Kimi Raikkonen is growing into one of the most iconic personalities in F1 with each passing season. There is simply no slowing the ‘Flying Finn’ down, whether it is on the track or through his off-track antics which tickle the funny bones of the fans time and again.

This time he was back in the news at the F1 prize-giving ceremony. No, we are not talking about the 2018 gala where he had a drink or two and was clearly not his sober self.

We are referring to the recent 2020 Awards show where he was bestowed with the newly created FIA ‘Action of the Year’ trophy.

He became the first recipient of the award, for his first-lap heroics at the Portuguese GP. On receiving the award, Raikkonen said, “First of all, thanks for creating a new trophy for me. So, I get one at least this year!”

Kimi’s take on the award is funny with a tinge of sadness. Rolling back the tape to 25th October, he was lining up at 16th place on the grid. However, he was starting on the soft tires, the fastest compound, while most other drivers were on medium.

When the lights went green, Kimi went through an overtaking spree; passing both Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Finding unusual grip, he made his way to seventh place in the space of just the opening lap.

However, tire degradation led him down and he ultimately finished P11.

Reflecting upon his whirlwind race, he said, “But yeah, I mean, obviously it was a good start of the race in Portimão. But unfortunately, we didn’t score points. And yeah, it was fun; things went smoothly on the first lap. So thanks to all the fans for voting.”

Does Kimi Raikkonen deserve a place on the F1 Grid?

This is a fairly debatable topic as arguments can be presented for either case. Though, some fans question the motivation behind keeping him at Alfa Romeo.

Now that he is officially the most experienced driver in F1 history with 329 race starts, what more does it leave for Kimi Raikkonen to achieve? Maybe he can vacate the set for another young F1 driver. But why move on when he can still drive at his best?

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Despite being past his best, he still looks like a reasonably quick driver. Hence, fans deserve to see him in the paddock atleast till 2022.