Kimi Raikkonen is one of the most popular F1 drivers of all time. His brilliant driving on track mixed with his unique personality off it made him a huge fan favorite. Raikkonen has raced for some of the biggest teams in the sport’s history including Ferrari, McLaren, and Lotus. However, there was a time when the Finn was reportedly considering a move to Red Bull.
In 2014, it became evident that Raikkonen was going to leave Lotus. The relationship between him and the team management was at a low, and the Espoo-born driver was reportedly not paid heading into the final months of his contract. Raikkonen did not threaten to leave them but stated that they ‘knew what they had to do’ to keep him.
Kimi Raikkonen to step down at the end of 2018. #Kimi7 https://t.co/sj7fD4XaYL
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) September 11, 2018
Regardless, the chances of him staying back at the Enstone-based outfit were very slim. As a result, Ferrari was eyeing a move to bring him back to Maranello, and it was a perfect opportunity for the Iceman to return to the team with whom he won the 2007 World Championship. However, according to reports, he was also in talks with Red Bull.
Kimi Raikkonen was in talks with Red Bull for 2014 seat
2014 was a monumental year in F1 since it marked the beginning of the turbo-hybrid era. For the last four years, Sebastian Vettel along with Red Bull had dominated the sport, but signs pointed towards the German driver moving to Ferrari. As a result, the Milton-Keynes-based outfit was probably looking for a replacement.
Raikkonen’s name came up multiple times when his Lotus departure looked imminent. Ahead of the Belgian GP in 2013, Raikkonen was in a foul mood because every single reporter wanted to know his future beyond that year. When asked if Red Bull approached him, Raikkonen got annoyed, but neither confirmed nor denied the rumors.
SPY: Kimi Räikkönen is the Invisible Man! 🕵 #RBspy #RussianGP pic.twitter.com/o1gVx1KC7K
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 30, 2017
“I have no answers from them and I am waiting to hear from them personally about what they are going to do,” he said.
In the end, Raikkonen ended up moving to Scuderia Ferrari, and teamed up with two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso for the 2014 season. In 2015, Alonso left Italy to join McLaren and Vettel earned his dream move to Ferrari.
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