McLaren unveils Hakkinen bronze statue at Woking to mark 1000th grand prix

McLaren unveiled a bronze statue of two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen at its Woking headquarters on Thursday, marking the team’s 1000th grand prix milestone. Crafted by motorsport artist Paul Oz, the sculpture captures Hakkinen mid-celebration at Suzuka, where he clinched his maiden title at the 1998 season finale.

The statue now stands on the factory’s Boulevard alongside his championship-winning MP4/13, joining existing bronzes of Bruce McLaren, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna — a permanent gallery of the team’s most celebrated figures.

Hakkinen attended the unveiling in person alongside McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, team principal Andrea Stella, and current drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

“Wow… Good memories! This is me in Suzuka, when I won my first World Championship, the beginning of something very special,” Hakkinen said. “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.”

Brown used the occasion to reflect on the scale of McLaren’s history. “More than 100 Formula 1 teams have come and gone since McLaren made its debut,” he 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. It is unbelievably special to work here, and it’s important for us all to take a moment to enjoy that, because we are the ones in the room at this moment in time, and we are the ones making history happen.”

Stella echoed the sentiment, framing the milestone as both a tribute and a challenge. “It’s an incredible honour. We have a responsibility to keep filling our trophy cabinets as those before us have done. That is both honour, and immensely motivating.”

The 1000th grand prix landmark places McLaren among the most enduring institutions in the sport, a distinction the team is marking with a series of events at its Woking base.