Kimi Raikkonen’s Most Outrageous Moments

The Canadian Grand Prix marked Kimi Raikkonen’s 200^th GP.

Image Credit: By https://www.flickr.com/photos/somethingness/ [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

A remarkable feat for anyone. However, he would be the last one to make a song and dance about it. A typical Finn, he errs very much on the side of taciturn and understated, unless he’s seeking to shock.

Talking about Finland: ”Well, in summer there’s fishing and f***ing. And in winter… the fishing is bad.”

Image Credit: By Antigorky, cropped and improved by RanZag [CC-BY-SA-3.)], via Wikimedia Commons

One of the many pithy epithets catapulting him to the top of the list of drivers people most want quoted and the bottom of the list of drivers journalists want to have to face due to his unpredictability, Kimi is renowned for his dislike of the media circus surrounding F1. His sarcasm and wit is legendary: -

”How does it feel to drive at 300kmh?” Kimi- “It feels normal.”

Image Credit: By Morio (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0]  via Wikimedia Commons

All he ever wants to do is drive and when he can’t do that, he wants to be kicking back with his friends. These two factors are probably the two major sources of everything the industry regards as outrageous in his behavior.

Raikkonen arrived on the F1 scene out of nowhere at 21, declared by many to be a danger to other drivers due to his lack of experience, having only completed 23 races previously. However, he did win 15 of those. Of his talent, there is no doubt.

The 2005 Japanese Grand Prix is testament to this. After a rain-affected qualifying session, Raikkonen started 17^th on the grid, just behind Fernando Alonso. However, he carved up the opposition steadily throughout the race, challenging for the lead in the final stages.

Signs of Kimi's lassez faire attitude to Formula 1 and everything else for that matter is epitomized in this interview, where, despite being paid millions, sponsorship plastered all over him head to foot, he temporarily forgets whose picking up the tab.

With Alonso stuck in traffic, Kimi made several quick laps then, pit-stopped, emerging just five seconds behind race leader Giancarlo Fisichella. He homed in on the Italian, catching him on the last turn of the last lap to take the chequered flag. Outrageous? Certainly and F1 at its best.

At the commencement of the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix, Footballing legend Pele was guest of honour, giving a speech at the presentation ceremony. Kimi was notably absent from the room and pundit Martin Brundle was the first one to track him down. Naturally, he quizzed the Finn on his whereabouts.

Another classic; the same year, at the Monaco Grand Prix, having retired early from the race after his heat shield failed whilst enjoying second place. Rather than face the inevitable inquest into what went wrong, Kimi strolled straight from his smoking car to the pontoon his yacht was moored at and without even taking off his helmet, boarded to cracked a beer with his mates.

Known as the Iceman for his cool attitude to, well, pretty much everything, when the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix was red-flagged, naturally, the first thing Raikkonen did having changed out of his onesie, was grab an ice cream. Well, what else would the Iceman do?

Image Credit: By Yuki Shimazu [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Raikkonen was clearly not impressed by his race engineer’s advice during the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, replying over team radio with the now infamous quote:

“Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing.”

At the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix, Mexican McLaren driver Perez made a series of perilous overtaking maneuvers, in one of which he collided with Raikkonen, giving the Finn an puncture and forcing him to drop from 5^th to 10^th place. Asked if the drivers would talk to Perez, Raikkonen said:

"That won't help. Maybe someone should punch him in the face."

”What advice would you give to the rookies Nico Rosberg and Scott Speed? –

Kimi- “I hope that they are good in giving way"

 Image Credit: By Gussisaurio (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Perhaps his most famous quote though, was to his overzealous engineer over the mic whilst racing. Now the stuff of legend and even T-shirts.

In an era post-McEnroe, post-Cantona, post-Tyson, when things are so airbrushed, coiffed and spun, sport needs its colourful characters more than ever.

Kippis, Kimi.