Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher helped to bring Formula 1 into the new millennium with three consecutive tight battles for the world championship.
In 1998 and 1999, the Finn hailed supreme, before his German rival finally got a taste of sweet success with Ferrari in 2000.
Along the way, they had some entertaining battles, and fans have quite a nostalgic view on this period of Formula 1. The sound, the drivers and the tracks.
After the 2000 Hungarian Grand Prix, Hakkinen had a two-point lead over Schumacher in the race for a third consecutive drivers’ championship.
With five rounds to go, he had a mega opportunity to become just the second driver in history, after Juan Manuel Fangio, to achieve such a feat.
How Mika Hakkinen produced one of the greatest F1 overtakes of all time on Michael Schumacher
The 2000 Belgian Grand Prix was a pivotal stage in the season. It was the penultimate race in the European portion of the season.
Fans attended in their droves to watch two of the greatest drivers of that era battle it out for the championship.
And boy, did they produce a spectacle. A wet start to the race saw Hakkinen lead the opening 13 laps before a spin. A critical error at the time.
However, just 20 laps later, he would be on the tail of Schumacher again and pressing for first place with less than a quarter of the race to go.
Reaching speeds in excess of 200mph down the Kemmel straight, Hakkinen attempted an opportunistic move down the inside of Schumacher at high speed.
It looked all the more dramatic with backmarker Ricardo Zonta being swamped at the same time. At one stage, they were three wide.
What happened for the rest of the 2000 Formula 1 season?
Hakkinen would keep his cool and go on to win in Spa, opening up a vital six-point gap at the top of the standings.
With three rounds to go at the United States Grand Prix, disaster would strike for Hakkinen, whose two-point lead turned into an eight-point deficit with a mid-race engine failure.
Schumacher seized the opening and won the following race at Suzuka, which confirmed him as the champion for the 2000 Formula 1 season.
The last race of the season was held in Malaysia, where Hakkinen would finish fourth, with Schumacher leading David Coulthard home in second.
Unfortunately, a mechanical failure robbed the two of what could have been an exciting finale. Ferrari also claimed the constructors’ championship by just 18 points.