F1 Throwback: When Kimi Raikkonen Got Completely Lost While Driving at the Brazilian Grand Prix

During the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, the conditions were very soggy and treacherous. The then Lotus driver, Kimi Raikkonen found out the hard way when he skidded off at Turn 13. He went down an escape road, hoping to somehow rejoin the circuit. The Finnish veteran had spotted the escape road leading back to the circuit.

Unfortunately, he had not taken into account the fact that there was a gate there, which was closed for the race. The Finn then stopped and did a 180 and went back the way he came. The 2007 World Champion then proceeded to put his rallying skills to good use and skidded his way back on track.

Kimi Raikkonen eventually finished in 10th and salvaged a single point for the Lotus team. Meanwhile, his teammate, Romain Grosjean crashed out, late in the race. At the head of the pack, Jenson Button seized victory ahead of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa respectively.

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel finished 6th to take a hat-trick of championships. The remaining points finishers were, Mark Webber and Nico Hulkenberg completing the top 5. Michael Schumacher, Jean-Eric Vergne, Kamui Kobayashi and Raikkonen complete the top 10.

Why did Kimi Raikkonen go off road?

As it turned out, it was not the first time Kimi Raikkonen tried that stunt. Speaking to the media about his ‘GPS malfunction’, he said, “I knew what I was doing because I did the same thing in 2001. The gate was still open eleven years ago. This time someone closed it.”

What Raikkonen failed to realise was that there is a huge difference between the circumstances in 2001 and 2012. A lot of things may have changed since then, like the gate closing to avoid pesky drivers looking for a shortcut.

Needless to say, Kimi Raikkonen then took his expensive lawnmower and slithered across the grass and gravel before rejoining the tarmac.