86 replies to this topic

[mursuka80]

Who was best? oops I put Salo two times,so mods if you can delete the other one. My choice is Mika Häkkinen,because he was the one who really got me in to this sport.His horrific accident in 1995 to that memorable 1998 Suzuka race,that was watched on TV 30-40% of Finnish population True peoples Champion

[Owen]

Originally posted by mursuka80
Who was best?

Hehe. You did it.
I'll bet they've all been described as a 'flying finn' at some point in their respective careers. I'll go with the Hakk.

[Gilles4Ever]

Kimi
Races 140 (139 starts)
Championships 1 (2007)
Wins 17
Podiums 57
Career points 531
Pole positions 16
Fastest laps 35

Mika
Races 165 (161 starts)
Championships 2 (1998 & 1999)
Wins 20
Podiums 51
Career points 420
Pole positions 26
Fastest laps 25

[undersquare]

Kimi for me. Even faster than the Hakk, plus extra points for his gorilla suit .

[xman]

Kimi is likely to pass Mika in terms of race wins during the 2009 season I think.

However, what would be the interesting stat would be the race DNF's due to mechanical failure. That's what they both have a lot, and they both drove a McLaren ;)


I voted Kimi, I think he has always been a little bit quicker, Mika was better qualifier but Kimi stronger overall.

[mursuka80]

Originally posted by undersquare
Kimi for me. Even faster than the Hakk, plus extra points for his gorilla suit .

What about Mika with this

[Mika Mika]

Mika paras mestari koskaan...

[bogi]

Mika vs Kimi?

Mika by mile, just because not trying to be dork in every interview.

[undersquare]

Originally posted by mursuka80


What about Mika with this

excellent. And such a smart suit!

[BMW_F1]

Kimi of course.

[potmotr]

Mika for me.

[Jambo]

Mika is the man!

[Chewie]

Mika to come back from the massive crash in Adelaide and win two Championships, Top Man

[bankoq]

Kimi.

[H0R]

If you ever saw Rosberg in his prime it is no question who the most gifted - sadly not successful - Finn was.
Although I am a huge fan of Mika Iam goin for Keke. The rest, Kimi included, are merely second rate to Keke.

[Seanspeed]

This is an interesting one. There's not only Kimi and Mika, but Keke should be considered there, too.

Kimi - Has had a pretty strong career overall. Only has one title to his name, and it wasn't the most convincing title(though it was well-deserved), but I think his more impressive performances came from his Mclaren years. He looked like a different driver there, which may speak for the difference a car makes on a driver's style, but I dont get the same impression of edginess in his driving these days. The fact that he disappointed in a title-capable car this past season is a low point in his career.

Mika - Won his two titles with the best machinery, but they were two well-deserved titles. Was good before 98, but really upped his game, and came alive when it mattered most, which is a great trait, but his fairly dismal 2001 year was a serious low point. Reportedly the driver Schumacher feared most(though I honestly think it was Montoya) for how much that really matters.

Keke - Probably one of the most talented drivers of his era, and was easily the match of any driver he faced, speed-wise, but his all-out mentality didn't suit the turbo-era switch for the need in conservatism. Loved his wild style, too. People say Gilles was a ragged-edge driver, but I think Keke was in a similar mold.

I'll go for Mika, not necessarily just because he won more titles than the others, but because he rose to the occasion when it mattered most, which is something I cant say for Kimi and Keke.

[Jambo]

I would love a video of Keke's pole lap from Silverstone. I wasn't old enough to see him race but from what I have read he had style!

[lukywill]

keke it is. but kimi still has something to be written.

[Atreiu]

I'd say Mika was the best while Kimi the most talented.

[mursuka80]

Originally posted by Jambo
I would love a video of Keke's pole lap from Silverstone. I wasn't old enough to see him race but from what I have read he had style!

I heard that before he went for that lap Keke smoked a Marlboro and one shot of whisky

[Jambo]

And had a slow puncture in oneof the front wheels. And it was drizzling!

[Crazy Ninja]

Originally posted by Jambo
I would love a video of Keke's pole lap from Silverstone. I wasn't old enough to see him race but from what I have read he had style!

Same here. Check him out going through Eau Rouge with the barriers still right beside the track.
Link

[Jambo]

That is bloody amazing!!!!!

