F1 racer Mika Häkkinen paid tribute to Michael Schumacher, whose health condition remains a mystery for lack of updates, in a blog post that was published on McLaren website.

The F1 champ recalled the time when he competed with Michael Schumacher for the Belgian Grand Prix in 2000.

He wrote, "I had won the world championship in both 1998 and 1999, and in 2000 my McLaren-Mercedes was as quick as ever, albeit not always quite as reliable as it had been in the previous two seasons."

"Nonetheless, I arrived at Spa at the head of the world championship standings, and in an optimistic mood. My principal rival, as ever, was Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, just two world championship points behind me."

Mika Häkkinen recalled that the stars were perfectly aligned for him that day, which showed when the results were revealed the next day and he was eight-tenths quicker than Jarno Trulli who ended up at second place.

"I massively enjoyed my Formula 1 career, and one of its highlights was my ongoing rivalry with Michael. I respected him, and I think he respected me. We raced each other hard, but for the most part we also raced each other fairly," he added.

"He was a terrifically combative competitor, but you could say that about all the great champions. You do not win seven world championships by being soft-hearted, and Michael was never that; but he was a superb driver, one of the best in the history of the sport in fact," Mika Häkkinen wrote.

Which is why the F1 champ felt sad upon hearing of Michael Schumacher's health condition.

"I do not profess to know the details of his condition, but I was pleased to see that in a video interview released a couple of months ago his manager Sabine Kehm said that his condition was slowly improving. Keep fighting, my old friend," he added.

The family has imposed a news blackout on Michael Schumacher's health condition, which explains the lack of updates about how the seven-time F1 champ is really doing.