| Source: pekkahyysalo.com |

Iceman and FightBack “to fight back and become the best he can be” – Pekko had extremely serious brain injury and sank into a coma for 17 days

Quite many of you may have seen, that I met a new person. That person was Kimi Räikkönen, and I can just say that in my own opinion, he is a friend of mine now.

Let’s go back to when I hadn’t met him yet, when I had just seen him on TV and in those NUMEROUS tabloids… I didn’t really give a rats ass about, what everyone was saying about him. I just knew, he had a weird voice. That thin, unstable voice has been my own savior quite often, cause my own voice has been just that, on top of being unstable, very slow, weak and unclear. It was nice that someone so well known and famous, was sharing that with me. I had heard the super funny and straight, short answers he’d given to press. On my own opinion they were always super hilarious. About the bad press I can’t say anything, cause I don’t really read that much tabloids… But I know, that he has gotten his fair share of that, too.

After all I’ve fallen in love with the fact that, Kimi just is Kimi. I can’t even imagine all the media hassle around him, but at least when I met him, he must’ve been just himself. And that’s something I really respect.

Read the rest of Pekka’s blog about his meeting with Kimi and cute deal they agreed on – Kimi exchanged a recumbent for Pekka’s hat

| Source: iltalehti.fi | Translated

As the F1 circus arrives in Austin, Texas, for this weekend’s USA Grand Prix, Raikkonen is in Salzburg, Austria, for his pre-meditated back surgery.

“Kimi has not been able to sleep properly. He also has had problems with walking type of aesthetic basics,” Räikkönen’s manager Steve Robertson says.

Surgery is therefore necessary. This way Kimi gets fit as quickly as possible and back to practice.

Back pains has bothered the Finn long time. The first hard blow came in 2001, when Raikkonen crashed out in the Magny Cours tests. In 2010, Räikkönen had the first back surgery due to the bulge.

Robertson says that the problems are now similar to those in the past .

“Kimi has a problem with the nerves in the lower back.”

He will rest after the surgery about four weeks. Raikkonen will be in the hospital a day or two .

“We are aware of previous surgery on the basis that it will take approximately four weeks before Kimi can not do anything decent,” Robertson says.

“The most important thing is to rest as much as possible after the operation.”

Source: iltalehti.fi | ts.fi | MTV3Sport

Ferrari bound Kimi Raikkonen is now recovering from successful back surgery, according to Finland’s MTV Sport.

After suffering with severe pain from an old back injury at grands prix recently, the Finn elected to sit out the last two races of 2013 in order to have the operation well ahead of his 2014 switch to Ferrari.

The surgery, performed on Thursday, “went well”, MTV reported, and the 34-year-old “can start light exercise in 4 to 6 weeks (time)”.

For the last two races of 2013 in Austin and Brazil, Lotus replaced Raikkonen with his Finnish countryman Heikki Kovalainen.

Statement from Lotus F1 Team:

| Source: ferrari.com |

What comes after Father Christmas? After 25 December the next festivity on the calendar is the start of the new year, but in Maranello, everything happens early, because if there’s one thing that can’t be lost, it’s time.

That’s how after last weekend, when all the drivers who fly the Prancing Horse flag on race tracks around the world, be they the Formula 1 drivers with the Scuderia, the youngsters from the Ferrari Driver Academy or those who have taken the 458 GT to victory all over the place, transformed themselves into Father Christmas, today, bringing an early taste of the new year, was someone who  shares his nationality with the best loved Father Christmas by kids of all nationalities, given that according to legend, he operates out of a base right in the north of Finland.

Today in Maranello, that other resident of Finland, Kimi Raikkonen was on hand to meet Stefano Domenicali and the senior engineers from the Scuderia. It was an opportunity to go over the current state of play on the design of the 2014 car, as well as a chance for Kimi to meet up with many old friends who, in a few weeks time will once again be his team. These include Antonio Spagnolo, who next season will the Finnish driver’s race engineer.

| Source: autosport.com |

Kimi Raikkonen has always been his own man, and when he tired of F1 in 2009, he set off for a two-year sabbatical. AUTOSPORT looks back at his rallying, NASCAR and sportscar adventures.

KIMI IN RALLYING

The Iceman became the Snowman pretty quickly. Shortly after starting his very first event with the Citroen C4 WRC in 2010 – the Arctic Rally in Finland, a warm-up for Rally Sweden – spectators were treated to the surreal sight of the 2007 Formula 1 world champion digging his own car out of a snowbank.

That would never have happened at Ferrari. But it was a skill that Raikkonen was to practise again on Rally Sweden itself a couple of weeks later, where the icy stages also take no prisoners. The man who Sir Stirling Moss once described as “the fastest driver in the world” turned out to be a dab hand with a shovel as well.

Of course, this was far from being Raikkonen’s first foray into world rallying – that took place on his home Rally Finland in 2009, at the wheel of a Super 2000 Abarth Grande Punto.

