McLaren’s iconic doctor, Aki Hintsa, has died
Yesterday we learned that the former McLaren team doctor had died of cancer. The Finn was 58 years old.
A very sad piece of news hit the Formula 1 world today with the announcement of the death of Finn Aki Hintsa, former doctor associated with the McLaren team for many years. The 58-year-old man succumbed to cancer. The Nordic man’s last public appearance was at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza last September.
The Finn was a good hockey player but chose to pursue medical studies. Subsequently, he decided to practice his profession in poor countries, particularly in Ethiopia in the early ’90s. He later turned to sports medicine, working with the 10,000-meter world champion Haile Gebrselassie.
The next step in his career took him to F1 and the McLaren team as the team’s official doctor. This coincided with the arrival of another Finn in the team, a certain Mika Hakkinen. His compatriot greatly helped the driver recover from his accident at the 1995 Australian Grand Prix. He was also one of the contributors to Hakkinen’s consecutive titles in 1998 and 1999.
The man briefly left McLaren to join the medical staff of the Finnish Olympic team. He then returned to the Woking-based structure in 2003. This led him to work with another compatriot, Kimi Räikkönen. His role was to help him work on his physical and psychological condition. He also played a significant role in preparing Lewis Hamilton mentally for his entry into F1 to handle the pressure that weighs on competitors in the premier category. This paid off as the Briton became world champion in just his second season under more than challenging conditions.
But he was much more than just a team member; he was a man who had special relationships with all its members. In their statement announcing the sad news, the McLaren team indicates: « Achieving this successfully is far from easy, but undoubtedly Aki achieved it. He was taken from us much too soon, at the age of only 58, but he brought more in his too brief life than many of those who lived nearly twice as long. And, in doing so, he brightened the lives of everyone he met, friendly and funny, kind and wise as he invariably was. »
The lengthy statement from the British team concludes with these words: « God bless you, dear friend. We will miss you. Indeed, we will miss you more than these words can express, and more than you will ever know. »
Many current and former drivers from McLaren and elsewhere are reacting to this death:
RIP DR. Aki Formula 1 will miss you !! My thoughts for his family pic.twitter.com/QVG32eAcH4
— Felipe Massa (@MassaFelipe19) 16 novembre 2016
A friend, a mentor, and someone I consider to be family. My message for Aki can be read here: https://t.co/k4XTmzg6l5 pic.twitter.com/TN6ruhZ01J
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 16 novembre 2016
Very sad to hear that Aki passed away. All my thoughts are with his family. We are going to trully miss him. 😭
— Romain Grosjean (@RGrosjean) 16 novembre 2016
RIP Dr. Aki 😢Helped me so much to grow as a personalityo. You’ll be missed by many
— Stoffel Vandoorne (@svandoorne) 16 novembre 2016
My Tiger Friend, did I ever tell you how much I loved you and you influenced my life?My thoughts and love are with his family. RIP Aki❤️#nr1 pic.twitter.com/DZISHKTKwS
— Pedro de la Rosa (@PedrodelaRosa1) 16 novembre 2016
RIP Aki Hintsa ! Aki was an amazing person, in same league as Sid!
— alex wurz (@alex_wurz) 16 novembre 2016
One of the cruel ironies of life. Aki spent most of his time helping others be happy and healthy, and he’s taken at 58. Quality man. RIP Aki https://t.co/2FuYKCxt8M
— Martin Brundle (@MBrundleF1) 16 novembre 2016
