McLaren Unveils Bronze Statue of Mika Hakkinen During Milestone 1,000th Grand Prix Celebration]
McLaren has unveiled a striking bronze statue of two-time Formula 1 champion Mika Hakkinen at its Woking headquarters, commemorating the ‘Flying Finn’ as part of the team’s 1,000th grand prix celebrations.
The sculpture, crafted by renowned motorsport artist Paul Oz, captures Hakkinen celebrating at the season finale in Suzuka in 1998, when he claimed his first world championship. The statue stands proudly on the factory’s Boulevard alongside Hakkinen’s championship-winning MP4/13, joining the bronze tributes to other McLaren legends including Bruce McLaren, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna.
Hakkinen attended the unveiling ceremony with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, team principal Andrea Stella, and current drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
“Wow… Good memories! This is me in Suzuka, when I won my first World Championship, the beginning of something very special,” Hakkinen reflected. “When you spend your whole life racing, there is pressure on you to win a World Championship, and you never know whether you are going to. That day in Suzuka, before the race, I just remember thinking, ‘okay, let’s do this, let’s go for it.’ An amazing moment. Thank you all.”
The statue unveiling is among the team’s commemorations for reaching 1,000 grand prix entries. “More than 100 Formula 1 teams have come and gone since McLaren made its debut,” Brown noted. “We are the second-most successful team in history and the second oldest. That all comes down to the DNA Bruce McLaren instilled in this team. It is unbelievably special to work here, and it’s important for us all to take a moment to enjoy that, because we are the ones in the room at this moment in time, and we are the ones making history happen.”
Team principal Stella emphasized the significance: “It’s an incredible honour. We have a responsibility to keep filling our trophy cabinets as those before us have done. That is both honour, and immensely motivating.”
