Hakkinen with a win back behind the wheel of a race car
Flying Finn Mika Hakkinen put on his racing gloves again and competed in a GT race in Zhuhai, China, where he shared a Mercedes SLS AMG with 17-year-old “apprentice” Matthew Solomon. The duo celebrated in the 50-minute GT Asia series race. Hakkinen started the race in sixth place in the SLS with the starting number 36 and broke through to the second by the time he got out of the first turn. The two-time Formula One world champion drove into the pits during the safety car phase and handed the wheel to Solomon. After leaving the pits, he had a free path in front of him, so he quickly made up for the lag behind the then leading Earl Bamber. Eight minutes before the end, Solomon took advantage of a small space and made his way past Bamber with a late brake. Solomon then led all the way to a historic first win in AMG’s program