He was straight into the top three, fighting with future Intercontinental Rally Challenge and Super 2000 champion Juho Hanninen and Anton Alen, a former 1000 Lakes Group N class winner and son of rally legend Markku. Kimi is very close to the Alen family – one of his houses in Finland is just across the road from Markku’s – so he probably picked up a few tips.

Raikkonen undoubtedly felt his stunning performance in Finland would translate seamlessly into something similar in the World Rally Car category. Plenty of others thought exactly the same. But being competitive in the Super 2000 class is one thing, taking on Sebastien Loeb in the same car is another.

To be fair to Raikkonen, he approached it with an open mind. “I’ve always admired rally drivers for their skills and bravery,” he said at the time. “I just wanted to see if I could do it myself.”

It only took him three WRC events to finish in the points (with eighth in Jordan), and on the following round he scored what would remain his best result: fifth in Turkey.

That event, as Europe lay beneath an ash cloud that grounded aviation, was the prelude to an interesting journey home for most people. Apart from Kimi that is, who somehow managed to persuade his pilot to take off. He was relaxing at home before most of his Citroen colleagues had thought about boarding their coach back to Paris. It took them three days.

There were some low points as well. Raikkonen let out an unmanly yelp as his car went off the edge in El Cubilete, Mexico, followed by a string of words that are unprintable but extremely amusing.

While Kimi’s co-driver Kaj Lindstrom no doubt got sick of a scene acted out at hotels around the world most mornings – every Citroen driver (bar one) sitting patiently in the minibus, waiting to leave, while Lindstrom frantically called Kimi’s room from reception – Loeb was quite chuffed. “It’s good, because normally it’s me who is late,” he pointed out – directly from the minibus.

Kimi’s first and only fastest stage time came on the 2010 Rally Germany’s Circus Maximus, a spectator superspecial around the Porta Nigra – an ancient Roman gate – in Trier.

For his second season in the WRC, Raikkonen’s budget was significantly reduced, forcing him to go with his own team – Ice1 Racing – in a Citroen DS3 WRC funded by a variety of private sponsors. He didn’t complete a full season, tackling nine events in total with a best result of sixth in Jordan and Germany.

Under the WRC Team rules, he was obliged to contest two events outside Europe, and his decision to skip Rally Australia because it was “a long way” fell foul of that regulation.

Unsurprisingly, the Australian stewards did not accept the geographical location of their event as a mitigating circumstance and Ice1 Racing was excluded from the teams’ championship (although Raikkonen finished 10th in the drivers’ standings, for the second year running).

Then came the call to Lotus, but Kimi doesn’t think he would be where he is today without his two years in rallying.

“You cannot compare the two and say that this definitely helped,” he points out. “But when I stopped in F1 I was ready to do something different and challenge myself, and without that I don’t think I’d have come back.”

Raikkonen might not have had the results he wanted in the WRC, but he brought some real star quality to the championship with an army of passionate fans.

To our knowledge, Ken Block is the only other rally driver who has been followed into the toilet and photographed there… David Evans

KIMI IN NASCAR

With his rallying sojourn fraying at the seams, Raikkonen spent a month in the US in 2011, running two tests and two races with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

His first experience of NASCAR-style machinery came in a truck test at the half-mile Gresham Motorsports Park oval in Georgia. And it didn’t take long for Kimi to make an impression on the team.

“A lot of time when we test, the driver will go out and mosey around for a couple of laps to get their bearings and get familiar with the racetrack,” says KBM team manager Rick Ren.

“He didn’t do that. When he went down pitroad he was wide open and that just shows his ability and confidence in his car control. I’m not used to people doing that.”

A further test followed at Rockingham, before Raikkonen made his Truck Series debut around the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kimi finished 15th and a week later contested the Nationwide race at the same track in a car run by KBM, but entered by Joe Nemechek’s team.

“The truck race didn’t go as good as I hoped it would, but the car race was going very well until he had a pitroad speeding penalty,” Ren recalls.

“I was really impressed during the Nationwide race. Our car was not nearly as good as what it could have been, he was driving the wheels off that thing and doing a very good job.

“It just ended up being not quite such a good day. We were running about seventh and that’s very respectable.”

But the race wasn’t without its dramas. As anyone who heard Kimi’s Abu Dhabi radio chat is aware, he knows what he’s doing – even if that means failing to wear the correct protective gear…

“When he first came here I looked at his shoes and I told him, ‘I don’t think you’ll be able to run those shoes over here’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah that’s what I always race with’, so he didn’t want to put the heat shields on. The floorboards get exceptionally hot in NASCAR vehicles, maybe 125-130 degrees.

“But he didn’t want to put his booties on as we call them and we are a bit into the race and he comes on the radio and says, ‘My feet are getting very hot! Never mind, I will put them out the window!’

“I thought that was the funniest thing I ever heard on the pitbox. And that was the only time he brought it up in the whole race.”

