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“We’ll see Antonio in Italy and have lots of Pizza!”: Watch Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi share an emotional moment after their last ever race in Formula 1

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"We'll see Antonio in Italy and have lots of Pizza!": Watch Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi share an emotional moment after their last ever race in Formula 1

Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi are no longer a part of F1 with the former having retired and the latter joining Formula-E. 

Raikkonen brought his long and illustrious career to an end following the culmination of the 2021 season. The 2007 World Champion had a quiet last three years in the sport, driving for Alfa Romeo Racing.

Throughout these three years, Raikkonen had Antonio Giovinazzi as his teammate and the two share a very good relationship off track. Raikkonen isn’t the most social guy on the grid, but he insisted several times that Giovinazzi was someone he considered to be a great friend.

Also read: Valtteri Bottas talks about his struggles in Mercedes after he joins Alfa Romeo in 2022

The Italian driver’s contract with Alfa Romeo wasn’t renewed for 2022. Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou replaced him at the team. Giovinazzi jumped ship to Formula-E, where he’s currently driving for Dragon Penske racing.

After the season finale in Abu Dhabi last year, fans were sad to see the Alfa Romeo teammates leave F1. However, in a recent video, we got to see the two friends share a moment with one another, one last time in the F1 paddock.

 

Kimi Raikkonen and his family wish Giovinazzi good luck

Giovinazzi seems to have a close bond with the Raikkonen family. We saw a softer version of ‘The Iceman’ when he reassured his daughter that they will definitely meet Giovinazzi again.

“Hey we will see Antonio, okay?” Raikkonen said to his daughter. “We will see him in Italy, and have a lot of Pizza!” Giovinazzi proceeded to hug the little girl and say, “You will come to my house in the summer.”

“Merry Christmas, and remember to ask for presents!” the 28-year old Italian continued.

We then see the two former teammates share a touching moment where they bid farewell to one another. Raikkonen’s wife Minttu embraced Giovinazzi and thanked him before the Finn said,” Have a safe trip home, okay? We’ll call.”

Before leaving the paddock for one final time, Kimi Raikkonen jokingly warned Giovinazzi to ‘not use his helmet’.

The duo’s friendship was something that seemingly went under the radar. But with the release of this latest video, we get access to a side of Raikkonen that’s seldom seen on camera.

Also read: Red Bull fear Max Verstappen years in F1 may curtail if Lewis Hamilton continues to compete against him at such intensity

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Somin Bhattacharjee is an F1 editor at The SportsRush and has written more than 2000 articles. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and considers sports to be a part of his life. Somin has been a fan of Scuderia Ferrari since 2010 and his favorite driver is none another than the legendary Fernando Alonso. Other than longing for a Ferrari Championship win once again, Somin spends his free time playing football and basketball.

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