By Heikki Kulta
According to many measurements Kimi Räikkönen is the best known Finn in the world right now.
It is known in pretty much every corner of the world that Kimi is a world champion of the pinnacle of circuit racing, F1. Where Finland lies on the map is not as well known. This year Räikkönen will surely get more fans as he boldly moves from the best F1 team to the best WRC rally car.The novelty shines from the Finnish driver's appearance in every way, although succeeding in rally will take a lot of time and hard work. ”Rally is a completely different world compared to what I've been used to in F1. In the F1 paddock everything is a bit stiff and conservative. In rally people are more relaxed”, says the jovial Räikkönen.
Räikkönen's surprising move from F1 to rally was covered as similar mega news as the return of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher to F1 Grand Prixs after three years.
Räikkönen is a celebrity with a capital C but still shies away from publicity. ”Publicity is just a part of this job. But it's a big relief that in rally I can be a bit more relaxed even about that.
”Räikkönen has always passionately loved racing. He has never been vague about that. ”Of course I would be living in paradise if this job was only about driving. I love to drive a racing car. I love it when we are able to make the car better and we work efficiently. I love it when we can challenge for victory.”
HE IS HIMSELF
Of all the Finnish drivers Kimi is the one who has definitely changed the least in F1 publicity. Kimi is known as an Iceman and a racing driver but his family and friends know him as a caring guy who has a warm heart. ”I myself don't feel that I've changed at all. There's no reason why I should have. I'm not here to conciously build some public image and I don't think that anyone expects that of me either."
"It's good that I can be exactly the way that I am. I haven't changed a bit and it's nicer when no one is expecting me to be something that I'm really not.”Well, what is Kimi Räikkönen like then? ”I probably differ from a lot of people in a lot of ways. At least I've lived my life the way I've wanted to. I don't stress about much. I usually do what I want to do.”
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF HIS DRIVING CAREER
Räikkönen would have wanted to drive for Ferrari this year but since that wasn't possible for different reasons he decided to change to a completely different scenery.
F1 star Räikkönen became rally driver Räikkönen. Ferrari's red clothes were replaced by Citroën's and Red Bull's colors when Kimi signed a year-long contract with Red Bull Racing which rents a car for Kimi from Citroën's junior team. ”This is the most difficult challenge of my life. But it's something that I want very much. For the first time I'll have to learn something from the very beginning. On the circuit you race against other cars but in rally you race against the clock. In F1 you sit alone, in rally you sit with a co-driver. The notes are just as important in rally as your gut feeling is in F1."Räikkönen's rally career has evoked plenty of discussion in the world of motorsport. As expected, Kimi is learning the secrets of the Citroën C4 the hard way. Kimi acquainted himself with snow banks in both Lapland and Sweden. ”The mistakes are perfectly normal and it's also normal that there will be more mistakes. The most important thing is to make the best possible notes and learn to drive precisely according to them.”There'll be plenty of new things to analyze when moving from snow to gravel and asphalt. ”In F1 you learn the circuits by driving. In rally every corner is different and every situation is new. You only adjust to them when you gain more experience.”
PATIENCE IS DEMANDED
Patience and the will to learn are of course challenged when there are setbacks. But Räikkönen knows how to deal with them in his own efficient way. ”That bad feeling goes away just as quickly as it comes. You're angry for a moment but then you forget about it. I've always been like that. When I started, the car used to brake down all the time and there wouldn't have been much else to do than to cry and complain. But that would have been useless. Throwing a tantrum doesn't help since it doesn't change the result.
”Räikkönen hasn't regretted his choice for a moment. ”I've always wanted to try rally at some point and now that they're driving with WRC cars for the last year it was nice to get to try them as well. I have a contract for this year. Whether I will stay in rally or go back to F1 depends on how my rallying starts going and what happens in F1.”
THREE FACTS ABOUT KIMI
1. Kimi has an exceptionally well developed ability to perceive time, place and shape three-dimentionally. It is a neuropsychological trait which is very beneficial for a racing driver.
2. If Kimi wasn't a racing driver, he would be an ice-hockey player. He used to play ice-hockey as a junior but quit because the training sessions were held too early in the morning.
3. Kimi likes Finnish music. ”I play Finnish music almost all the time. Well, I don't really play music, I usually just listen to the radio”
KIMI'S FRIENDS TELL ABOUT HIM
Räikkönen has a reputation of being the great silent of the race tracks. But what do his team mates and rivals think?
Felipe Massa, who drove three years as Räikkönen's team mate, joked to the Italian press that during a few days he's spoken more with Fernando Alonso than ever with Kimi. Kimi responded to this comment when he was being interviewed by the rally media in Paris before the start of the WRC season. ”I met Dani Sordo when we were driving in the Arctic Lapland Rally and I talked wit him more then than I did with Massa during three years”.
Andrea Stella, who was Räikkönen's race engineer last year and is now responsible for Alonso's car, confessed at the last race of last season that he will miss Kimi both as a friend and as a co-worker. ”I won't miss Kimi only for personal reasons but also because I know what a fast and competitive driver he is”, said Stella.
And what do his rivals think of Räikkönen?
”Kimi is a pretty sympathetic guy. Completely different than I thought based on magazine articles”, said Dani Sordo from Citroën's factory team after his trip to Rovaniemi.
F1 driver Robert Kubica tried rally himself during the winter and he plans to follow Kimi's example after his F1 career. The Pole likes Räikkönen's style and is keeping a close eye on his WRC career. ”I used to have a different attitude towards Kimi until we spoke a bit longer in some Asian GP. Kimi is a weird guy. During three years we used to only exchange a few words. Then suddenly we just started talking and we talked for a long time. Kimi likes carting and Kimi likes rally. Just like I do.”
F1 champion candidate Sebastian Vettel lives close to Räikkönen in Switzerland. Red Bull's German star is tells very openly about liking Kimi's attitude and his relaxed way of life. ”I'm happy that Kimi lives close by. He's a nice guy. I like Kimi a lot because he's always honest and a very open guy. Many people say that they don't like Kimi because of the way that he is. But Kimi can also be very funny. He's always the same and doesn't treat you differently. No matter who you are. Kimi always says exactly what he's thinking.”
Source: Citroën Magazine
Courtesy: Nicole and Dracaena