The team was keen to run Raikkonen in more races, but he never returned its call. Andrew van de Burgt

KIMI IN SPORTSCARS

Peugeot motorsport boss Olivier Quesnel had long since promised Kimi Raikkonen, then competing in World Rallying with sister marque Citroen, a go in one of his 908 HDi LMP1 turbodiesels and duly delivered in August 2011.

Quesnel, who was in charge of both marques, always denied that there was anything more to the test, but insiders insist that an outing at the Le Mans 24 Hours was discussed at some point. And quite rightly so after Raikkonen’s performance during his short try-out at Motorland Aragon.

“Kimi was quick straight out of the box,” says one of Peugeot’s retinue of drivers. “He got in the car and matched the quickest time of the test inside four laps.

“He arrived late, I think, didn’t make any fuss and didn’t bother too much about the seating position, and bang, he did the time. He did around 25 laps and then went home.”

Raikkonen apparently liked the car, apart from its powersteering, but any chance of a race outing as good as disappeared three months later when it was announced he’d be returning to F1 with Lotus.

And then it disappeared for good when Peugeot called time on its sportscar programme another couple of months after that.

By Gary Watkins

Kimi on his LeMans experience (from F1Racing magazine Nov 2011 issue):

“The Le Mans car was interesting but, to be honest, the steering was quite sh*t and the windscreen was really strange – it sort of distorts the view… maybe because it’s very round”

“I can’t imagine what it’s like with oil and mess after you’ve been racing for a long time. But I enjoyed the experience and the car felt good.”

Kimi on Team Radio during Nascar:

“Biggest problem is my foot. It’s burning. I don’t understand how this car can be so hot. My ass is even burning in here!”

“They [the feet] are burning, but I get them off the floor so it’s better. Need drink.”

| Source: Leo Turrini’s Blog | Translation courtesy of RacingNerds.com |

Leo Turrini: “Kimi laughs like a child. Honestly, I have seen many drivers, but one in a state of ecstasy like him I have not seen. You see that Kimi is really happy and feels to be back home.”

So, where were we?

Ah, yes. I left the narration of my encounter with the Holy Drinker (*Kimi) pending… but the picture (taken, honor to his merit, by the ubiquitous Renato Bisignani, Ferrari’s P.R.) I took with him already said almost everything in the sense that in such circumstances (really random), it is not that we can leave a disquisition about the Maximum World Systems.

I came in to the Montana Restaurant (*a famous Restaurant near Maranello where you can often meet Ferrari’s staff) for a disastrous (*maybe for the enormous amount of food and drinks) convivial ceremony with Cola (aka Luca Colajanni, perfidious predecessor of Bisi). We settle in a small room, under a beautiful blow-up (*really big picture) of Alonso. While we were on the first dish paccheri (* a kind of good Italian pasta), a waiter came to us to offer the Lambrusco wine. Then we hear a voice (*it’s Kimi speaking): “And where is your friend Cat’s Eye (*Cat’s Eye, in Italian Occhi di Gatto, is a famous bloggara, a girl who reads Leo’s blog and knows Leo)?” I got a bit surprised and turned around to see Kimi instead of Alonso (*who was more probable to meet). I reply: “Truly, I should convey the greetings of Odin and Mazgiorg (*two bloggers who are Kimi supporters of course)”. I say: (*Leo is speaking to his bloggars now) “Hey! Now I want to see how they translate this post in Oulu and Turku languages, ehm ehm” (*Leo knows that his articles are translated in more than 12 countries and so he is curious about how they will translate these strange bloggers’ names!). “Nice guys”, he (*Kimi) says.

As the 2007 World Champion (in a t-shirt despite the cold, two mysterious tattoos at the biceps, a cap, which is really similar to U2′s The Edge one, Beautiful Day, One, With or Without You, Walk On, Magnificent) is surrounded by the entire squadron (race engineer A. Spagnolo, the motorists, the logistics officer Balocchi, Bisi and blah blah blah), the conversation moves on to really important things. That is: we talked about a match of ice hockey to play in Fanano, against the formation led by Cat’s Eye, excuse me, by Alonso. “But I suggest to keep the news secret, because every nonsense that I write on your behalf, they immediately translate it into Finnish…….so let’s defend your privacy”.

Kimi laughs like a child. Honestly I’ve seen pilots in fits of laughter but it was indeed rare that I happen to meet one in a state of ecstasy like that. You can easily note he is really happy… to be back at home. Or maybe, he did not understand what kind of missile (*rocket) a certain Adrian Newey is going to extract from the cellars…..

Come on! I explain some bizarre theories of a certain “Nelson66,” our blog’s technician (*Nelson is a blog reader who is an engineer and often he writes about technical aspects of the GP…). “Nice guy”, repeats the blond. So I tell him the story about that time at Interlagos (*2007) and about the cuddly (*the crying) I took a few days later, due to the unexpected surprise of victory. He laughs and says: “Are you ready for the next one?” I do not know if he was referring to the cuddly or at the world title in 2014. With this outstanding mystery narrated, I wish a good weekend to all.

| Source: autoweek.com |

KIMI RAIKKONEN – An exclusive look at Kimi Raikkonen’s submission for the photo collection is of a tree in his native Finland.
KR: “After a busy F1 weekend, I like to relax away from everything. The natural world is very peaceful to me.”

