How Kimi Raikkonen Almost Lived Up to His Iceman Nickname

Had the stars aligned differently, Kimi Raikkonen would not have been a Formula One driver. In an interview with TVP Sport, the Finnish veteran opened up on his fascination for ski jumping. The 40-year old was told that in Finland, the three biggest names in the sporting scene are Raikkonen, Ahonen and Litmanen.

Kimi Raikkonen confirmed that he knew of Janne Petteri Ahonen and Jari Olavi Litmanen. He also revealed that nearly all Finnish people watched ski jumping. The 2007 world champion also made a startling revelation that he harboured thoughts of being a ski jumper.

He admitted, “I wanted to be a ski jumper but I never jumped. Maybe one day I’ll try. I was always curious to see how it feels”. He then spoke about Ahonen, who is a well-known ski jumper, and his rivalry with Adam Malysz.

What else did Kimi Raikkonen say?

The F1 veteran also spoke about Robert Kubica and noted that when he first began in F1, he was world champion material. Raikkonen even admitted that he was very happy when he returned to the F1 grid in 2019. The Finn spoke about working alongside Kubica for 2020 and admitted that his experience will be very helpful.

He even opened up on his famous, “Leave me alone I know what I’m doing message”. Raikkonen confessed that he was not being harsh on the team. He stated that the radio chatter could be an annoying distraction so he wanted the team to look at it from his perspective.

For now though, Kimi Raikkonen will be looking ahead to the 2020 Formula One season. Once again, Antonio Giovinazzi wil be his teammate, but Kubica’s recruitment shores up the team’s strength. Last year Kimi’s team, Alfa Romeo, had a strong start but their form tapered towards the end of the season.