Häkkinen–Schumacher rivalry
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The Häkkinen–Schumacher rivalry or Schumacher–Häkkinen rivalry was a Formula 1 rivalry between Mika Häkkinen, a two-time Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion from Finland, and Michael Schumacher, a seven-time Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion from Germany. 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. Known for their intense competition and contrasting driving styles, their rivalry began at the 1990 Macau Grand Prix. Both Häkkinen and Schumacher entered Formula 1 in the 1991 season, with Häkkinen joining Lotus and Schumacher joining Jordan before later switching to Benetton. They were involved in some minor competitions from the 1992 to 1997 Formula 1 seasons. Schumacher became the first of the two to win a World Drivers' Championship, claiming the title in the 1994 Formula 1 season with his B194. He followed this up with a repeat title in 1995 in his B195, achieving back-to-back championships.
Their fierce rivalry in Formula 1 became even more prominent during the 1998 to 2001 seasons. Häkkinen, who joined McLaren in 1993, secured two consecutive world championship titles, in 1998 with his MP4/13 and in 1999 with his MP4/14. Schumacher was his closest rival that season. The competition between Häkkinen and Schumacher was briefly interrupted in the middle of the 1999 season when Schumacher had to miss six races due to a broken leg after an incident at the 1999 British Grand Prix. 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.
Before the 2001 Italian Grand Prix, Häkkinen announced he would take a break from F1 for the 2002 season for family reasons. In July 2002, Häkkinen changed his mind and decided to retire completely. His retirement ultimately marked the end of his rivalry with Schumacher, who continued to race until the end of the 2006 season winning three more championship titles on the trot starting from 2002, finished third in 2005, and wound up second in 2006. Schumacher would later make a return to Formula 1, competing for the German-based team Mercedes from the 2010 season through the 2012 season.