In fact, in association with Zoom, every F1 driver and team was given the chance to take photos, which will be auctioned off to benefit the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. You can bid for Raikkonen’s photo here.

Along with the images, the Zoom auction includes cameras provided by Nikon, which have been signed by some of the biggest names in F1.

The drivers and team principals were asked to take photographs of their chosen subject, and those images will be signed and auctioned by U.K.-based auction house Coys at an event on Friday, Feb. 7. It will take place at the InterContinental London Park Lane and hosted by the BBC’s F1 presenter, Suzi Perry.

Images range from Fernando Alonso’s podium shot of the Monza crowd, to Nico Rosberg at the wheel of a 1938 W154 Mercedes, to the view from the window of F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone’s house in Switzerland.

The auction will also feature seven Nikon cameras signed by an F1 driver or legend. Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, Damon Hill, Jacque Villeneuve, John Surtees, Alain Prost and Sir Jackie Stewart each autographed cameras, and all of the proceeds will go to the GOSHCC.

The photographs will also be collated in a special edition book, which will go on sale ahead of the 2014 F1 season.

Video of the submissions:

Kimi has previously taken photographs for Zoom Charity, here is his photo from the auction 2012.

| Source: ferrari.com |

As Stefano Domenicali mentioned this morning in the interview he gave, Kimi Raikkonen is seen more and more often in Maranello, proof that he plans to get even more involved than in the past as he embarks on his second adventure with the Prancing Horse.

Today, Kimi’s schedule involved several meetings with the engineers to prepare the programme for the upcoming test sessions in Bahrain, as well as fine tuning his driving position in the cockpit of the F14 T.

This year’s race car was not the only Ferrari Kimi was keen to see close up and he ended the day having his first drive in a LaFerrari, the road car that represents the very essence of what makes the cars built in Maranello unique in the world. The Finn soon felt comfortable behind the wheel of the supercar, but there wasn’t enough time for him to test its performance on the Fiorano track. That will be for the next time, as Kimi feels ever more at home in Maranello!

Video: Kimi at the launch @00:47mins

Not only has Kimi been busy in Maranello, he has other sponsor duties – here is his latest behind-the-scenes photoshoot with Harley-Heaven motorcycles, as part of his ambassador role for the Wrangler-Europe franchise.

Kimi Räikkönen has been named the face of Wrangler’s fall Denim Performance line — the first male spokesperson for Wrangler Europe.

It is a premiere, at least for Europe. For the first time, Wrangler has donned itself a spokesperson in Europe. For the launch this spring of Denim Spa for women, the jeans manufacturer tapped Lizzy Jagger. For fall 2013 and the launch of Denim Performance, the brand will be represented by Kimi Räikkönen.

The choice is a natural — a Formula 1 driver representing a new line that combines fashion and functionality, outerwear in waterproof or breathable technical fabrics, storage pockets for phone, passport, etc. And Kimi Räikkönen from Finland, in his early thirties, is back in Formula One racing, where he finished third in the 2012 championship. For Wrangler, it is also especially obvious that Northern Europe is the most important region for its business. Germany is by far its largest market, followed by France and the United Kingdom.

Why Kimi Raikkonen for Wrangler Denim Performance?
Formula One is the definition of high performance. Only 20 guys in the world race these cars. Kimi Raikkonen is a champion racer, one of the most consistent performers on the circuit, and a sublime driver. His world is adrenaline and personal skill underpinned by genius technology. Wrangler is the adrenaline-fuelled jeans brand, with an exceptional denim heritage built on innovation, while Denim Performance blends technology with a stylish aesthetic. Kimi Raikkonen for Wrangler Denim Performance is the perfect fit.

| Source: thejudge13.com |

Dark clouds form over Maranello

Whenever there is a state of all being well, one should take the opportunity to enjoy and take in the positive vibe that is all around before, inevitably, the harsh reality of life kicks in and the moment is lost. Perhaps this where the saying comes from, Nothing lasts forever, so live for the moment!

In light of the comments made last week by a certain Brazilian who has moved to Williams for 2014, it would seem the moment where all was well has passed for Fernando Alonso. Whilst he hardly spent any time in Maranello on the sim tirelessly plugging away learning new tracks, he actually did just this but in his home in Oviedo, Spain, instead.

In years gone by where the Spaniard was clearly the undisputed no.1 there was no need to embrace the Ferrari family sentiment as he was unchallenged and for all intents and purposes, untouchable. The man who twice had come within a whisker of claiming the title for the Scuderia, only for a team error to cost him in 2010 and lady luck to intervene in 2012 – (although I know there will be a few who disagree with the 2012 assessment).

