1-194-582 - National Motor Museum/Heritage Images

Mika Hakkinen, c1997-c2000. Although regarded as an outstanding talent when he first came into Formula 1, Hakkinen's career got off to a slow start. His first two seasons were spent with an uncompetitive Lotus team, after which he signed for Mclaren, but spent virtually all his first season as a test driver after losing his seat when Ayrton Senna resolved his contract dispute at the last minute. A near fatal accident in Australia in 1995 further held back his progress, but he finally won his first Grand Prix in Spain in the last race of the 1997 season. The following two years were outstandingly successful for the Finn, as, at the wheel of the dominant Mclaren-Mercedes, he won back-to-back World Drivers' Championships, winning 13 Grands Prix in the process. He lost the Title to Michael Schumacher in 2000, and towards the end of an unsuccessful 2001 campaign, he announced his retirement.