Paavo Laakkonen

Paavo Laakkonen
Laakkonen in 2011
Nationality	Valkean
Born	(1979-11-05) November 5, 1979 Novika, Suurilaakso, Valkea
Astyrian Formula One Championship
Years active	2001-2013
Teams	Garlan, MacGregor, Sidus
Championship titles
2007, 2012	AstyF1 Drivers' Champion
Astyrian Rally Championship
Years active	2014-2016
Teams	Hedlund Motorsport
Valkean GT Championship
Years active	2017-Present
Teams	Aurinko Racing, Comet Motorsport

Paavo Laakkonen (born 5 November 1979) is a Valkean racing driver who competed in Astyrian Formula One from 2001 to 2013. He won the Drivers' Championship for Sidus in 2007 and 2012. After his F1 career, he joined the Astyrian Rally Championship as a driver for Hedlund Motorsport from 2014 to 2016, and the Valkean GT championship for Aurinko Racing in 2017 and for Comet Motorsport since 2018.

Laakkonen first entered Astyrian F1 in 2001, joining the Garlan team for the 2001 and 2002 seasons. He then drove for MacGregor from 2003 to 2005, and became a title contender in 2005 behind Raamaker driver Max de Ruyter. Laakkonen's seasons with MacGregor were marred with unreliability problems, prompting him to move to the revived Sidus F1 Team. This change meant he became the Drivers' Champion for the 2007 Formula One season.

Despite numerous setbacks since then, Laakkonen remained with Sidus for several years. In 2012 he was crowned Drivers' Champion for the 2nd time, making him the first Valkean driver to win multiple titles in Formula One. He was fired from Sidus in 2013 due to his public criticism of the team after a winless season in 2013. Because no other F1 teams were open to signing him in the 2014 season, he retired from the sport. Outside of Formula One, he participated in the Astyrian Rally Championship from 2014 to 2016 for Hedlund Motorsport - scoring his highest finish in 2015 in 4th place - and currently drives in the Valkean GT Championship for Comet Motorsport.

He is famous and loved by fans for his calm demeanor in the face of pressure, his blunt personality, and a smooth, relaxed driving style. Various magazines have listed him as one of Astyria's highest paid athletes during his career at Sidus.

Early and personal life

Laakkonen was born in Novika, Suurilaakso, Valkea to a middle-class family. His father worked as an entrepreneur and his mother was a schoolteacher. He was described by his teachers and his classmates to be a shy and nonchalant individual. His interest in cars began at the age of eight, when he went with his father to a local karting race in Novika. Soon after, Laakkonen pleaded with his father to buy him a go-kart, which the latter resisted until his son was ten.

He married TV personality Erika Nieminen in 2006 and had two children with her. They divorced in 2015. Since then, he has remarried in 2019, this time to Sarita Penttinen, a fashion model who won Miss Valkea in 2016.

Early career

At the age of 11, Laakkonen began entering in kart racing competition. While he struggled in his first year, he started winning local and national competitions. In 1994, he won the Valkean Karting Championship and the Valkean Kart Challengers' Cup. These early successes prompted his move to karting competitions outside of Valkea.

In 1995 he finished 5th place in the Northern Lorecian Kart Masters' Cup, as well as 3rd place in the Southern Lorecian Karting Series. This was followed by a brief stint in the 1996 Juhola Karting Cup, where he finished 8th, as well as in the 1996 Astyrian Karting Championship, where he finished 3rd. He returned to the Astyrian Karting Championship in 1997, finishing 1st in the standings.

He moved up to car racing in 1998, joining the Valkean Formula 3 Series and the Lorecian Formula 3 Series. In the latter, he clinched the championship by winning the first five races of the 1998 season. He retained his title in the 1999 Lorecian Formula 3 season, and won the 2000 Astyrian Formula Two Championship.

Astyrian Formula One

Garlan (2001-2002)

Because of Laakkonen's results in the lower divisions, Jacob Garlan signed him to join the 2001 season for the Garlan F1 team. He was paired with Haguenauan driver Olivier Gaubert. This decision was met with criticism, mainly due to his inexperience in open-wheel racing - the Valkean only had 30 races to his name. Regardless, the Astyrian Motorsport Federation (AMF) granted him an F1 Super Licence for 2001. Immediately he made an impression, taking 7th place at the first race of the season at the Arimathean Grand Prix. His debut year with Garlan was a solid one, finishing seven races within the top eight. Further success followed in the 2002 season, where the Valkean scored his first podium at the Noordenstaat Grand Prix.

MacGregor (2003-2005)

Laakkonen's performance with Garlan caught the attention of MacGregor team principal Bradley Pearce. Fellow Valkean and former MacGregor driver Nico Paavola was a major influence in the team's decision to choose Laakkonen, famously telling Pearce, "If you want a champion, get the Valkean."

For the 2003 season, he was paired with Alistair O'Donnell, who won the Drivers' Championship in 2000 and 2001. The Valkean held his own against his teammate, taking his very first victory at his debut race in the Arimathean Grand Prix. Famously, he was found sleeping in his motorhome one hour before the race. Despite the MacGregor suffering reliability issues throughout the season, Laakkonen was able to take six podiums for the team. He was set to take the victory at the Hindia Belandan Grand Prix, but an engine failure retired him from the race. Together with the Aswickan, they scored enough points for MacGregor to finish 3rd in the Constructors' Championship.

MacGregor debuted a more reliable package for the 2004 season, which posed a serious threat to the dominance of Phaeton and their driver Augustus Tertullius. With it, Laakkonen took his first victory at the Aswickan Grand Prix, the first for MacGregor since 1995. He would finish 2nd place behind the Confederate driver in several events. Among these 2nd places, the most infamous occasion took place at the Kelonnan Grand Prix, where the Valkean attempted to overtake Tertullius down the straight before the Turn 12-13 chicane. Tertullius responded by forcing Laakkonen to go wide on the entry to Turn 12, which in turn forced the latter to back off. This was met with wide criticism, as such a move nearly caused Laakkonen's car to clip the kerb and lift off, which would have caused a major accident.

2005 was Laakkonen's strongest season with the team, yet once again he finished the standings in 2nd, this time against Raamaker's Max de Ruyter. Nevertheless, he was still able to claim victories for MacGregor. At the Azmir Grand Prix, Laakkonen was in the lead trying to defend against De Ruyter. But despite the latter posting many fastest laps, he managed to fend the Noordenstaater to win the race. Another victory was added soon after at the Aswickan Grand Prix, when the Valkean took the lead from Tertullius due to the latter pitting. His third victory that year, the Monsa Grand Prix, Laakkonen took pole position and retained his lead for much of the race. At the Valkean Grand Prix, he was penalized in qualifying and sent back to the rear of the pack. However, he was able to pass car after car in the race and finish in 1st. Many pundits have considered this one of his best performances of his career.