Why all this matters I hear you ask? Kimi is hardly known for being the ‘friendly’ sort of team player who will ask ‘How high?’ every time the team says ‘Jump.’ TheJudge13 sources say that the Kimi that has returned is almost unrecognisable from the Kimi that left in 2009. Putting the hard hours into his simulator work both days of the weekend is a far cry from what would be expected normally from the Finn.

Furthermore, he spent Wednesday at the factory meeting up with ‘old friends’ and trying to persuade Luca to let him test the LaFerrari on the Fiorano track, only stopped in this pursuit by the fading light. Kimi had another seat fitting as he was unhappy with his previous ride position, demonstrating the perfectionist the Finn has become.

Not being reported elsewhere, but this is the third time Kimi has been to Marnello since resigning for the red team. Reportedly, he is welcomed back like a long lost son at every visit. If this is the case, then wouldn’t that now make Alonso the prodigal son?

Any avid football fans will remember how Jose Mourinho returned to Chelsea during his stint with Inter Milan. That day he proved that actions do genuinely speak louder than words, seeking the custard cream distributor and munching away. He showed he still know that place like the back of his hand, exactly as Kimi is doing right now in Maranello.

So the man who journalists would have you believe ‘doesn’t do politics’ is putting in the hard hours to, once again, be the favoured one within the Ferrari family. No war of words is required with Alonso, leaving his Samurai quotes null and void. Kimi is not wasting his energy with multiple blows, just a few sharp ones – which is hurting Alonso. Dark clouds are forming over Maranello as the war begins.

The Taming of Kimi Räikkönen

As the gavel wielding one has written a few paragraphs north from here, Kimi 2.0 has become quite a perfectionist. And although he is still capable of pulling memorable moments, like the “leave me alone” comment over team radio, he’s a far cry from the wild boy, who was filmed falling off a boat in a drunken stupor. He was even caught a few times on camera actually talking to journalists last year.

Now, those of a naive disposition will conclude that Kimi has matured over the years, but they are deluding themselves. Men are and always will be oversized children. If you want to test the theory, lock several guys in a room with a model train set or a scalextric kit. The only difference to a group of small boys will be, that men will get hogwashly bladdered in the process as they’ll drink beer instead of soda. Give them BMX bikes in the summer or sleighs and a hill in the winter and you’ll witness an impromptu session of “jackass”.

What you just saw flying out of the window was the maturity theory. The only one, who can make a grown male of the species resemble something like a responsible adult is a woman, usually referred to as “the right one”, which means that not every woman has that effect on a man. Which would mean that Jenni Dahlman, former miss Scandinavia and wife to Kimi Räikkönen for eight years was not the one to achieve that.

The one, who seems to have pulled off the miracle goes by the name Minttu Virtanen and if the Finnish yellow press is to be believed she did not only tame Kimi into Kimi 2.0, she’s also working on a completely new one. Since the pair is one of the main interest of the Finnish rags, they are usually well informed about them and if that latest bit of news proves correct, Kimi will join Sebastian Vettel, Romain Grosjean, Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado in the club of those, who in recent years submitted their genetic make-up for long-time storage.

Maybe Bernie should invest in a Kindergarten, rather than the Nürburgring.

Follow thejudge13 on Twitter!

So what do you think? Despite winning the championship in his debut season for the Scuderia, the team felt Kimi wasn’t the true leader they hoped for after Schumacher’s departure – I recall Domenicali saying this after Kimi left F1. Has Kimi realised that in order to be at the true height of success at Ferrari he must put in the extra hours and genuine desire to beat Alonso both on and off the track? I must admit myself, being a fan for over 10 years, that it has been a little out of character for Kimi to be so frequently present at the headquarters.

But I don’t think it’s the influence of a new woman – Kimi loves racing since he was a kid (you’ve only got to watch Prelude to see why) and how he left Ferrari hurt him but he still has huge respect for those guys who work hard inside the team. Sure, he may be like a sick puppy in love right now, but it has nothing to do with his new mentality – leaving F1 did Kimi a world of good and he had no woman by his side during that time except his mother. He came back to Formula 1 as an improved man two years ago already. At Lotus we saw Kimi stand up for himself over the unpaid salary. Now we are seeing Kimi making right what he feels was missing from his previous term at Ferrari. Afterall, even athletes must learn from their mistakes? Tell us your thoughts!

If you see a Ferrari LaFerrari driven by none other than a talented F1 driver such as Kimi Raikkonen, this is something that you wouldn’t expect to see! After a few laps around track Kimi tried to play sideways with the 963hp of the LaFerrari but he ended into a massive spin out off the track! That’s not all because for the first time you see also brake disks of the LaFerrari glowing and the exhaust spitting big flames!

When flight attendant Minttu Virtanen moved in with F1 star Kimi Räikkönen she had to adapt herself to the huge house and get used to the fact that in this cohabitation the moments together are rare and it requires a lot of planning. “I’m not leaving my job. It would feel weird to be totally dependent on someone.”

