Long Before F1, Kimi Raikkonen’s Infamous ‘Drink Problems’ Originated in NASCAR

After the chequered flag was waved in Abu Dhabi, the curtain came down on the career of Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn said his goodbye to the sport in which he had competed for almost two decades. And while he is one of the most successful drivers in F1, his cult following is also down to his personality, for the ‘Kimi Moments’.

Most famous of which is his ‘drink’ problem. For those who know, you know. But for those who don’t, the ‘drink’ problem is in no way related to alcohol. It is a recurring problem ‘The Iceman’ has had with drinks or water throughout his racing career.

And long before he encountered his first such problem in F1, Raikkonen’s drink problem had its genesis during his short stint in NASCAR. During his first NASCAR race, Kimi simply couldn’t get his drink.

He can be heard on the radio saying, “I am out of the drink again. It’s so small. Mark has to make sure it’s completely full, because it is too small.”

“I need my drinking water. Hey!! Give me my drinking water!!!”

It was finally resolved after the F1 champion came into the pits and a crew member handed him a full bottle of water as Raikkonen handed him the empty one back.

The eventful NASCAR debut of Kimi Raikkonen

Apart from the hydration problems Raikkonen faced in his first stock car race, there were several other problems he had in his debut. Some of which resulted in a lot of overlooked moments in the list of iconic Raikkonen moments.

Kimi was obviously struggling to handle a stock car. Even though it was his debut, that didn’t help his temper in the least bit. He said, “The car is shit because I cannot get it turned! It is so frustrating! I cannot get the fucking car turned!”

And when his spotter began talking about a racing incident, Raikkonen replied in the most obvious Kimi Raikkonen way – “Don’t talk about other things on the radio.”

Kimi Raikkonen was one of the most loved drivers the motorsport community has seen.

Fans will always remember him for the endless entertaining moments in Formula 1 and NASCAR and for being unapologetically himself.

Also Read: Kimi Raikkonen Reveals His True Feelings on Ferrari F1 Replacing Him With Fernando Alonso in 2010