Raikkonen delivers another ‘gem’
abu dhabi — And, as is the case, the ‘Iceman’ was at it again.
The world of Formula One very well knows that Kimi Raikkonen is not much of a talker. He can be a reporter’s nightmare when it comes to sound bytes but the Finn has also come up with some ‘gems’ along the way, one of them being right here in Abu Dhabi.
Going into the closing laps of the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2012, Raikkonen, then with LotusF1, was leading the race and his race engineers kept giving him updates on his nearest contenders as well as how his car was behaving. Raikkonen was so annoyed with the constant messages that he retorted: “Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing!”
That went on to become so legendary that LotusF1 went on to even print official merchandise with that written on them.
Raikkonen, who is now with his old team Ferrari, with whom he won the world title in 2007, came up with another one at the Yas Marina Circuit on Thursday, which had the whole press room burst out in laughter.
Raikkonen was asked about what would transpire between championship contenders and Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
And Raikkonen, with a straightface, said: “I don’t know what will happen on Sunday.”
After which, Raikkonen, who found himself in a similar situation in 2007, said: “Obviously, we’ll see on Sunday and over the weekend. When I was in that situation obviously we had nothing to lose, so we go as any other race. We had a strong weekend and a strong last part of the year so obviously that helped. I don’t think there’s a point in doing anything different than you normally do. You always come to a race and try to do the maximum.
Two drivers Briton Jenson Button and Brazilian Felipe Massa are set to leave the sport after the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
And Raikkonen had a nice take on that too when asked if he would miss them.
“I mean I left once already so I kind of know how it feels. Obviously, it’s their choice and I’m sure they will have a lot of fun and I wish them all the best for whatever they do in their lives. For sure, things will change in F1 in the future and all of us will leave one day and that’s just how it goes. ” said Raikkonen.