The ‘Iceman’ Stayeth

Is Kimi Raikkonen F1’s Donald Trump…?

You could say that Kimi Raikkonen is F1’s answer to Donald Trump. The hairstyles might not be similar, but they have a few things in common. Both men favour trophy wives, both men are seen as anti-establishment figures – saying and doing what they like, both men are hostile to the media, and both men were written off early in their campaigns for nomination – Trump for the Republican party’s presidential bid, Raikkonen for the second Ferrari seat in 2017.

Yet both men have triumphed. At the last race Raikkonen was confirmed as Sebastian Vettel’s partner (not just in badminton) for the 2017 season. As Kimi noted, “I am very happy about it. It gives me pleasure to see disappointed people.”

Like Trump’s political career, many had assumed that Raikkonen’s continuing lack of success over a Ferrari team-mate since 2008 would finally have ended in his exit from Maranello. Just as many had predicted the man with hair-out-of-nowhere and trenchant political views would be ejected from the bruising presidential race.

And whereas Trump wants to ban (as one fervent Trump supporter yelled in my ear in a bar in Georgia two weeks ago), “those goddam mooslems”, so Kimi would be happy to see the back of another M-word. The Media.

Journalists, such as the well-respected former Autosport F1 editor and now BBC F1 Writer Andrew Benson has been trying to collect memorable Raikkonen quotes his entire career, but finds the mumbling one’s unwillingness to engage frustrating.

“The contrast with Alonso – a driver who has been around just as long and has every reason to be bored of news conferences, struggling as he is with a down-on-power mid-grid car – is striking. The Spaniard is never not interesting, …

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