Kimi Raikkonen was one of the most popular F1 drivers on the grid during his time in F1. Throughout his 20-year career, he treated fans to some brilliant racing action on the track, but also became famous for his personality off it.
Raikkonen was a fan favorite for his interviews and radio messages, which were perceived as funny because he is very blunt and straightforward while presenting his opinions. One such instance took place at the 2021 British GP in Silverstone, where Raikkonen didn’t hold back while giving his race engineer an earful.
Raikkonen was tussling for P10 alongside Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in the closing stages of the race. The Red Bull driver and Raikkonen raced wheel to wheel for a while before the Finn was spun out of the track. This spoiled all his efforts, as he ended up not scoring any points that race. For a team like Alfa Romeo that was struggling at the back end of the grid, even a point would have been very valuable.
Kimi Raikkonen lashes out at his race engineer after he tries to console him
Raikkonen’s spin in Silverstone was heartbreaking for him and his fans. His race engineer, Julien Simon-Chautemps tried to console him by saying that his shunt with Perez was ‘unlucky’ and it could have been a good day for him with a P10.
“It’s a shame with Perez,” Simon-Chautemps said. “I said it’s a shame with the accident with Perez. We could have maybe scored.”
Raikkonen, however, was not at all pleased with what his race engineer had to say. Instead of blaming luck, he blamed the team for providing him with a slow car. The Iceman is one of the best drivers of his generation, and was not happy with the car his disposal.
“Maybe,” Raikkonen replied. “Or maybe we need to make the car faster, simple. It is impossible to fight against them. Same this, same that and try to fight with the other cars. Come on, we got to wake up and do something!”
Raikkonen decided to retire from F1 after the end of the 2021 F1 season. He spent the last three of his career (2019-2021) with the Hinwil based outfit and the majority of that time, he scrambled for places at the back of the grid.
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