Engineer: “Kimi (Raikkonen), you are on pole”.
Kimi: “Thank you”.
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Meanwhile, commentators and fans: Minds blown amidst mass hysteria.
That was peak Kimi.
When Kimi Raikkonen stunned the world
If you’re still wondering what I’m on about, these were the events that transpired after Raikkonen took pole at Monza.
At the Italian Grand Prix qualifying in 2018, Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest ever lap in F1 history. The Finn shattered Juan Pablo Montoya’s lap record at Monza, set in 2004.
Sebastian Vettel had led every qualifying session and Q3 seemed like a formality for the German. Everyone expected Vettel to take pole, but in the dying stages, Raikkonen stunned the world. Even the timing screens lit up with the letters “V-E-T”, but only briefly.
Kimi Raikkonen at 38 years old, crossed the finish line and sent everyone into a tizzy. The Finn had just taken his first pole in over a year and in doing so, set the fastest lap in F1. The English commentary team didn’t do full justice to this session, but Finnish tv had fans covered.
As Raikkonen crossed the line, The Finnish commentary team erupted. That Finnish gentleman was basically all of us at that point in time. The grandstands were full of joy and the Tifosi couldn’t have asked for anything better. A Ferrari front-row lockout at Monza… what could go wrong?
The race that followed, was peak Ferrari.
Sebastian Vettel made contact with Lewis Hamilton, sending the German’s Ferrari into a spin. This left Raikkonen vulnerable and was under constant pressure from the two Mercedes for the entirety of the race. The Finn stopped earlier in the race, prompting Mercedes to strategize and ultimately pass the Ferrari for the win.
After the race, Mercedes finished the cool-down lap in formation, piercing Ferrari Fans’ hearts with a silver arrow. The delight on Saturday had turned to heartbreak on Sunday. Raikkonen however, in typical iceman fashion – brushed off the defeat.
Kimi will be driving for Alfa Romeo once again this season. The iceman had a relatively decent 2019 in a car that wasn’t very consistent.
Alfa Romeo will unveil its 2020 car on February 19 – the first day of F1 winter testing.
