Widely regarded as two of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time, their rivalry primarily spanned from the late 90s to the early 2000s.
During the 2000 and 2001 seasons, after joining Ferrari back in 1996 to revive the team's fortunes, Michael Schumacher, driving the Ferrari F2000 and F2001, achieved a remarkable resurgence by securing his third and fourth World Championship titles, successfully overcoming Mika Häkkinen in the McLaren MP4-16 amid a highly competitive rivalry.
Häkkinen struggled with the uncompetitive Lotus car, while Schumacher began building his reputation as a potential great driver by winning his first F1 race at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix.
In the same season, Schumacher managed to win his first World Drivers' Championship title, which he successfully defended in the following year.
In that race, Schumacher, who was competing for the title, was disqualified from the championship after attempting to block Jacques Villeneuve in an unsportsmanlike manner.
This time, McLaren had a competitive car that led Häkkinen to win eight races and secure the drivers' championship title.
Despite a promising start, Schumacher eventually had to retire from the race, which also confirmed Häkkinen's championship victory.
[16][17] However, Schumacher's chances of winning the title came to an abrupt end when he suffered an accident during the British Grand Prix, resulting in a broken leg and forcing him to miss six races.
Despite this, Schumacher's efforts in those two races helped Ferrari secure the Constructor's Championship title for the first time since the 1983 season.
[21] Häkkinen managed to secure a victory in Spain, which was later countered by Schumacher's win in the European Grand Prix.
In Canada, Schumacher returned as the race winner, but he then faced a series of unfortunate events with three more DNFs in France, Austria, and Germany.
Meanwhile, Häkkinen won the Austrian Grand Prix and turned the tables by leading the championship through an impressive victory in Hungary, where Schumacher, despite starting from pole position, only managed to finish second.
[24] The rivalry between the two drivers reached its climax in Belgium when Häkkinen secured a spectacular victory by overtaking Schumacher three laps before the finish.
[25] As the season approached its end, Schumacher's fortunes began to improve when he won the race in Italy, holding off Häkkinen's challenge.
[26] In the United States Grand Prix, Häkkinen faced misfortune as his car's engine caught fire, while Schumacher once again emerged as the race winner.
Schumacher concluded the season with a victory in Malaysia, while Häkkinen could only manage a fourth-place finish after receiving a penalty for a jump start.
In Spain, Häkkinen performed well and appeared to be on track to win the race until his clutch suddenly failed on the last lap, handing victory to Schumacher.
[37] During the Italian Grand Prix, it was announced that Häkkinen would take a full-year sabbatical for the 2002 season, and his position at McLaren would be taken by the young Finnish driver, Kimi Räikkönen.
[40] On the other hand, Schumacher remained a dominant force in F1, winning a remarkable seventh World Drivers' Championship title in the 2004 season.