Kimi Raikkonen once convinced Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene that he had broken his leg, sending the Italian manager into panic and leaving him ready to inform Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne. There was just one problem: nothing had actually happened to the Finnish driver. It was an elaborate prank that perfectly reflected the unusual relationship between the two during their years together at Maranello.
Kimi Raikkonen and Maurizio Arrivabene’s relationship at Ferrari
Maurizio Arrivabene was appointed Ferrari team principal at the end of 2014 at the request of then-president Sergio Marchionne and remained at the helm until 2018. Across the 2014-2018 period, one constant in Ferrari’s driver line-up was Kimi Raikkonen, who spent one season alongside Fernando Alonso before partnering Sebastian Vettel for the following four.
The bond between Kimi Raikkonen and Maurizio Arrivabene quickly became a strong one. The pair had actually met back in 2007, when the Brescia-born manager was responsible for Marlboro communications. Reflecting on the Finnish driver’s distinctive personality, Maurizio Arrivabene explained: “Kimi is different from the others, in the sense that first he has to understand, and only then does he speak.”
There were, of course, occasional disagreements between them, but Maurizio Arrivabene always appreciated one particular characteristic in Kimi Raikkonen: his ability to put an argument behind him very quickly. Their relationship became one of the memorable elements of Maurizio Arrivabene’s Ferrari years, both inside and away from the intense competitive environment of Formula 1.
The Kimi Raikkonen broken-leg prank that fooled Maurizio Arrivabene
Maurizio Arrivabene first told the story of Kimi Raikkonen’s broken-leg prank in 2016, during an event designed to bring the Scuderia closer to its supporters. With both men together on stage, their exchange became particularly entertaining. It also provided a lighter moment during Ferrari’s 2016 Formula 1 season.
Maurizio Arrivabene recalled: “I was at home in Maranello, and it was already late. You know when you can’t wait to sit down on the sofa and say, ‘Ah, the day is over’…
“Then I got a message from Kimi with a picture. I thought, ‘At this time of night?’. I opened it and there he was with his leg in a cast. And there was one word, because he’s used to saying very little. It said ‘shit!’. At that point, my heart sank. I swore, then I swore again, and at a certain point I thought, ‘Damn, we have to tell the president [Sergio Marchionne]!’
“I was about to pick up the phone and call him to say, ‘We’ve got a mess here,’ when Kimi called me. ‘Ha, ha. It was a joke!’”
Kimi Raikkonen explains how he pulled off the prank
Kimi Raikkonen then confirmed exactly how he had managed to make the prank look so convincing. The photograph of his apparently injured leg had been made possible by another commitment that happened to give him the perfect opportunity.
“Yes, it’s true,” Kimi Raikkonen explained. “I was working with a company that made orthopaedic supports. I took a photo and did it deliberately, obviously. I enjoyed it, though.”
Maurizio Arrivabene’s response was immediate: “But I didn’t!”
The exchange captured the contrasting personalities of the two men and the relaxed side of a relationship that existed alongside the pressure of competing for Ferrari in Formula 1. The episode has remained one of the more amusing stories from their time together, while footage of Kimi Raikkonen pranking Maurizio Arrivabene also offered Ferrari fans another glimpse of the dynamic between the pair.
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