Unlike the young drivers of today who come from wealthy backgrounds, Kimi Raikkonen’s family background wasn’t financially well-off. His father Matti worked as a roadbuilder while his mother Paula was an office clerk. When Raikkonen started karting, they had to manage their financial resources and postpone some household expenditures, including upgrading their bathroom.
A YouTube video by Lee F1 Talk discusses this anecdote while revisiting the Finnish driver’s journey who has become a legend of the sport. Raikkonen‘s journey certainly would have been difficult from a financial perspective, given it takes a lot of money to pursue motorsport and even race in the junior formula categories.
Kimi’s mom, Paula Räikkönen, has a habitat of sending encouraging text-messages to Kimi. Especially if the races have been bad or Kimi has had some troubles. “That’s when I send him a message with the text: Remember, Mom loves you.” ❤️
from Kimi’s book pic.twitter.com/36kjiyDyIN
— Kimi Räikkönen #bwoah (@Kimi7iceman) July 25, 2020
The video narrator highlighted that the Raikkonen family had limited financial resources, with his father working at night as well — as a taxi driver and a nightclub bouncer. This explains that they were running a tight ship in terms of their home finances. They had an outdoor bathroom for which they were saving to upgrade it to an indoor one.
However, as Raikkonen and his brother’s racing careers needed funding, they had to postpone those plans. While it would have been a difficult compromise to make for the family, the Finnish racing driver made good use of his parents’ money to get to F1.
While Raikkonen only has 21 Grand Prix wins to his name with only one world championship, his talent and iconic performances on track have made a huge mark on the F1 world. There is a notion that had he got better machinery at McLaren during his early years in the sport, he could won more world championships besides his triumph at Ferrari in 2007.
As we prepare to say goodbye to Kimi at his final race….
The Iceman, in his own words #AbuDhabiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/g9BpZyuDhC
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 11, 2021
Having retired after an illustrious F1 career in 2021, Raikkonen has amassed enough wealth today. Now, he is grooming his son to pursue motorsport.
Raikkonen is grooming his son Robin
Famous for his laid-back and monosyllabic persona, Raikkonen has stayed under the radar with his family since his retirement. He is mainly focusing on his son Robin’s karting career and training him up as a racer.
For the same, the 45-year-old has also moved to Italy to give his son a better environment to develop as a racer. While Robin is only nine, he is showing his prowess by winning races in karting and also has an Instagram account, where many follow his karting endeavors.
Robin won’t have to deal with any financial handicaps like his father did, owing to the former Ferrari driver’s ample wealth. Still, Robin will have to be skilled enough to make his way up the ladder in junior formulas if he wishes to emulate his father’s F1 success.
