Mattia Binotto says Kimi Raikkonen is one of few people he can call a friend in F1. Kimi one of few Binotto called a friend in F1 paddock.

Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto has admitted that Kimi Raikkonen is one of the few people he can call a friend in Formula 1, and the former Ferrari driver will be roundly missed in the paddock. Mattia Binotto has known and worked with the 2007 Ferrari World Champion, who retired from Formula 1 last season after a record 349 grand prix starts.

The current Ferrari boss praised how the Finn performed throughout his career and added that his personality makes him a “good driver but also a great guy. I’ve known Kimi for a long time now, I think more than 14 years.” – Mattia Binotto said, as reported by Speedweek – “He has always been a fantastic and very fast driver. And I think he is still fast today. On top of that, though, he’s also a great guy. He is one of the few in the paddock that I count as a friend, because Kimi can always be trusted. He is very respectful, even if he doesn’t say much. But his behaviour shows that he is a great person. That’s why the whole paddock will miss him, not only because he’s a good driver but also a great guy.” – he explained.

Two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso spent the majority of his career racing against Kimi Raikkonen, with many on-track battles against him in the past near-two decades and been around him in the paddock in that time. At the same time, the two world champions worked toghether during their time at Ferrari in 2014. The Spanish driver confirmed that most people have not seen the off-camera version of Kimi Raikkonen, and agrees with Mattia Binotto’s sentiment that he is a fundamentally honest person who can speak frankly and laugh about the state of things on and off track – going against the ‘Iceman’ nickname long associated with him.

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“We will miss Kimi. I have come to know him as fundamentally honest, a man who dispenses with all gimmicks. What you see or what he says is business and done; no games.” – Fernando Alonso said – “To some people he may have seemed cool or taciturn, but there was always a completely different person slumbering inside him, not at all the Iceman. On the contrary, Raikkonen is a warm-hearted person, but it’s probably the case that you could only get to know the real Kimi away from the race tracks.” – the former Ferrari driver concluded.