[mursuka80]

Originally posted by Crazy Ninja


Same here. Check him out going through Eau Rouge with the barriers still right beside the track.
Link

Thanks for that link Now it makes sense when he commentated for Finnish tv,that Eau Rouge doesnt reguire balls anymore

[Raziel]

Legend of the Silver Arrows = MIKA!

[Rabbit123]

Only particularly great drivers up there are Hakkinen, Raikkonen and possibly Rosberg, I voted Hakkinen.

[Keir]

Rosberg being the most fun to watch.

[rce]

As much as I support Kimi (and have for years) - I voted for Mika H (and never really liked the guy).

[rileyl]

Hakkinen when he switched himself on..........even better than MS!

[mursuka80]

I find it funny that JJ and Salo have got votes,but Heikki has none

[Galko877]

Mika for me. I remember a few years back someone predicted on a forum Kimi would easily pass Mika and indeed at the time Kimi looked to be on that way, but that never quite happened IMO, despite of his title. Kimi has spent more time in competitive cars than Mika, yet his stats don't look significantly better, if at all.

Plus Mika had so much more personality and I am impressed by his comeback after his life-threatening accident.

[Galko877]

Originally posted by Atreiu
I'd say Mika was the best while Kimi the most talented.

Yeah, maybe that's the best way to put it. I have always had the feeling Kimi never really lived up to his talent. Probably one of the reasons I cannot like him. I don't like guys who waste their talents because they are lazy or something.

[tormave]

Gotta go with JJ. His teeth act as a secondary splitter.

[intelligentsia]

Kimi

[mursuka80]

Originally posted by Galko877


Yeah, maybe that's the best way to put it. I have always had the feeling Kimi never really lived up to his talent. Probably one of the reasons I cannot like him. I don't like guys who waste their talents because they are lazy or something.

He still has time

[KWSN - DSM]

Originally posted by TheHumanPromise
This is an interesting one. There's not only Kimi and Mika, but Keke should be considered there, too.

Kimi - Has had a pretty strong career overall. Only has one title to his name, and it wasn't the most convincing title(though it was well-deserved), but I think his more impressive performances came from his Mclaren years. He looked like a different driver there, which may speak for the difference a car makes on a driver's style, but I dont get the same impression of edginess in his driving these days. The fact that he disappointed in a title-capable car this past season is a low point in his career.

Mika - Won his two titles with the best machinery, but they were two well-deserved titles. Was good before 98, but really upped his game, and came alive when it mattered most, which is a great trait, but his fairly dismal 2001 year was a serious low point. Reportedly the driver Schumacher feared most(though I honestly think it was Montoya) for how much that really matters.

Keke - Probably one of the most talented drivers of his era, and was easily the match of any driver he faced, speed-wise, but his all-out mentality didn't suit the turbo-era switch for the need in conservatism. Loved his wild style, too. People say Gilles was a ragged-edge driver, but I think Keke was in a similar mold.

I'll go for Mika, not necessarily just because he won more titles than the others, but because he rose to the occasion when it mattered most, which is something I cant say for Kimi and Keke.

I agree that only the above can be seriously considered.

Keke - Won at a time and in a car, which should not have. Was as fast as any driver in the world, and until his season at McLaren was considered a top driver. Not that he was not after his last season, but the manner in which Prost had him taken care of surprised many, and I am sure Keke as well. I know that there were and are many explanations, of why this was. But fact remain that Prost handled him to easily.

Mika - had 2 great seasons as WDC, he was undoubtedly fast but he also had a long career where he really did not do anything special, he may have been tagged as that through only ever having the 'right' car for 3 seasons, but in a long career then 3 seasons of greatness is not enough.

Kimi - Fastest man alive, the great talent...... He did finally win a WDC in 2007, however he was sort of lucky, and regardless of how good Massa will eventually turn out to be, then the fact that Massa had the better of him in 2008 count a LOT against Kimi. Seems that all the years of unfulfilled potential, may simply have been Kimi not being more than a very good driver and not really a great driver.

Keke is my all time favorite, got to go with him.

[KWSN - DSM]

Originally posted by Crazy Ninja


Same here. Check him out going through Eau Rouge with the barriers still right beside the track.
Link

LOL what about the dude standing there as well.

