MIKA HAKKINEN reflected on his victory at the 2001 United States Grand Prix as a ‘beautiful’ moment in his career.

And the two-time F1 world champion thinks the growth of the sport in America has been just as special.

Hakkinen, 58, won the drivers’ championship in his McLaren in 1998 and 1999.

The Flying Finn shocked the F1 world when he retired from the sport after the 2001 season.

The US Grand Prix that year proved to be his second last race ever – and final win in the sport.

Hakkinen spoke to The US Sun from Athens, Greece, where McLaren hosted a show run earlier this month.

The event was organized by team sponsor Allwyn, a multi-national gaming company, and aimed at bringing F1 to new audiences.

“I didn’t expect that victory,” Hakkinen admitted. “That was my last year in Formula 1.

“Before that I never won a Canadian Grand Prix – I won that in Montreal.

“I never won the British Grand Prix – I won the Silverstone Grand Prix and then Indianapolis.

“There was some incredible coincidence in my last year and Indianapolis was a beautiful victory.

“I think Formula 1 was not that popular in the US at that time, but now it’s just exploded over there and everybody is following.”

The US Grand Prix is back in Austin, Texas, next weekend.

The race wasn’t held from 2008 until 2011 as F1 struggled to gain a foothold in the US.

But it’s now one of three races in America on the calendar along with the glamorous Miami Grand Prix and Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Kim Kardashian has also been seen at races, cheering on Ferrari driver boyfriend Lewis Hamilton.

Brad Pitt also starred in a F1 movie last year, while Cars character Lightning McQueen was seen on the grid recently as part of a collab with Disney.

Hakkinen said, “Every year it keeps improving and improving.

“Americans don’t want to stay still. They want to make things better and better and better.

“One of the main differences now from when I retired is the size of the fanbase – it’s huge.

“Drive to Survive on Netflix made a huge impact for young generation of fans.

“It was Covid time and people were sitting in front of the TV and they had a chance to explore what is Formula 1 behind the scenes.

“It’s about the people, how they are behaving, and how they are communicating under the pressure.

“It’s about motivating each other, about showing emotions and great talents.”