Formula 1 has been dominated in recent years by British phenomenon Lewis Hamilton, who could potentially win his record-breaking eighth world championship this season.
Due in part to Hamilton’s accomplishments, but mostly due to its rich racing history, the UK is the dominant nation in the sport, with 20 world championships won by 10 different drivers.
Other notably successful nations in the history of the sport are Germany, with twelve championships, seven of them by Michael Schumacher, and Brazil, which won eight between 1972 and 1991.
But while Germany and Brazil have relatively large populations and are known for their F1 skills with legends like Aytron Senna, the number of title winners (3) they have produced is strangely matched by the underdog nation of Finland.
Mika Hakkinen [left] won the championships in 1998 and 1999
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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Finland has only 5 million inhabitants and yet it has produced some of the most famous Formula 1 drivers.
Their first champion was Keke Rosberg, whose son Nico also became champion as a German driver in 2016.
Rosberg senior won in 1983 with Williams before his performance was surpassed by “Flying Finn” Mika Häkkinen almost two decades later.
The flying Finn mastered the title challenges of the great Michael Schumacher
(Image: GETTY)
Häkkinen pushed the incredibly talented Schumacher to consecutive titles in 1998 and 1999 while racing in the iconic McLaren race.
After Häkkinen’s resignation in 2001, the young Kimi Raikkonen, who won with Ferrari in 2008, took on the role of the great Finnish driver.
The four titles are made even more impressive by the fact that there were only nine F1 drivers in total.
Do you think Finland is the best racing nation in the world for Formula 1 pound for pound? Let us know in the comments section.
![Kimi Raikkonen [right] won a world championship while Heikki Kovalainen [left] also came from Finland](https://formulaone.news/images/blog/thumbnails/202112/img_06120612502.jpg)
Kimi Raikkonen [right] won a world championship while Heikki Kovalainen [left] also came from Finland
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Finland’s amazing performance in the sport has been attributed by its racing stars to its icy terrain, which requires better handling as well as innate courage when it comes to cornering fast.
Other notable Finnish drivers who do not win championships include two of Lewis Hamilton’s former and current team-mates
One of them is Heikki Kovalainen, who drove for McLaren Mercedes between 2008 and 2010 and won a race in the process.
Meanwhile, Mercedes number two Valtteri Bottas has 10 victories under his belt and is the only other Finnish driver besides Raikkonen who is currently on the grid.
