Perhaps no one in F1 history had a personality quite like Kimi Raikkonen’s. The 2007 champ truly lived up to his deadpan Finnish stereotype.
Never a man of too many words, Raikkonen was not fond of media interactions and preferred to stay away from them. Who can forget when he openly admitted to “taking a sh*t” during Brazilian soccer legend Pele’s presentation ahead of a race in Sao Paolo in 2006?
6) It’s Michael Schumacher’s (supposed) farewell from #F1
Pele has presented the 7x WDC with an award
And why was Kimi Raikkonen missing? #Kimi7 #KimiF1 (2006 Brazil) pic.twitter.com/S7JC8SnIIj
— F1 Icons That Go Hard (@CrystalRacing) September 6, 2018
But Raikkonen‘s personality is actually not so one-dimensional. In fact, his cold digs and monosyllabic taunts appear to be only reserved for adults.
Natalie Pinkham recently revealed how the Iceman is a completely different character when it comes to dealing with kids.
The Sky Sports presenter recalled on The Red Flags podcast how she brought her kids to the Middle East for a vacation in between work. There, Pinkham’s son Wilf, found a playmate on the beach. Little did she know it was Robin Raikkonen, son of the former Ferrari driver.
Pinkham soon found that Raikkonen had bonded extremely well with both Wilf and her daughter Willow. They were inseparable,” she said. The Finn was looking after both children for most of Pinkham’s vacation, even spending hours in the ball pit with them.
“So literally, I’m seeing Kimi at breakfast, at lunch, at dinner…You may think you know Kimi but there’s an extra string to his bow — he’s unbelievable with children,” Pinkham added.
The funny thing? Wilf had no idea who Raikkonen was until the end when he went over and informed his mom who the man was. And Pinkham of course, was familiar with who he was.
Kimi’s own ‘project Raikkonen’?
Pinkham’s story proved that even during his F1 days, Raikkonen displayed a certain affinity towards children and family life. He wasn’t very open about it, but always prioritized his personal life.
So, when Raikkonen decided to retire after the 2021 season, he devoted himself completely to his family. Particularly, he began focusing on helping his son Robin kickstart his karting career.
Raikkonen avidly pushed Robin’s journey and even shifted to Italy to ensure he got a taste of competitive motorsport at the highest level. “It’s been busy. We moved to Italy, I’ve been a mechanic for Robin…” he said in an interview with F1’s media.
Iceman 2.0
Kimi Raikkonen brought his son into our Monza garage for a seat fit in the W15.
See you in a few years, Robin pic.twitter.com/8LZnhi2xYE
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) September 6, 2024
However, he doesn’t want to put too much pressure on Robin. When asked if ‘Project Raikkonen’ was a means of seeing his son in F1 someday, the 2007 Drivers’ champion downplayed expectations. He doesn’t see Robin driving a racing car anytime soon.
That said, the nine-year-old has shown sparks of brilliance in racing machinery, just like his father, by beating those older than him in karting races.
