Kimi Raikkonen’s great success, in addition to his undisputed driving talent, lies in his desire to be an anti-star. His spontaneous attitude and his frank statements far from political compromises have made millions of fans all over the world fall in love with him, fed up with glossy or even completely fake attitudes and contexts.
Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 Formula 1 world champion with Scuderia Ferrari, retired at the end of 2021, more than 20 years after his debut, with a record 349 grand prix starts for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus and Alfa Romeo.
An extensive interview given by the driver in 2021 during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend in view of his last race has been published on Motorsport.com in recent days. The Finn spoke of his frustration with some elements of Formula 1 that he could no longer bear: “There are so many things that are not right. There are so many things that are not making sense, at least in my mind, for what is going on here.”
When asked to be more specific Kimi Raikkonen replied: “All the bullshit going around. We know it, but nobody says it. Things that in my opinion shouldn’t even be there. A lot of things are false here. It’s good to get out. Mentally, it’s very good to be out of all that bullshit for a while. I know what’s in store for me when I get out. There’s a lot more bullshit than people see from the outside.” – the former Ferrari driver pointed out.
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“In Formula 1 money is crucial and politicians are very good”
Kimi Raikkonen then recalled his debut in 2001, a period in which according to him a real revolution was underway and everything seemed simpler, “everything was new” and “not like today” in which money has a huge influence on all of Formula 1.
“Money definitely changed things, like in any sport,” Kimi Raikkonen said – “The more money there is, the more politics there is. In general, in any country, there are games that people don’t know about until they get into the whole thing. You probably know that too. Clearly money is very important, as is power. I think people want to have power, this and that. I think in Formula 1 there are very good politicians who would do well in real politics!” – Kimi added.
Asked if he thought Formula 1 had lost its way a bit and was less focused on actual racing, Kimi Raikkonen replied: ‘It has been like this for many years, many years. Maybe now people realize that more”.
The Finnish driver then explained that his attitude is not the result of taking a position but simply due to the desire to feel good about yourself: “I don’t get involved. I know many things that happen, but I don’t get involved. If you get involved every day, I don’t think that’s very healthy for you.” – the 2007 Ferrari world champion concluded.
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