Kimi Raikkonen is one of the most popular names in F1, despite retiring from the sport at the end of 2021. Other than his driving, he is very widely known for his unique personality, curt remarks, and blunt replies to questions asked by journalists.
People have often noticed that Raikkonen spoke very less, in interviews and in general. On top of that, he wasn’t a loud person. In fact, he spoke in a very soft voice for the most part. When the Finn’s F1 career began back in 2001, plenty of people were puzzled as to why he was so silent.
In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, Raikkonen revealed that he had an accident as a child, that led to permanent damage to his voice. The future World Champion was on his bicycle as a 5-year-old. His feet slipped off the pedal, and his neck hit the frame. This accident is the reason why he speaks so quietly.
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Kimi Raikkonen embraced Iceman personality by gifting ice sculpture to Sebastian Vettel
One of Raikkonen’s closest friends during his time in F1 was four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel. They were teammates at Ferrari between 2014 and 2018, and shared some very memorable moments both on and off the track.
Back during their Ferrari days, UPS was a sponsor for the Maranello based outfit. In a promotional video shot for the shipping company, Raikkonen presented Vettel with an ice sculpture of himself.
The ad showed Raikkonen casually checking the calendar when he realized it was Vettel’s birthday. He forgot to get his Ferrari teammate anything, so headed over to the shed to make something on the go. Then, he had the parcel delivered through UPS to Vettel, who was on a call telling someone how Raikkonen forgot his birthday.
When Vettel opened the box, he saw a Raikkonen ice sculpture. Below the sculpture was a message engraved into ice that said, “Happy Birthday, from the Iceman.”
Raikkonen left F1 at the end of the 2021 season, and Vettel followed suit last campaign.