When flight attendant and a fitness model Minttu Virtanen, 27, was introduced to Kimi Räikkönen, 34, with a help of mutual friend last summer, the crush was immediate. It has been a fast-paced relationship; in November Minttu moved in with Kimi in Kaskisaari, Helsinki. The change of home was overwhelming and massive; Minttu lived in a 34m2 house before and in Kaskisaari there is +500m2. “In the beginning I was nervous about being alone in a big house. When I came home from work I checked every room that there is nobody there. I never thought that I would be the type of person who admires the scenery but I’ve noticed that how relaxing it’s just to sit and look at the sea”.

She has brought some new fresh little details to the decoration of the house but nothing massive. “The house was so beautifully decorated already and I’m not that keen on having a really decorated house. It doesn’t matter where I am as long as I have my loved ones close to me. With Kimi in this relationship I feel like I’m in the right place.”

The loneliness strikes when spending the night alone.

She had to get used to the big house as well as to the fact that the year is spent following the F1 calendar. Minttu gives credit to her employer FlyBe as they are really flexible what comes to his new life situation. “We follow and live with the F1 calendar and I try to arrange my timetables in a way that I could support Kimi as much as I can. At least for now the holiday requests have been taken with ease by my employer.”

With both of them going round the world all the time the long-distance relationship has become familiar quickly. The fact is that being together daily is not possible. They connect with each other a lot in the internet and with mobile phones. “In a long-distance relationship reciprocal understanding and trust are the most important things.” “When I’m working it’s easier to cope with it [not being with Kimi] when you have something else to think. But when I’m spending the nights alone at home the loneliness strikes and that makes me sad. At those moments I have to think about the future and comfort myself on the fact that this doesn’t continue like this forever. This is how it is now but one day it will change.”

Minttu admits that in less than a year a lot has happened but the routine life has stayed the same. “My life hasn’t turned upside down although there is some new and fun stuff. My life, job and friends are still here in Finland. I’m not going to give up my job or my independence just because of Kimi and his career taking him around the world. It would feel weird to be totally dependant on somebody, for me it’s important to do my own things.”

LIFE AND LIFE-LONG BAN FOR CANDY

“Own things” really are what Minttu is spending her time in. She has one career as a flight attendant but she also has another occupation, as a fitness model for Bealive. Sports are her passion and there could be a lot of opportunities for her in that category. Minttu has just started a personal training education and she’ll be a qualified personal trainer next fall. “I don’t know whether it could be my number one job but at least it would be something that I could do and go around the world. I also get some depth and education to my own training from it and I am going to design a training programme for Kimi too. He has already said that it’s OK.”

Minttu admits that his attitude towards racing drivers has changed through Kimi. “I understand them who say that driving a car around a track isn’t sport. I couldn’t belive that it’s so physically demanding before I saw the speed and the racing close-by. They need a great bodycontrol and fitness just to stay on the seat in those speeds let alone the blistering heat of some races. My understanding of the sport has changed totally and the I now have a huge respect towards the drivers.”

Minttu mostly enjoys the vigorous focus in her training. It’s something he often experience on the running track or in the gym where she follows a custom-made training programme. “I’ve never been on a diet or exercised just to look skinnier. I think it’s more healthier and eye-pleasing to have a muscular body.”

Kimi’s home in Switzerland has it’s own gym but in Helsinki the couple trains in a private gym close by the Kaskisaari home. “Exercising is self-evident and a intergral part of my life. It’s also essential for mental health. There are only a few things that give feeling like after training. If I don’t have the time to do sports it affects everything, I’m more tired, angry and I can’t eat that well.

What comes to the eating, Minttu has one weakness.

“We can’t have candy at home. I have no self-control over those!”

As a hostess in the home alone Minttu prepares quick meals like salads, chicken and vegetables. On those days when Kimi is at home, he cooks or they go out to eat sushi or a good-old stakes. “I like to keep the home organised and clean but I’m not a cook.”

LOVE FOR KIMI

They fell in love in summer 2013. Minttu has been seen on the paddock but otherwise the couple has lived off the headlines. “Kimi’s calmness made an impact on me. He has this wonderful habit of taking everybody in to account. His personality is full of beautiful characteristics.”

Being a superstar is something Minttu doesn’t noticed in Kimi’s presence. “The ordinariness of him is one of the things that made me fall in love with him. He is also funny as hell.”

(Source: menaiset.fi, translation courtesy of KRS Ville, english article)

In other news, our contributor Ville also reported that Finnish tabloid Seiska shamelessly spied on Kimi’s villa in Kaskisaari with a helicopter! All they noted was that there was a renovation going on on the patio and Kimi has a new car – a 200,000Euro Audi RS.

