Kimi Räikkönen

Probably one of the coolest drivers ever to grace F1 alongside James Hunt.

His part life-style may not have been to some teams liking in F1 but you can't deny that Kimi was probably one of the best drivers on the grid from 2003-09. He should have won more championships than he did!

Kimi won his one and only F1 Championship in 2007. Kimi won 18 races, 16 pole positions, scored 62 podiums and claimed 35 fastest laps in his time in F1.

Kimi is probably the must unluckiest driver to ever grace F1 and the amount of retirements he had no fault of his own were lots.

Kimi won his first GP in 2003 winning the Malaysian GP and he claimed his last victory in F1 at the 2009 Belguim GP.

Kimi started his F1 career in 2001 driving for Sauber, he then went on to drive for Mclaren and Ferrari before quitting the sport in 2009.

Kimi produced probably the 2 most funniest moments to happen in F1 over the last 10 years, when he said at the Brazilian GP in 2006 when Schumi first retired from F1 and the other one at the Malaysian GP where the race was red flagged and he went to the garage and got into shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops and started eating ice-cream.

Whether you liked him or not you can't deny his talent, he produced one of the comebacks of the past 10 season by starting near the back of the Japan GP in 2005 and went on to win it! Probably one of his best race wins in F1.

Did you like Kimi or Not?

 

[sobriety]

I think he knew he'd left, but they kept paying him, so he kept schtum.

 

[F1Brits_90]

im going to miss kimi so much

https://twitter.com/x/status/1468135905898602500

 

[Brogan]

Good riddance.

 

[Titch]

He’s been very subdued this season. Goodbye to the ice cream man xxxxx

 

[Johnny Carwash]

Even though it’s his last race weekend and all the sentiment that goes with it. He should have quit f1 when he got the boot from Ferrari in 2018. Ever since then, he’s been a seat blocker at Alfa Romeo.

 

[FB]

I'm sure from Alfa's perspective it filled a need in bringing in sponsors and from a PR perspective as you could meet the 2007 F1 World Champion. I can't help but feel any meeting with him would have been very underwhelming though.

edited for the correct Championship winning year

 

[The Artist.....]

Kimi has probably been in F1 for a decade too long. I never understood why Ferrari re-signed him to be Alonso's team-mate. Effectively, Kimi seemed to give up once he won the championship in 2007. He achieved his aim, and then never really showed the same level of ability again.

 

[Brogan]

He achieved his aim

I don't think he was even aiming for it.

It just happened by accident.

I seem to recall he was less than enthused when he was informed he was the WDC.

 

[F1Brits_90]

Even though it’s his last race weekend and all the sentiment that goes with it. He should have quit f1 when he got the boot from Ferrari in 2018. Ever since then, he’s been a seat blocker at Alfa Romeo.

very true but he hasnt been embarassment he has driven some great races at alfa & giovinatzzi has never dominated him, like he shouldve

 

[cider_and_toast]

It was strangely satisfying dropping the "current" from the thread title.

 

[F1Brits_90]

i always i will miss kimi & for large parts of his career he was the only character on the grid, as F1 was just full of boring robots. nobody showed emotion or any personality as it deemed horrendous by sponsors

that 2018 USA GP still goes down as 1 of favourite wins of the last 5 yrs. ive seen such love for ferrari win outside of monza

 

[Titch]

Bye bye ice cream man

 

[Andyoak]

 

[Brogan]

This sums up Räikkönen.

 

[cider_and_toast]

He was always happy to take the money though.

His attitude sucks

 

[The Artist.....]

What always annoys me about drivers (like) Raikkonen is that there are many drivers who would drive for a tiny fraction of what he was being paid. And he didn’t seem to care.

It was a case of a driver living too long on his reputation. Even commentators seem to talk about him in hushed tones, as if he’s some great.

He was great at Sauber and then McLaren (and showed that Coulthard had been employed for 5 years too long) but he got his big payday at Ferrari and gave up.

 

[cider_and_toast]

He was so popular at McLaren, when he won the 2007 title, many of his former team's mechanics celebrated with the Ferrari team that night.

After his contract was paid up at Ferrari that's when he should have walked away for good but I suppose it's not his fault if teams kept hiring him.

 

[F1Brits_90]

Kimi raikkonen being the anti character, did save F1 as a person because until this new guard of Verstappen, Norris, Russell, Leclerc. even Vettel has come out of his shell. it was dreadful it might as well have been robots when he was gone. they were all too scared to say anything incase they offended someone around the world & just made them instantly forgettable

 

[Brogan]

No, it didn't.

He was an unfunny, useless twat, who was only ever interested in the money.

 

[F1Brits_90]

i wouldnt say useless when he was world champion in 2007, & was the best driver on the grid in 2003 & 2005. when he could be bothered admitadlly he was outstanding when he couldnt win he did dip

must have cold heart to not find this entertaining. all credit to Barrichello, Heidfeld, Sutil, Petrov, Kovaleinen, Kobayashi great drivers but trying to attract fans to the sport would be horrendous as how do you get excited with just dull characters