Harri Häkkinen and Aila Häkkinen are the parents of Mika Häkkinen, a Finnish former racing driver who was the 1998 and 1999 Formula One World Champion, driving for McLaren.
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Häkkinen was born in Helsingin maalaiskunta, Finland, on 28 September 1968 to Harri, a shortwave radio operator and a part-time taxi driver, and Aila Häkkinen, who worked as a secretary.
His parents played a huge role in the fantastic career he had. When he was just 5 years old, his parents rented a go-kart for him to take to a track near their home.
However, despite an early crash, Häkkinen wished to continue racing, and his father bought him his first go-kart, one that Henri Toivonen had previously competed with.
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His father’s faith in him paid off as he later won his first karting race in 1975 at the Keimola Motor Stadium where he raced in the regional karting championships in 1978 and 1979, winning the Keimola Club Championship in both years.
Häkkinen found further success in 1980 when he won the Swedish Lapland Cup and finished fourth in the 85cc class of the Lapland Karting Championship.
Hakkinen is one of three Formula One drivers from Finland to win the World Championship, and is the only Finnish driver to win it more than once.
He currently works in driver management and is a brand ambassador for various companies.
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