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via Getty

via Getty

Kimi Raikkonen was once the quietest guy in the paddock. A man of few words, he let his driving do the talking. However, outside the grid, many have described the Finn as the life of the party. In light of this, former F1 racer turned pundit Jenson Button once shared an interesting anecdote about the Iceman.

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Raikkonen made his F1 debut in 2002 with McLaren-Mercedes and was soon contending for the championship in the following year. He won his first title with Ferrari in his first year, beating the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by just 1 point.

Interestingly, Jenson Button shared an interesting story of the 2007 World Champion when the Finn showed up at his house. Jenson said he had no clue how Kimi got in.

The Englishman said“The only story I can really remember with Kimi, because most of them are a blur, we were out until like 3am in London and I had a house at that point.”

He continued, “And I was like ‘I’m tired, I’m out of here’. Got in the cab, get home, walk in my house, and Kimi is sat in my living room, alone, I have no idea how he got there.”

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen Left These Two F1 Superstars Shell-Shocked During Their Junior Formula Days

Kimi Raikkonen retired from Formula 1 at the end of last season after the Abu Dhabi GP. The Espoo-born legend is one of the most influential and successful drivers of F1. Furthermore, he drove for McLaren, Ferrari, and Alfa Romeo before hanging his helmet in 2021.

Former McLaren mechanic feels Kimi Raikkonen was the fastest driver over a lap

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Marc Priestley has worked with multiple world champions like Fernando Alonso, Hamilton, and Raikkonen. However, the former McLaren mechanic recalls that over the course of a single lap, Kimi Raikkonen was the fastest driver he had seen. He worked for McLaren from 1999 to 2009.

via Reuters

In the Pit Stop podcast, Priestly said I worked with Kimi for the longest spell at McLaren in terms of the drivers that I worked with. I say around 2004, 2005, he was the fastest driver I’ve ever worked with–hands down. I’ve worked with quite a few of the greats, but Kimi was the fastest over a lap.”

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“We had some amazing times on track with him. He delivered stuff that was incredible.”

WATCH THIS STORY: From Drunk Gala to Dry Responses: Kimi Raikkonen’s Funniest Moments