No regrets
No other Formula 1 driver has competed in as many races as Kimi Räikkönen – and the 41-year-old, now in his third season with Alfa Romeo, gives no indication that he’s ready to stop. Adam Cooper caught up with the 2007 world champion to talk about his years at McLaren, Ferrari and Lotus, and why, despite the chicanery, frustration and pressure, he wouldn’t change a thing
Sauber’s youthful driver at Monaco in 2001
AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Still going strong, Iceman has a contract with Alfa until the end of this season.
At the Eifel GP last year Kimi Räikkönen logged his 323rd grand prix start, breaking the record held by Rubens Barrichello. Twenty years after his rookie season the Finn will continue to extend that total in 2021, and with his 42nd birthday in October, he shows no signs of intending to stop.
He might not be racing for wins these days, but the 2007 world champion remains a firm fan favourite around the world. His deadpan ‘Iceman’ persona has always appealed, as has the humour inherent in his colourful radio conversations with the pitwall.
On his second marriage and with two young children, Räikkönen long ago reined in his partying lifestyle. But at heart he remains the same straightforward character he was when he turned the perceived wisdom about young drivers on its head, someone who above all else values loyalty and honesty in the people with whom he deals.
It was in the late summer of 2000 that Kimi’s ambitious management team of David and Steve Robertson began looking for F1 opportunities for their man, who was then dominating the Formula Renault scene.
The Finn finished 11th in the new Alfa Romeo-Ferrari C41 at Bahrain on March 28
In 2000, Räikkönen won seven out of 10 Formula Renault races. Below: then came the move to Sauber
A first win came here in the Malaysian GP in 2003 for McLaren. Below: victory at São Paulo in 2007 gave Räikkönen his sole F1 title
The father/son combo had gained some kudos in the paddock by helping Jenson Button into Williams that year, and team boss Peter Sauber was intrigued by their sales pitch.
Räikkönen was in Finland enjoying a beer with a mate when the Robertsons called to say that he would be testing for Sauber at Mugello. He had never even been to a grand prix.
“Obviously things happened very quickly,” he recalls. “I didn’t know how the cars were, and I’d never seen an F1 car live. I couldn’t really prepare – it was go there and see what happens. It was rough physically for the neck, and with no power steering. But even if I had a month or two, I don’t think it would have helped.