Raikkonen Opens Up on Life in New Book

F1 veteran Kimi Raikkonen recently spoke about the themes that his new book covers. Childhood poverty, military service and getting drunk between F1 races are some of the revelations explored. The book sheds light on the life of the popular Finnish driver and 2007 champion.

The 38-year-old is well-known for being a cool and gruff character. However, he spoke to Finnish author Kari Hotakainen, the author of Raikkonen’s biography, “The Unknown Kimi Raikkonen”.

In the book, Raikkonen revealed his modest upbringing in small house without an indoor toilet. He also describes the financial problems of his teenage driving years. The Finn wrote, “My brother, Rami was my mechanic. We drove an old van to the races… already then I grasped that, goddammit, dad and mum had put in all their money and when we got there I felt like I wasn’t going to make it anywhere.”

In 1999, a 20-year old Raikkonen signed a contract to drive in the British Formula Renault series. However, he had to join Finland’s compulsory military service the same year.

Raikkonen described a certain instance where he returned to his garrison late and drunk. Fearing punishment, and the possibility of missing a race, he absconded from the garrison early in the morning.

“They started calling after me… They were angry because on top of being drunk and late I had also escaped,” he said. “But we were just lying on the beach drinking beer.”

Finally, he struck a deal with the military that he would be allowed to race if he came back. Raikkonen has been laid back, a man of few words and blisteringly quick who is loved for these very factors.

At Sauber, he was mischievous but easy going when he broke into the Formula 1 scene. Back in his Mclaren stint, he was very quick and became well known for his party lifestyle.

However, when he moved to Ferrari in 2007, his demeanour changed drastically. The Finn became more private and shied away from attention after his first title. He was soon tired of Formula 1 and paid a huge bounty to depart the team.

His laid-back attitude continued when he returned to F1 with Lotus. A section in the book recalled a time in 2012 when he drank for 16 days in a row between F1 Grands Prix in Bahrain and Spain.

The book’s first edition was sold out within days in Raikkonen’s native Finland and the rights have been already sold to 10 other countries, with an English edition expected to be out in October.