F1 Throwback: When Kimi Raikkonen, Riding His Scooter, Was Denied Entry into the Monaco Paddock

Even if you are a famous Formula One driver, you still need to follow the rules. In 2014, the then Ferrari driver, Kimi Raikkonen found out the hard way. During the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Raikkonen was heading to the paddock on a scooter. However, he was stopped by security near the barriers.

In a video, he was spotted conversing with a security member, who kept assuring him that he could pass through. However, the Finn informed him that another person denied him entry into the paddock. After some back and forth, the 2007 world champion was finally allowed to park his scooter inside and carried on his way.

Kimi Raikkonen was not the only one who faced this

It was not the first time an F1 driver was briefly stopped by security, before finally being let in. Daniel Ricciardo told Finnish broadcaster, MTV3 that he was also halted by security at the same event. However, in his case, the security guard had to look up Red Bull Racing and Daniel Ricciardo. Only then was the Australian driver let through to the paddock.

Earlier that year, Lewis Hamilton went through the gate at Melbourne fully clad in his suit and helmet, with cameras tailing him. However, he was also halted by a guard, who asked him for his pass, before saying that he was a driver.

Is it really the security personnel’s fault?

While it is easy to criticise the guards for stopping the drivers, it must be understood that they are merely trying to do their jobs. It is also worth mentioning that the drivers do have passes so that they are granted access to the paddock. The guard simply wanted to know if Hamilton had it on himself.

Fortunately, they were allowed in during their respective incidents, and brushed off the actions. However the rules need to be followed, luckily for Kimi Raikkonen and the other drivers, there was no harm done. In Ricciardo’s case, he had forgotten his pass, but was able to enter on the security’s discretion.