Mika Häkkinen Ignites Goodwood Festival of Speed in a McLaren Solus GT Tribute
Mika Häkkinen took control of a V10-powered single-seat McLaren again at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, delivering a dramatic performance on the famous hillclimb.
The Finnish driver, who twice secured the Formula 1 World Championship with McLaren, blitzed the Goodwood Hill in a McLaren Solus GT. This model, a meticulously crafted homage to the McLaren MP4/13 he piloted in 1998, shone at last year’s Festival of Speed in 2023.
Häkkinen clinched the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championships in 1998 and 1999, earning McLaren its third and fourth drivers’ titles during the celebrated V10 era. His commanding performance in 1998 played a pivotal role in securing McLaren’s 8th World Constructors’ Championship. Alongside teammate David Coulthard, he secured nine race victories that season, propelling the team to championship triumph.
Fast-forward to the 21st century, and the McLaren Solus GT, which Häkkinen drove at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, is one of just 25 customer cars. Its owner, a dedicated fan of McLaren Formula 1 and Mika Häkkinen, commissioned McLaren Special Operations (MSO) to customise his Solus GT with a striking livery paying tribute to the famed Finnish driver’s MP4/13 racer.
Demonstrating the hallmark MSO craftsmanship, the livery features expertly mixed colours that stay true to the MP4/13 chassis as it appears today, rather than its original 1998 colours. In a nod to authenticity, a member of the MSO paint team who originally painted the MP4/13 cars during the 1998 season applied the livery.
Mika Häkkinen described driving the Solus GT as a reminder of his racing days with McLaren, praising its pure single-seater design, formidable V10 power, and incredible sound as “just incredible.”
Revealed in August 2022, the Solus GT embodies McLaren’s ultimate vision of a single-seat track-only hypercar inspired by the McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo from the Gran Turismo SPORT video game. Only 25 units were produced, and these cars are now being delivered to customers.
Weighing under 1,000kg and powered by a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine capable of revving beyond 10,000rpm and producing 840PS, the Solus GT’s aerodynamics, shaped through extensive wind tunnel research and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can generate over 1,200kg of downforce. This ultra-lightweight construction, power, and exceptional aerodynamic design enables the Solus GT to achieve some of the fastest lap times of any McLaren outside of Formula 1, offering a driving experience akin to a Formula 1 car.
The Solus GT, with Mika Häkkinen at the helm, returned to the Hill this year, just 12 months after the Finn drove an MP4/13 at the 2023 event. Additionally, McLaren factory driver Marvin Kirchhöfer clinched victory in a Solus GT during Sunday’s Timed Shootout Final at this year’s festival, recording a time of 45.342 seconds. This impressive performance confirmed McLaren as the fastest at Goodwood for the second time in three years, following the 720S GT3X’s victory in 2021.
