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WATCH: Kimi Raikkonen Calls Out His Engineer in Hilarious Radio Exchange

Published 03/27/2021, 4:05 AM EDT

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via Reuters

Kimi Raikkonen is known for his personality both on and off the track, and this year is no different. During the free practice session in Bahrain, Raikkonen got into a crash but soon got back on the track. However, after he got back to the track, the Finn experienced radio problems and was unable to communicate with his engineer. Kimi, being Kimi, dealt with the situation in his usual tongue-in-cheek way.

The 41-year-old is entering his 20th year in F1, He would continue on the grid with Alfa Romeo in the upcoming season. Raikkonen will partner alongside Antonio Giovinazzi.

During the first practice session of the season, Raikkonen put in 18 laps around the circuit and finished 11th in timesheets. In the second practice session, he finished 16th on the timesheet.

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via Reuters

The Alfa Romeo team only scored 8 points in last year’s championship but remains optimistic for the season ahead and tries to aim to score more points in the 2021 season.

Kimi Raikkonen struggles to communicate with his engineer after crash

The veteran driver was going back and forth with his race engineer, asking him if they could hear each other. Kimi lost his front wing during the crash, and thus, his team wanted to call him into the pits.

After asking his engineer “can you hear me now?” countless times, Raikkonen responded with a hilarious answer, “But you answer still.”

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While speaking in the press conference before the first practice session, Raikkonen revealed that he is unsure how will the team perform in 2021. He said, “No idea where we are. The car ran smoothly. For sure there are things we need to improve, we always want more downforce but it’s the same for everyone.”

“Where we end up, are we going to be exactly the same as last year or better, who knows. I don’t know, nobody knows in the team, so we are always guessing. I hope we will be better and more in the top-10 fight. Very soon we will find out,” Raikkonen concluded.

The Iceman on staying on the grid after 2021

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With the rule changes coming in 2022, Raikkonen’s future is unsure. Will he choose to retire, or will be up for the challenge that he will face next year? In an interview with Sky Sports as quoted by PlanetF1, he said, “I think everybody is excited to see what happens, but honestly it doesn’t really dictate if I am racing or not.”

via Reuters

Raikkonen added, “But I hope for the sport, everybody hopes for the sport that it does what they say it is planned to do.”

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Raikkonen is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. Will his years of knowledge around the track help him to do better in the upcoming season? Only Sunday’s opening race will answer those questions.

‘Reminds Me a Lot of His Dad’ – Kimi Raikkonen Shows His Soft Spot for Mick Schumacher

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Written by:

Arpit Gomes

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Arpit Gomes is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. Currently pursuing his Journalism degree from Xavier’s Institute, he is a big fan of McLaren and their driver Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. Arpit always looks forward to the paddock moving to Spa and drivers dealing with the exciting Eau Rouge corner as well the straight at Monza.
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