the team manager, wasn't very happy with me - not only because we didn't win the race but because the prize money at Macau was very big. Oh my god... He didn't talk to me for a couple of years!

Why were you better with oversteer than with understeer? Peter Windsor, F1 Racing columnist and broadcaster

MH: It's an interesting question because a lot of drivers do complain about understeer, but it's very simple - I will answer this. You take this corner [Mika indicates Tabac] - it's a really quick corner. It's really fast, and if you imagine you come in there and you brake just a tiny bit. You shift down to fourth gear and turn in and then it's a really fast corner. And when you exit there's no room.

Now imagine doing it when you have understeer and it doesn't want to turn. It really takes your confidence away, not knowing whether the front end is going to bite or not, because you know you're going to have a mega-shunt.

How much did you enjoy the rallying you've done? Would you like some competition? Robert Kubica, Williams development driver

MH: I think rallying is great - really great - but again it's something you have to start when you are a kid. It's such a complicated sport and what I like about rallying is, you know they say a man can only do one thing at a time? It's true: for me, it was a big struggle to have someone in a rally car telling me 'left, right' or whatever. I could never match these two together. Of course I was listening, but it was challenging to get information at the right time and really understand the pace notes. Really difficult.

Every corner seems to be so different anyway, but these guys are so used to it they understand exactly how it works. It's like a special language. And you need to have known your co-driver a long time to know exactly how he's thinking.

Do you remember testing the hand throttle system we developed at McLaren? Why couldn't you make it work? Paddy Lowe, Williams chief technical officer

MH: I remember it did work! It was completely crazy because I was speaking with Paddy and I remember trying to explain to him: "The car is quick now, really fantastic, but I know I'm losing time in some corners, because when my instinct is saying 'go on the throttle', I feel I am braking and then going on the throttle almost too late."

You have a big pedal there and your shoe... and the movement is quite long. I always felt like I was losing some time. So I said why can't we make a throttle on the steering wheel, because the message goes much quicker to your hand. [He demonstrates his theory by leaning back in his chair and extending his arms and legs as if sitting in an F1 car, then, with one hand, he indicates the distance nerve signals must travel through the body to the foot relative to the hand.]

So Paddy said: "Yes, let's do that." And I was like "Wow, okay!" We tested the first time in Barcelona and it worked fine, but jumping over the kerbs moved your hand a little bit and then it just didn't work out. But it was quite an interesting experiment. This is what I liked about Paddy: he was so open to ideas. He'd never look at somebody and say: "No, that's a stupid idea, no way are we going to try that..." He always said: "Let's try it."

F1R: Was that why you tried the brake-steer system at McLaren? [In late 1997 and into '98 McLaren raced a secret second brake pedal that allowed drivers to retard an individual rear wheel, dramatically enhancing the car's cornering capabilities. It was banned after being exposed by F1 Racing and protested by other teams.]

MH: Yeah - that was amazing! That made a massive difference. The best experience I had with that was in Magny-Cours. After the straight you had this long, long right-hander before the back straight. You'd come in there so bloody quick that physical laws don't want to let the car go round the corner. It just wants to go straight.

[He extends his arms and feet again to demonstrate, miming how forcefully he had to steer.] But as soon as the car started understeering, you just press the second pedal, which closes the inside rear tyre... and the more the car understeered, the more you pressed the brake - but at the same time the more you pressed the throttle! [He now has both feet 'down' on the invisible pedals, and the invisible steering wheel fully committed.] So you have throttle, brakes, full gas, goddammit!... you know, forcing the car to turn! And you can feel what a stress the car is going through, because you are doing something that is not really normal.

Everything: tyres, suspension, chassis, the brakes. It's just mega, mega stress. But at somewhere like Silverstone or Melbourne, you could gain maybe 0.6-0.8s. Massive! The only problem was that if you wanted to use the right side, you had to move a switch on the steering wheel to the right; if you wanted to use the left side, you had to move the switch to the left. You can imagine what that was like at chicanes! But it was amazing.

I believe David Coulthard had a problem with it was because he used right-foot braking, so wasn't so comfortable with the left foot.

Do you remember how much you used to like me to throw water on you during a pitstop? Jo Ramírez, former McLaren team manager

MH: Oh yeah! I don't think you're allowed to do that any more. But we had ice cubes and freezing cold water. So when we stopped - we had refuelling then and spent maybe ten seconds in the pits - Jo was cleaning my visor and then pouring ice-cold water on my overalls. And you can imagine, the moment the water comes in it's fine.

But when you're exiting the pitlane, the water goes on your balls - OH MY GOD! - Full gas! [Mika cannot contain his laughter at this excruciating recollection.]

F1R: I'm not sure how we're going to be able to top that one, but anyway...

What would you have done if you hadn't found motor racing? Damon Hill, 1996 world champion

MH: I would probably have been in the circus. When I was a young kid I was in circus school. You remember I used to ride my unicycle in the paddock? As a kid I tried all kinds of different sports and I used to ride to school on the unicycle. One day the headmaster called me into his office and I thought: 'Oh no, what have I done wrong?' And he looked at me and said: "Mika - you belong in the circus. What are you doing here?"

So then we put an application in to the circus and I started practising. Different acrobatics, etc. So I would have been a performer in the circus.

Who was harder to race - Michael or Ayrton? Felipe Massa, ex-F1 driver

MH: I would say Michael... I think Ayrton was at a different level when I entered Formula 1. He was so, so far ahead of me when I was his team-mate at McLaren, in 1993, in terms of experience, of knowledge, of setting up the car, of working with the team, of communicating and understanding the race tactics. He was so far ahead that I didn't really get the chance to come to the same level as him. But with Michael we developed at the same time. So I thought Michael was tougher.

When we went ice-driving this year, how come you weren't better, given that you're a Finn? Marc Hynes, advisor to Lewis Hamilton

MH: I was just a guide for the clients on a promotion day. I let them win it!

Is it really true that Susie and Toto Wolff are faster in the Mercedes C63 AMG on the ice than you? Susie Wolff, ex-racing driver and Venturi Formula E team principal

MH: Of course that is not true... [Laughter!] Especially not Toto!

If I get you a seat in the best car and roll out the red carpet for you, will you race in the DTM this year? Gerhard Berger, multiple grand prix winner and now head of the German touring car championship

MH: [Long pause...] I don't think so. [More laughter.]