Cult driver Räikkönen turns 40: coolness, triumphs and escapades

Kimi Räikkönen himself is amazed at how long he has stayed in Formula 1. When asked whether he could ever have imagined that he would still be driving in Formula 40 at the age of 1, he replied with a smile on the sidelines of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka: “ Absolutely not, but that’s just how it developed.” And after a short pause, he added: “I still have time to get out.”

The Finnish Alfa Romeo driver has been active in the premier motorsport class since 2001. At that time, Michael Schumacher, Max Verstappen's father Jos and Fernando Alonso were still driving. Almost two decades later, the Iceman, as his former McLaren team boss Ron Dennis called him because of his callousness and infamous taciturnity, is still chasing points. The man from Espoo, west of Helsinki, who turns 40 this Thursday, has not scored any points in five Grand Prix. And that really annoys Räikkönen, even though he knew that successes with the former Sauber team would be significantly smaller than with Ferrari.

Raikkonen is the last Ferrari world champion Sebastian Vettel said about his friend Raikkonen that he would miss “the peace and quiet” when he had to leave the Scuderia for Charles Leclerc at the end of last year. The 21-time Grand Prix winner hates politics and intrigue just as much as simulator rides, traveling around and PR appointments.

Kimi Raikkonen drove the red Ferrari for years. © APA/epa / SRDJAN SUKI

Nevertheless, Räikkönen, who is still Ferrari's last champion since his world title in 2007, tied himself to Alfa Romeo until the end of 2020 out of pure desire for horsepower. He also made his Formula 2001 debut with the Swiss Sauber team in 1. Only in 2010 and 2011 did Räikkönen take a break from the fastest roundabout in the world to take part in the World Rally Championship and the NASCAR series. New home in Switzerland In Switzerland, in Baar on Lake Zug, he has long since found a home for himself, his wife Minttu and their two children Robin and Rianna. “I can't imagine living in Finland all the time anymore. If I quit Formula 1, I will stay in Switzerland with the family,” he told the New Zurich newspaper in an interview. “With the forests, the fields, the lakes, Switzerland reminds me a lot of Finland.” Baar is his home, “I feel comfortable here. On the other hand, I only go to Finland two or three times a year.”

Raikkonen is known for his antics. In the 2012 season he is said to have been drunk almost continuously between the Grand Prix in Bahrain and Spain, at least that is what it says in the biography he authorized, “The Unknown Kimi Räikkönen”. His radio message to the Lotus command post during his victory in Abu Dhabi in 2012 has long been legendary: “Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing.” “Racing is not the most important thing in my life” Motocross lover Räikkönen would never describe racing as his addiction. “While racing takes up the most time in my life, it is not the most important thing - and it never has been. Everyday life is worth much more to me, beyond victories or seventh places,” said by far the oldest driver on the Formula 1 grid.

Räikkönen also has a refreshing distance from the tangible record as the driver with the most starts in the premier motorsport class. He is only 14 Grands Prix away from record holder Rubens Barrichello (322) from Brazil. He could surpass this record next season. But this record “doesn’t interest him at all,” said Räikkönen.

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Cult driver Räikkönen turns 40: coolness, triumphs and escapades

Today Kimi Raikkonen turns 40. The Iceman has become an integral part of Formula 1 because of his composure, his victories and his lateral thinking.

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