[engel]

Mika had flashes of pure brilliance, that alone makes him better in my book inspite of what raw stats say. Besides, it's kinda futile comparing driver's stats when they raced in different "eras" ... Stats are inversely correlated to the quality of your competition

[KWSN - DSM]

Originally posted by mursuka80


I heard that before he went for that lap Keke smoked a Marlboro and one shot of whisky

5 - 10 seconds in

[sterling49]

The guy that smoked the Marlboro Reds

[Rob]

Originally posted by engel
Mika had flashes of pure brilliance, that alone makes him better in my book inspite of what raw stats say. Besides, it's kinda futile comparing driver's stats when they raced in different "eras" ... Stats are inversely correlated to the quality of your competition

Nurburgring 1998 - he out-Schumachered Schumacher. That was one of the best drives I've seen. On his day, Mika was unstoppable.

[raiseyourfistfor]

Hakkinen no doubt.

[item3785]

Keke!

Wrestled some evil handling Williams cars to great results, and made other drivers from hotter climates look pathetic in the heat of Dallas. Legend.

[KWSN - DSM]

I preferred not to chose a driver in any of the threads of 'Best of last 50 years', whom I have not seen race, with the exception of Clark in the British drivers thread.

Keke was my man and that naturally matters, but are we not also possibly seeing the (a?) schism of the 'old days' and 'modern times', when we argue Mika, Kimi and Keke.

Keke was racing at a time, when cars broke down more often, when it was acceptable 'only' to win 1 or 2 races in a season, and still be considered at true front running driver, where a driver could be more 'human' than the athletes of today?

There is little reason for me to think that Keke would not have the speed in todays environment, I do have some doubts if he would have the will (interest?) in the training regimen that today is also.

There is little reason for me to think that Kimi would not fall right in with the Hunt's and Rosbergs of the 70ies and 80ies of F1, living of his speed more then hard training and ultra prepared physically.

I do think that the one who would 'struggle' and this VERY relatively speaking would be moving Mika to the early 1980ies and expect him to be quite the same driver as he was when he was fully on.

Having now spend close to 40 years following F1, I can and do still appreciate how incredibly talented ALL F1 drivers are, that they are the top of the top, having made it from the lowest level to the highest, taking a place among a very select few.

But I can also see how F1 have changed, and how there is something to 'it was better in the old days', this is not that I dislike todays version, more that I think we all lose out if we are looking for the best drivers perform and be the difference maker, the technology have moved to a point where even though the drivers are still to me the most important part to winning a championship, then there are times where the driver do not make enough of a difference.

I think that the FIA, FOM and FOTA made a wrong turn when the technology was basically given a free rein, and a lot of the issues F1 is struggling with now could have been avoided through a better rules writing by the FIA, the genie is out of the bottle and will not be easy to put back in, and the knee jerk way they go about it right now is not the way to go.

Guess I am getting old.

[COUGAR508]

Hakkinen - sheer speed and raw talent.

[OfficeLinebacker]

I gotta go for Keke too. What's the one where he drives like a madman on the opening laps, ends up spinning himself out, only to continue, having lost almost nothing?

But then again I prefer the crazy men from his cloth and Gilles'. I guess their heirs recently would be JPM and today Alonso.

[Bernd Rosemeyer]

Probably Mika. That said, should Kimi collect a couple of titles more or so, he might be considered better. Looking forward to see if he will.

[Slyder]

Keke, because he kicked ass, and was a hell of a spectacular driver who unfortunately was strapped in the right team at the wrong time on both occasions. he's my favorite driver from the early to mid 80's.

Hakkinen close 2nd. Bad luck and a near deadly accident kind of set him back, but he came back with a vengeance. Too bad McLaren started letting him down.

Raikkonen - solid 3rd. Should've been champion in 2003. Is incredibly fast in the right car, given that it holds together. Suzuka 2005 is his undoubtedly his greatest victory, one that I will never forget. 2007 he won the championship deservedly, althoug he had champion's blues the following year. Hopefully this year will be better.

[Crazy Ninja]

Originally posted by OfficeLinebacker
I gotta go for Keke too. What's the one where he drives like a madman on the opening laps, ends up spinning himself out, only to continue, having lost almost nothing?

But then again I prefer the crazy men from his cloth and Gilles'. I guess their heirs recently would be JPM and today Alonso.

Could be Long Beach you're talking about. There was a vid of him on youtube but its been removed now . He goes mad at the start and leaves tyre marks all along the grid then makes some crazy attempts at overtaking, some of which came off.

[Atreiu]

Originally posted by Rob


Nurburgring 1998 - he out-Schumachered Schumacher. That was one of the best drives I've seen. On his day, Mika was unstoppable.

I like to think it was his best race as well.