I was Always Raikkonen on the PlayStation – Hamilton

After winning the Italian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas were interviewed. Following questions about how their respective races went, the three spoke on various subjects.

Soon, the subject of Kimi Raikkonen was brought up to Lewis Hamilton. A reporter asked him about his titanic battle with Raikkonen. Then he asked the 4-time World Champion whether he would miss the veteran Finn if he did leave F1.

Hamilton said, “Would I miss Kimi? I think it’s always a difficult question to say if you miss someone. I think the sport would naturally miss him, yeah. I made it no secret that before I even got to Formula One I was always playing… when I was playing the Playstation I was always Kimi in the McLaren, imagining that was me.”

“And then I remember the first car at McLaren which was Kimi’s set-up and the suspension that he would use, which was… I remember it like it was yesterday. It was an amazing experience and it was cool because I think our driving style was kinda similar, which meant that I ended up being quite comfortable with the set-up that he used back then.”

“So, y’know, he’s had an incredible career and it’s been a real honour to race against a great Finn such as him – but he looks like he’s just ice-cold. He’s just got plenty of years left in him. He’s not seeming to age. I don’t know what it is about Finnish people. I think it’s the sauna and the ice thing. Yeah.”

Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton were at it, hammer and tongs for most of the race. Unfortunately for the home crowd, Raikkonen’s tyres couldn’t last the entire race. When the opportunity arose, he pounced and took the lead from the struggling Ferrari.