Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen have competed against each other in F1 for several years, even being Championship rivals in the Briton’s first-ever season in the sport. However, when the Iceman first broke onto the scene and was arguably driving at his best, Hamilton was in the junior categories, fighting to make his way to the pinnacle of motorsport.
It was then that Hamilton first started admiring Raikkonen, who while at McLaren—between 2002 and 2006—lit up the F1 world with his fearless driving. Although Raikkonen never won the title with the Woking-based squad, he would push the likes of Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso to the very end.
When the Finn left F1 in 2021 for good, Hamilton looked back on those days. The fanboy inside of him came out in the post-race interview at the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, which was Raikkonen’s final weekend in the pinnacle of motorsport. “I just admire his will to continue racing,” Hamilton said per Autosport.
Lewis Hamilton reacts to Kimi Raikkonen’s retirement announcement: “I just admire his will to continue racing. He will be missed. I remember before I got to F1 being a huge fan of Kimi’s – when I played racing games, I’d always be Kimi’s car” #F1 #DutchGP
— Autosport (@autosport) September 2, 2021
“I remember before I got to F1 being a huge fan of Kimi’s,” the ex-Mercedes driver continued. “When I played racing games, I’d always be Kimi’s car.”
Raikkonen’s early fans followed him closely because of his sublime driving skills, but with him spending the final three seasons of his career with Alfa Romeo (now Sauber), newer fans know him more for his blunt and nonchalant personality, which has also made him hugely popular.
Not Hamilton’s first words of praise for Raikkonen
This wasn’t the first time Hamilton revealed Raikkonen as his favorite PlayStation character on the official F1 game. During the 2018 French GP post-race press conference, Hamilton admitted to the same thing, suggesting Raikkonen as his hero growing up.
Raikkonen being himself, however, barely reacted or showed any warmth in response to the praise. Max Verstappen, who was sitting next to Hamilton as well, however, let out a smile. Raikkonen simply looked and mouthed something in acknowledgment.
This was not the Finn being rude. In fact, had he responded with a laugh or smile, things would have appeared more unnatural since he developed a reputation for being rather uncommunicative and difficult to read in front of the media.
However, there was undeniably always a mutual respect between Hamilton and Raikkonen, who retired from F1 as a one-time World Champion, which he won in 2007.
