WATCH: A Drunk Kimi Raikkonen Stole the Show at FIA Prize-Giving Ceremony in 2018

The 2021 FIA Prize-Giving ceremony came to a close late on Thursday evening in Paris after an ecstatic year of racing, not only in F1 but also in other racing series including F2, F3, World Endurance Championship, and World Rally Championship.

The 2021 event, as ever, was absolutely formal albeit with some witty speeches from the award winners, including Mercedes F1 director, James Allison, who took a dig at his own boss, Toto Wolff, and his rival, Christian Horner. Apart from that, a rather quiet evening for the fabulously dressed drivers and their families.

So, would you grade the 2021 FIA Gala as the best? Definitely not!

By now, a lot of you are already aware of where we’re heading with this, but let us spill it out for you; the 2018 FIA Price-Giving Ceremony.

The now-Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc, had earned the ‘Rookie of the Year’ award for his strong showing with Alfa Romeo Sauber. George Russell had won the Formula 2 world championship title. And then, the main man, Lewis Hamilton lifted the biggest crown – the 2018 F1 world championship title.

None of the above-mentioned names stole the show. Instead, it was one other man!

Watch Story: From Drunk Gala to Dry Responses: Kimi Raikkonen’s Funniest Moments

Kimi Raikkonen stars in the 2018 FIA Gala

Yes! It’s Kimi Raikkonen. The Finnish driver is well-known for his drinking; Back in 2006, Raikkonen crashed out of the Monaco GP. And while many anticipated the then McLaren driver to return to the garage, merely minutes later, cameras caught Raikkonen chilling on his yacht with a glass of beer in his hand.

Similarly, Raikkonen earned a seat in the 2018 FIA ceremony for finishing P3 in the driver’s standings. And boy did he use it to his fullest; Beer, Vodka, Wine, you name it, Raikkonen had it all on his table. Unsurprisingly, the Finn was eventually wasted.

He wasn’t quiet either. Not many have been lucky enough to watch Raikkonen have a chat with someone. But, at the event, that was pretty much all he did. Raikkonen chatted constantly with Sebastian Vettel for pretty much the whole ceremony, and all the latter could do was laugh.

The ex-Ferrari pair enjoyed each other’s company throughout the evening. Raikkonen was even more hyped up when called onto the stage. He was waving his hands in the air ecstatically, as the host had to acknowledge that Raikkonen had been enjoying the evening more than anybody else.

Overall, what a night that was. For the first time, the world got to witness a lively Kimi Raikkonen. With the Finn heading out of F1, will we ever find an opportunity to witness such a moment again?

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