On Thursday Kimi Raikkonen joined his motocross team ICE1Racing in Grevenbroich, Germany, with former Finnish footballer and UEFA Champions League Champion Sami Hyypiä also at the event. Here are some pictures, courtesy of Uwe Holl:

Sami Hyypiä spoke about Kimi MXGP’s latest magazine:

Q: Do you know Kimi Raikkonen personally?
SH: Of course, I have met Kimi a few times and I find it great that he has a passion to race motocross and have his own team. Now I am trying to practice (riding) so next time we ride together I can give him a race! But I think he is a bit quicker than me so I have a lot of practice to do.

Emotion and passion today at Imola’s Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit during the event organised to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger. Paying tribute on behalf of Scuderia Ferrari to the two drivers who died back in 1994 were Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Jules Bianchi and Pedro de la Rosa. With them was the Director of Racing Activities Antonello Coletta and the Sporting Director, Massimo Rivola.

From the pit straight, the drivers walked down to Tamburello corner, where in beautiful sunshine, there was a short commemoration service in honour of Ayrton Senna who died at this spot. There were brief speeches, bringing to life the memories and recollections of those who had known the great driver from Sao Paulo. At 14h17, the exact time that the driver crashed at the wheel of a Williams on lap 7 of the San Marino Grand Prix, a minute’s silence was observed.

Even though they never raced in the Senna era, both Fernando and Kimi had words to say about the Brazilian champion. Particularly touching was Alonso’s recollection. “I can well remember the photos in the papers and seeing on the TV news the stories of the duels between the McLarens of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. He had the number 1 on his car and I raced karts thinking about him, of his yellow helmet that was always winning,” said the Spaniard. “I also competed in karting in Italy, working with someone who had been his mechanic when he raced in that category and so you can imagine how important that was for me. I had a poster of him up in my bedroom. The only positive thing to come out of the weekend that took Ayrton and Roland Ratzenberger away from us was that, from then on, safety in Formula 1 improved significantly. In fact, we can say that inside our cars there is something of the legacy of Senna and Raztzenberger, because after that terrible 1994, nothing was ever the same again.”

As for Raikkonen, he had this to say about Ayrton: I was very young. I saw the accident on TV and what I remember most is that, the next day at school we talked about it. Senna was very important for Formula 1, as a driver and a person and his death led to a rapid acceleration in the process of increasing the level of safety in our sport. That has avoided other tragedies from occurring. Unfortunately however, one cannot change the past, neither for Ayrton nor for Roland Ratzenberger. The only thing we can do is remember this champion, whose exploits defined the history of Formula 1 for a long time.”

(Source: ferrari.com)

VIDEO

Kimi speaking about Ayrton Senna

Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing team owner Kimi Räikkönen joined the team for the Dutch GP.

Kimi Raikkonen: “It was great to be around again this year in Valkenswaard and see the team in action. Unfortunately Todd had bad luck last week – we wish him speedy recovery. Tyla had solid two rounds, good performance today.”

(Source: ice1racing.fi)

To many people today by #kimiraikkonen , not funny haha 😎 #F1 #iceman #ferrari pic.twitter.com/GMpbqhPs27

— Gilbert Schildermans (@Gilbert5033) May 3, 2014

Formula One World Champion and current Scuderia Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen will be at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed for the very first time on Sunday 29th June.

We’re delighted that Kimi will be attending FoS at the invitation of new event partner Shell, who will also be celebrating the 50^th anniversary of legendary British racer John Surtees’ Formula One World Championship victory with Scuderia Ferrari. Shell partnered Surtees and Scuderia Ferrari to championship glory in 1964 and was Technical Partner of the Formula One team in 2007 during Räikkönen’s victorious campaign.

“Every year petrol heads and motoring enthusiasts from around the world gather at the Festival of Speed to celebrate all things automotive. This year we are proud to partner with this illustrious festival to pay tribute to our own motoring history, our heritage in fuels innovation and celebrate 50 years since John Surtees’ championship success with our long-term Technical Partner, Scuderia Ferrari,” says Richard Bracewell, Shell Global Sponsorships Manager.

To highlight continued commitment to motoring innovation, Shell will also showcase the work done by the Shell Eco-marathon – a global competition that encourages aspiring engineers and students to develop and create the some of most energy efficient vehicles in the world.

The announcement comes as Shell is confirmed as a Main Partner of the event, while the company’s premium performance fuel, Shell V-Power Nitro+, is named as the event’s official fuel.

“Shell has a long and distinguished history in motorsport and has provided technology behind world championship successes for more than 60 years. We are delighted to welcome Shell on board as a partner of the Festival of Speed and look forward to celebrating the Formula One World Championship achievements of Kimi Räikkönen and John Surtees at Goodwood,” says Lord March.

(Source: goodwood.com)

This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed gets underway tomorrow, one of the most important gatherings in the world of racing and sports cars of every time. This year, the main theme of the event held in Sussex, England, is the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of John Surtees taking the Formula 1 World Championship crown. To this day, Surtees is the only driver to have been world champion on two wheels (in 1956, ’58, ’59 and ’60) and four, in 1964.

