Over the course of his 20-year Formula 1 career, twice-retired world champion Kimi Raikkonen has barely offered the public enough quotes to fill his book of haikus. But you could always guarantee a dose of deadpan sagacity was coming our way whenever The Iceman opened his well-guarded mouth: blank-faced, blunt of expression, and cool as a bloody cucumber.
Having previously been compared to Winston Churchillโs description of Russia by BHโs very own Jack Slade โ โa riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigmaโ โ thereโs an entire wealth of philosophical learnings we can extract from the human tweet. Learnings scholars could spend eons dissecting, probing, and ponderingโฆ yet still fail to truly grasp Raikkonenโs zen-like ethos. Or perhaps we should simply accept the man really was just about three things: driving fast, partying hard, and being left alone.
Given his impact on the motorsport, as well as the old guard which he represents, itโll be a sad day when lights go out on March 20th of 2022 without Kimi Raikkonen lined up + ready to go somewhere on the grid โ until then, you can enjoy some of the Finnish legendโs finest moments, immortalised by the following hilariously terse quotes.
Kiitos, Kimi!
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Kimi Raikkonen Quotes: Words From The Man With Few
On urgency
Interviewer: โKimi, you missed the presentation by Pele.โ
Kimi Raikkonen: โYeah, I was having a shit.โ
On professionalism
Interviewer: โWhat makes TAG Heuer special?โ
Kimi Raikkonen: โItโs OK.โ
Interviewer: โWhat kind of a relationship do you have with Peter Sauber?โ
Kimi Raikkonen: โHe is my boss.โ
On ego
โIโm not interested in what people think about me. Iโm not Michael Schumacher.โ
On limitations
โFor sure, sometimes I donโt know what I am doing.โ
On fulfilment
โIโm happy, but thereโs nothing to jump around about.โ
โIโd rather be probably out of second and third place so I donโt have to go to the prize-giving.โ
On thrills
Interviewer: โHow does it feel to drive at 300 km/h?โ
Kimi Raikkonen: โIt feels normal.โ
On boredom
Interviewer: โIs it true that sometimes youโre bored in the car?โ
Kimi Raikkonen: โOnly when I am in front by a country mile, like in Melbourne last year. Then you are thinking about other things or youโre playing with the buttons on the steering wheel.โ
On helmets
Interviewer: โThe helmet has a special meaning for many drivers. How important is it to you?โ
Kimi Raikkonen: โIt protects my head.โ
Interviewer: โDo you have any special rituals when the helmet is concerned like many have?โ
Kimi Raikkonen: โI wipe it so that I can see better.โ
On passion
Interviewer: โThe most exciting moment during the race weekend?โ
Kimi Raikkonen: โI think so itโs the race start, always.โ
Interviewer: โThe most boring?โ
Kimi Raikkonen: โNow.โ
โDriving is the only thing I love about F1.โ
On reality
โYou donโt drive races on paper.โ
On autonomy
โLeave me alone, I know what Iโm doing.โ
