That means that his decision to take a sabbatical in 2002, which is widely expected to turn out to be retirement, is all the bigger shame.

The dour Finn may be a journalist's nightmare - he is monosyllabic in press conferences and his answers are peppered by pregnant pauses for conclusions that are usually not worth listening to.

But in the cockpit he rarely failed to deliver.

That changed slightly in 2001, when his motivation flagged when it became clear that McLaren were facing a tough season.

But as he proved in Spain, Silverstone and the USA, when Hakkinen was on song, even Schumacher had trouble living with him.

The Finn is lightning fast, and has proven to be almost totally infallible under pressure. His only real weakness is that he is less comfortable than Schumacher in wet-dry conditions.

Hakkinen perhaps lacks the intellectual flexibility to be a truly great driver, but his physical skills behind the wheel leave little to be desired.

He had a mixed season in 2000, when a bizarre mid-season lull cost him valuable points and took the edge off his title challenge.

But a scintillating passing manoeuvre on Schumacher at the Belgian GP later proved that he also undoubtedly possesses a racer's bravery and will - a quality some had suspected he might not possess.