Arguments, naps, dead ends: the craziest moments of Räikkönen's career

Kimi gets lost

There is really only Kimi Räikkönen to offer us such slices of laughter. The final of the 2012 season is held in Interlagos (Brazil). Temporary showers make grip precarious. The Finn will be trapped during the last braking of the circuit. But instead of turning around to get back on the track, he decides to continue straight!

Passing into the safety lane, the Lotus continues for a few meters before suddenly stopping. In fact, the road is blocked by the safety rail of the real circuit! And so here is “Iceman” forced to turn back between the marshals, then suddenly pass into the grass clearance mound.

“Where I went out, normally you can return to the circuit by using the pitlane for the support races,” explained Kimi Räikkönen. But for that, you have to go through a front door. 

I knew this because I had already done this maneuver in 2001 and the door was wide open then. So someone closed it this time. Next year I will make sure it is open…”

Angry Kimi #1

This is probably one of the Finn's best-known escapades. On the night of November 4, 2012 in Abu Dhabi, Lotus finally found itself in a position to win a Grand Prix. The race is full of adventures and there are numerous Safety Car interventions.

Sensing that success is within arm's reach, Kimi Räikkönen's radio engineer begins bombarding his pilot with rather obvious orders. “Work all four tires please.”, to which “Iceman” responds: “Yes, yes, yes, I do it all the time, you don’t need to repeat it every ten seconds! »

The other sentence passed down to posterity was spoken after the engineer wanted to keep him informed of his pace and the deviations. “Leave me alone, I know what I have to do!” » This scathing response was so popular that Lotus decided to print it on t-shirts during the last events of the season! 

Angry Kimi #2

At Ferrari, Kimi Räikkönen has lost none of his verve. In Azerbaijan, during the 2017 edition, his car had to be taken out of the pit lane before the race restarted. Except that the steering wheel and the pilot's gloves were missing! 

What followed was a tirade as energetic as it was hilarious on the radio. “The steering wheel, the gloves and the steering wheel, yeah. Give… the steering wheel. Hey… Hey! The steering wheel, someone tell him to pass it to me! Damn it ! Move ! » 

Kimi dozing

When you are new to Formula 1, you probably feel nervous or at least very impatient. Not Kimi Räikkönen. Barely half an hour before the big jump in Melbourne (Australia), here he is taking a nap in the Sauber motorhome! 

The rookie even almost missed the kick-off, as engineer Jacky Eeckelaert explained to Finnish media mtv3 in 2013. “Kimi was not in the garage with five minutes left before the green light in the pits. »

“What, is it already now? I'm coming, I'm coming ! », reacted the 21-year-old young man. The man is already serene.

Kimi and natural needs

The 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix marks the (first) retirement of Michael Schumacher. 

The legendary Pelé hosts a presentation on the starting grid in honor of the “Kaiser”. All the drivers are present, except our dear Kimi Räikkönen.

A few moments before kick-off, British television gets its hands on Kimi Räikkönen. Why the pilot McLaren Did he miss this ceremony? “I was shitting,” he will respond straight away.

Kimi and gluttony 

The 2009 edition of the Malaysian Grand Prix was interrupted by an exceptional storm. The Sepang circuit is flooded, with drivers forced to stop on the grid after the red flag appears. 

While most drivers wait in their cockpits before a restart that will never happen, Kimi Räikkönen decides to take a little tour of the Scuderia's hospitality. A little pee? 

No, a sudden craving for ice cream. The scene is filmed live. Meanwhile, his engineer told the BBC that he was “very interested in getting back on track”!

Kimi and the party, episode 1

In 1988, Ayrton Senna returned directly to his Monaco apartment following an accident on the track. Kimi Räikkönen proposed his slightly more rock'n'roll variation in 2006.

During his McLaren period, Kimi Räikkönen was dogged by a chronic lack of reliability of the engine block Mercedes. The 2006 Monaco Grand Prix is ​​no exception to the rule. The V8 went up in smoke with 28 laps to go as it carried it towards a probable podium. 

Our man will drown this disillusionment by going on foot to the port of Monaco. But this walk is not about returning to the garage of your stable; rather stop at a yacht run by a Finnish friend!  

It was from this charming observation post that he watched the last towers, a small drink in hand, shirtless. 

Kimi and (again) the party, episode 2

Kimi Räikkönen therefore has no limits. Unquestionably the most placid of the pilots in interviews, the Nordic nevertheless knows how to enjoy life. The FIA ​​awards ceremony in Saint Petersburg (Russia) in December 2018 was the ideal opportunity. 

In a solemn, even guided, setting, Kimi Räikkönen showed up quite tipsy. Cigar in hand, his approach betrays a mind that is not necessarily very clear, especially when he is invited to collect his trophy for third best F1 driver. 

On stage, he hugs his ex-teammate Sebastian Vettel like an old friend, waving at the camera like a child and having the time of his life.

As we leave the evening, the festivities continue. He tries to sit in a car that is not his, then waves to his fans while his wife is waiting for him in the correct car! Looking stunned, he even puts on a hat and claps the audience’s hands. 

“Great Mendez,” said one of the characters in the film “Camping.” This is “great Räikkönen”. 

Clumsy Kimi 

Formula 1 drivers leave the paddock like any other individual, without fanfare. Once the 2012 German Grand Prix and the debriefing with the Lotus team are over, the 2007 world champion goes to the parking lot reserved for competitors. 

Before getting behind the wheel of his Infiniti SUV, Kimi Räikkönen must cross a barrier. But it’s well known that he never does things like the others. Also, he wallows in an absurd position! 

His own rap song

The rapper from Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) LMB published in September 2019 a clip soberly titled “Räikkönen”. 

In this piece, a phrase is thrown out several times: “I’m going to bomb like Räikkönen”. Be careful, LMB mainly talks about female conquests, which are clearly chained as quickly as the car from an F1 star. That says a lot about Kimi Räikkönen’s popularity…