The extremely exciting World Cup duels between Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen have gone down in Formula 1 history. But the racing legends’ paths also crossed again and again off the track. They once made an advertising film together with the recently deceased football icon Franz Beckenbauer. For Häkkinen, meeting the FC Bayern icon was a highlight.
“He was an impressive personality and had a special aura. Not because of his sporting successes, but because he remained a human being,” Häkkinen recalled of Beckenbauer in an interview with “Sport Bild”.
He can still “very well remember” the shoot with the former world-class footballer and Michael Schumacher in 2010.
Häkkinen enthused: “It made no difference to him whether he spoke to the director, Michael, me or the camera assistant. Beckenbauer met everyone at eye level and didn’t look down on anyone. And he also proved to me that he could play football.”
Häkkinen later played golf with Beckenbauer “a few times together.” The Finn shared a curious anecdote from that time.
“Every now and then, when Beckenbauer had put his ball in the hole, he would take it out again, walk five or six meters away, put the ball on the ground and shoot it in again with his foot. Then he laughed a little because “He knew beforehand that he always scored. And that’s what he did!”, revealed Häkkinen.
The former world champion joked: “I then tried it myself – and let’s put it this way: There is a reason why I became a racing driver.”
Formula 1: Häkkinen and Schumacher respected each other
It is not known whether Schumacher was also present at the golf sessions. Despite all the rivalry, Germany’s motorsport idol got along well with Häkkinen and the mutual respect was enormous.
“I think they liked each other,” former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt once said in an interview with the French TV channel “Canal+”.