On this day 18 years ago, Finland’s Mika Hakkinen enjoyed a flag-to-flag victory at the Japanese Grand Prix to clinch the 1998 Formula One world championship title.
It was McLaren’s first drivers’ championship in seven years. Hakkinen secured the title with a 14-point margin over Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher, who had to start from the back of the grid and then suffered a 165mph blow-out when he ran over debris from an earlier crash that dumped him out of the action at Suzuka in the 32nd lap.
“When Michael was forced to start from the back of the grid it raised an enormous amount of pressure on me,” Hakkinen said afterwards. “I don’t know how to start explaining my feelings.”
More memorable events on this day:
1946: The New York Knickerbockers (now Knicks) beat the Huskies 68-66 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto in what was the first-ever NBA game.
1987: The New York Jets retired the #13 jersey of Don Maynard, who played as a wide receiver for the team from 1960 to 1972.
2015: Roger Federer ended a three-and-a-half year drought against Rafael Nadal by defeating him 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to claim a seventh Basel title.
