It is pretty hard to get a reaction from Kimi Raikkonen as the Iceman is known for his chilled-out attitude, even during races. However, McLaren’s Sergio Perez managed to infuriate the Finn when he almost ended Raikkonen’s 2013 Monaco GP.
Perez was battling for 5th position and tried to make aggressive moves in an attempt to overtake the Finn. However, the Mexican landed up colliding with Raikkonen’s Lotus in a failed attempt to get past him at the Nouvelle Chicane.
The Former Ferrari driver was unhappy after he suffered a puncture because of the accident. Raikkonen branded the Mexican an “Idiot” for causing the collision.
He warned the McLaren driver to not meet him after the race because Raikkonen would land a punch to his face. The anger was shared by Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, who both complained about Perez’s erratic driving during the race.
Why was Raikkonen furious with Sergio Perez?
A favorable result in the 2013 Monaco GP was crucial for Kimi Raikkonen’s title hopes. Raikkonen was trailing the championship leader by only 4 points ahead of the race. The Lotus driver qualified 5th, but a slow pitstop left him battling with the midfield.
McLaren’s Sergio Perez was improving as the race passed. The driver attempted a late-breaking move around the outside of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso at the Nouvelle chicane. The Spaniard cut the chicane but was forced to hand over the spot to Perez.
Perez was now battling for 5th with Raikkonen. The Mexican attempted to repeat the late-breaking move around the Lotus car. But Raikkonen defended and was forced to take the escape route when Checo left him with no space.
The driver repeated the move in the 69th lap, but it ended disastrously for the Mexican. Perez damaged his front wing and was forced to retire after the race. Meanwhile, the Finn was forced to make a late pitstop after suffering a puncture.
Perez evaded any penalties despite receiving flak from 3 drivers during the race. Nevertheless, Raikkonen was furious and warned the driver to not make contact with him for the rest of the weekend.
Kimi Raikkonen calls Perez “Idiot”
Sergio Perez blamed Kimi Raikkonen for his accident. The Mexican claimed the Finnish could have avoided the incident had he left some room. He told after the race, “Kimi did not give me any room at all. I touched the wall on the entry to the corner and I had no room for that.”
Checo stated that he managed to overtake Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso in the very same corner. Hence a move at the narrow chicane was possible. However, Raikkonen digressed, “That won’t help. Maybe someone should punch him in the face.”
The Finn named the McLaren driver “Idiot” on the radio. The Finn said after the race, “Because of one stupid move from Sergio, we’ve lost a lot of points to Sebastian.” He claimed the Mexican hit him from behind, and Perez’s disagreement with the narrative was delusional.
Raikkonen added, “He seems to expect people to be always looking at what he might do, then move over or go straight on if he comes into the corner too quick and isn’t going to make it without running into someone.”
Raikkonen made up places in the last two laps to finish P10 and earn a single point. Although, the gap between him and Sebastian Vettel widened to 21 points after the German ended the race in 2nd place.
