Mika Häkkinen returns to racing

Michael Schumacher once remarked that the opponent he most respected in Formula One was Mika Häkkinen; the famous Flying Finn who let his racing do the talking.

Well, turns out Mika wants to let his racing warble on again, this time in a Mercedes SLS AMG GT3. The two-time F1 world champion has just announced he is to race in next month's six-hour endurance race in China. The former F1 and DTM racer will climb into an SLS for the final race of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in Zhuhai.

Not only will it be the first time Mika has raced since 2007, it's also the first time an SLS will be raced in China.

Merc SLS AMG GT3 vs 1971 300 SEL AMG

"Being a guest driver in such a line-up should be a lot of fun, especially in the SLS GT3," he said.

Mika's idea of ‘fun' by the way, is going, in his favoured lexicon, "flat out". And winning. He was a back-to-back F1 world champ and completed 31 DTM races for Mercedes between 2005 and 2007, with three wins and eight podium finishes.

"Formula One is a mind game, no question," Mika once remarked. "You have to think so hard sometimes smoke comes out your ears. And if you don't keep your head in gear the car will overtake you."

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz AMG's Black Series

Reckon the SLS GT3 will be smoky with the fog of Mika's cognitive prowess? Possibly. Now watch him give James May a driving lesson...