When Michael Schumacher opened up on why Mika Hakkinen was his most respected rival

In 2013, Michael Schumacher revealed the name of the driver he respected the most, and he was his former F1 rival, Mika Hakkinen. Speaking about it, Schumacher stated that he had "great" fights with the Finnish driver, but the private relationship between them remained "stable."

Schumacher joined Formula 1 in 1991 with the Belgian GP, and a few races later in the United States, Hakkinen joined him on the grid that year itself. The duo competed for over a decade until Hakkinen retired at the end of 2001, while Schumacher continued racing for some more years.

Schumacher and Hakkinen's rivalry existed from the late 90s to the early 2000s, where the two drivers competed for F1 Championships. It started with the 1994 F1 season, where Schumacher won the championships back-to-back in 1994 and 1995, and then Hakkinen emerged on top in 1998 and 1999.

Amidst the presence of Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, and many others, Schumacher and Hakkinen's rivalry remained strong. Their rivalry peaked in 2000 when Michael Schumacher beat Mika Hakkinen to win the championship that season.

Despite Schumacher and Hakkinen's strong rivalry, their personal relationship wasn't affected. Speaking about this, Schumacher opened up about Hakkinen in 2013. When asked to say the driver he respected most in 20 years of his career, here's what he said:

"The most respected guy in all those years, was definitely Mika Hakkinen. Great fights, but stable private relationship." (Via www.michael-schumacher.de)

During the course of his F1 career, Schumacher became the most successful F1 driver with 91 wins and seven F1 titles, until it was broken by Lewis Hamilton in 2020. He is still regarded as the greatest Ferrari F1 driver, and one of the best drivers to have graced the sport.

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When Michael Schumacher hailed Mika Hakkinen as "best opponent"

In 2002, the very next season after Mika Hakkinen retired, Michael Schumacher shared his thoughts about the Finnish driver and termed him his "best opponent." Speaking about this, here's what the seven-time world champion stated:

Mika Hakkinen of Finland and the McLaren Mercedes team leads from Michael Schumacher of Germany and the Ferrari team during the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix in Suzuka, Japan. \ Mandatory Credit: Clive Mason /Allsport

"Mika Hakkinen was the best opponent in terms of his quality, but the biggest admiration I had for him was we had 100% fight on track but a totally disciplined life off track. We respected each other highly and let each other live quietly." (Via BBC)

Mika Hakkinen is a two-time F1 world champion and has 20 race wins to his name. Nicknamed the Flying Finn, Hakkinen is regarded as one of the greatest drivers for McLaren as well as for F1.