Racing
© Jonathan Borba
McLaren marked its 1,000th Formula 1 grand prix by unveiling a bronze statue of two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, using the milestone to link its current rise with one of the team’s defining title-winning moments.
The sculpture, created by British motorsport artist Paul Oz, captures Hakkinen’s celebration at Suzuka in 1998, when he secured the first of his back-to-back championships with McLaren. It stands on the factory’s Boulevard alongside his title-winning MP4/13 and joins bronze statues of Bruce McLaren, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
Hakkinen attended the unveiling with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, team principal Andrea Stella, and current drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Looking at the statue, Hakkinen said: “Wow... Good memories! This is me in Suzuka, when I won my first World Championship, the beginning of something very special.”
He said the moment still carried the pressure of a career spent chasing a title. “When you spend your whole life racing, there is pressure on you to win a World Championship, and you never know whether you are going to. That day in Suzuka, before the race, I just remember thinking, ‘okay, let’s do this, let’s go for it’. An amazing moment. Thank you all.”
McLaren framed the ceremony as more than a tribute to the past. Brown said the team’s 1,000-race mark underlined its place in Formula 1 history after surviving generations of rivals. “More than 100 Formula 1 teams have come and gone since McLaren made its debut,” Brown said. “We are the second-most successful team in history and the second oldest. That all comes down to the DNA Bruce McLaren instilled in this team.”
That legacy was presented as an obligation as much as an achievement. Stella called the milestone “an incredible honour” and said McLaren also has “a responsibility to keep filling our trophy cabinets as those before us have done. That is both honour, and immensely motivating.”
Piastri pushed that message forward, saying McLaren wants “more world championships” and sees room to add to its standing. With the team already the second-oldest in Formula 1 history, he said the target now is bigger than preserving its heritage: becoming the sport’s most decorated entrant.