The 1995 Adelaide crash that nearly cost Mika Häkkinen his life

At nearly 200 km/h, Mika Häkkinen’s McLaren hit a row of tyre barriers head-on at Brewery Bend in Adelaide. The crash in Friday qualifying for the 1995 Australian Grand Prix left him with a severe skull fracture, internal bleeding and a blocked airway.

Häkkinen did not know a tyre had punctured as he approached the bend. Under braking, he lost control of his McLaren MP4/10; the car spun over the kerb and briefly lifted into the air. A concrete wall stood behind the single row of tyres.

Two volunteer doctors nearby acted quickly, performing an emergency tracheotomy to clear his airway. Häkkinen later recalled that he could not raise his arms or move his legs. He said he remained conscious until the doctors opened his throat, then lost consciousness.

Sid Watkins, Formula 1’s medical officer, resuscitated Häkkinen twice after reaching the crash scene. Without the medical team’s intervention, he would not have survived. He was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, spent more than a day in a coma and recovered there over about two and a half months.

Häkkinen finished second twice with an unreliable McLaren in 1995. He returned at the start of the 1996 season and went on to win Formula 1 world titles in 1998 and 1999.