‘I was friends with Michael Schumacher – only one F1 star could get in his head’ | F1 | Sport

McLaren legend Mika Hakkinen was the ‘only’ F1 driver who could get into the head of Michael Schumacher, according to the seven-time world champion’s former paddock friend, Richard Hopkins.

Hakkinen and Schumacher shared one of the all-time great F1 rivalries, competing against each other between 1991 and 2001, and winning a combined six Drivers’ Championship titles. The fight really took off when the Finn’s McLaren team took a step forward in 1994, and reached peak intensity with his first crown in 1998.

“The only person to get inside Michael Schumacher’s head was probably Mika Hakkinen,” Hopkins told Express Sport, in association with Spreadex Sports. “Mika was genuinely the only one who could do it, and Michael knew it. There was great respect between the two.

“If you had asked Michael, ‘You won all those championships, but who really took it to you?’ – he’d probably have said Mika. The championships he won in 2000 and 2001 were when Mika was still racing.

“You can’t really include 1997, and of course, Mika won in ’98 and ’99 when Michael didn’t, even though Michael had two good seasons. The McLaren was the superior car to the Ferrari in those years.

“Michael would have told you the only person who really challenged him outright was Mika – pure speed and racing. They both loved racing each other. There was amazing mutual respect because Michael realised Mika was the only person who could really beat him on the day, and that fuelled Mika as well.

“Winning his two championships against Schumacher meant an awful lot. Mika was the only driver around those times who really had that exceptional, A-plus-level ability.”

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Hopkins and Schumacher were well acquainted during the early years of the legendary German racer’s career. They often enjoyed catch-ups and coffees in the Benetton motorhome, despite the Brit working as a mechanic for McLaren at the time.

Looking back at Schumacher’s near-fatal skiing accident in December 2013, Hopkins explained: “Michael’s accident didn’t happen mid-season, so it was spoken about more within the teams than at the track. Early on, nobody knew the extent of it.

“The Keep Fighting Michael campaign started quickly, but at first, people didn’t know how bad it was. Of course, everyone was sad, but it took quite a while before people realised how serious it was. There wasn’t an immediate “Oh, God” moment – the information came out slowly.

“I remember my wife telling me Michael had an accident – hit his head, in hospital, in an induced coma – but it was long and drawn out. It wasn’t like Senna’s death, where the news hit all at once. It unfolded over time, so the reaction was different.”