A lot of current drivers are taking part, including, from the world of Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton, former Ferrari man Felipe Massa and current Scuderia Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen. In fact, the Finn will share centre stage at the key moment of the weekend, as he will tackle the Goodwood hill at the wheel of the Ferrari F2007, which he drove to the world championship title, while alongside him will be Surtees himself, driving the Ferrari 158 F1 with which he took the title 50 years ago. It was one of the closest championship battles, as he only took the win in the very last race, the thrilling Mexican Grand Prix, when he beat off two quality drivers in the shape of Graham Hill and Jim Clark.

The two cars are very different of course, but surprisingly they have several points in common. First of, they are both Ferraris, both winners and, at the time they were both revolutionary, while last but not least, they were supported by the same partner, Shell, the petroleum company that has always used Formula 1 to develop its excellent products and which has supported Ferrari for so many years in Formula 1.

The run up the hill for these cars takes place on Sunday, but be warned, tickets for Saturday and Sunday sold out ages ago, although there are a few left for Friday, which are expected to go fast. Tomorrow and Saturday, Scuderia Ferrari will once again be centre stage, when its test driver Pedro de la Rosa will tackle the hill in a 2009 F60.

(Source: ferrari.com)

How’s this for a spectacle? Two championship-winning Ferraris – separated by four decades – in convoy on the Goodwood hill. What’s more, each driven by the man who drove it to its respective championship win. #OnlyAtGoodwood? Quite possibly…

John Surtees’ 1964 158 looks delightfully delicate and spindly next to Kimi Raikkonen’s F2007 tech-fest as they make their way up the hill together in this fantastic edit from our live broadcast today. We’ll say no more – except ‘enjoy’!

(And a big Goodwood ‘thank you’ to Kimi and John, and our friends at Shell and Ferrari who helped to make this moment happen.)

VIDEO

Includes interview with Raikkonen:

(Source: goodwood.com)

Kimi Raikkonen at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

VIDEO: The Ferrari Formula One driver made his debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014. He talks about how he got into motorsport, his love of motocross and why he’s attracted to rallying. Click to watch.

Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 F1 World Champion, made his first appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Sunday June 29th.

The Finn, who is generally renowned as a difficult interviewee, talks openly about his formative years in motorsport and what motivates him away from the high pressure world of F1.

Räikkönen drove his title-winning Ferrari F2007 car up the 1.16-mile Goodwood hillclimb and was mobbed by fans wherever he went.

His appearance was a coup for the Festival of Speed – most Formula One champions of the more recent era, with the notable exception of Michael Schumacher, have attended the event.

The F2007 helped Räikkönen to his first, so far only, F1 title and gave Ferrari its first Constructor’s title since Schumacher helped it win both in 2004. In it, the Finn won six races on the way to the title.

Formula 1 driver Kimi Raikkonen says he would like to try World Rallycross at some point in the future.

The 2007 F1 world champion previously dabbled in the World Rally Championship and NASCAR when he took a sabbatical from grand prix racing in 2010-11.

 - Kimi Raikkonen off-track

Rallycross has enjoyed a recent surge in popularity, attracting the likes of 1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve and Audi DTM ace Mattias Ekstrom to the ranks of the new FIA world championship.

Speaking to reporters during the recent Austrian Grand Prix, Raikkonen said he would be open to sampling this branch of the sport.

“Rallycross would be very nice to try, it looks good fun – similar to rally but against each other,” said the Finn.

“Obviously I enjoyed rallying a lot, it’s a very difficult sport and a good challenge.

“I think it’s good to do different things because you always learn something and it’s good fun also.”

Raikkonen’s Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso said during the Austrian GP that he plans to race at Le Mans after his F1 career is finished, while Raikkonen, who tested a Peugeot 908 LMP1 car in 2011, said Le Mans would be “on top of the list” of other races for him to do besides F1.

“Obviously I enjoy racing and Le Mans is one of the things that would be on top of the list, because it’s a very famous race,” Raikkonen added.

“We have to see what happens in the future, but for sure there is some interest to do that race.”

(Source: autosport.com)

Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Jules Bianchi, Marc Gene and Raffaele Marciello join forces with the media in Germany for a Santander-sponsored karting showdown!

Scuderia Ferrari’s sponsor for the past five seasons, Santander Bank, organised a karting event tonight at a track in Walldorf, a few kilometres from the Hockenheimring, home to this weekend’s German Grand Prix. Winners of the event were Scuderia test driver Marc Gene and Catalan journalist from TV3, Albert Fabrega. Competitors were split into groups of four of different nationalities, with one team principal for each group.

The best drivers from each country then took on a team of Scuderia Ferrari drivers, featuring Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Jules Bianchi, a Scuderia test driver, on loan for the night from the Marussia F1 team, Marc Gene and Raffaele Marciello, a Ferrari Driver Academy student, in Hockenheim for round 6 of the GP2 series. The winner was decided by adding the points scored by the journalist to those of that nation’s allocated race driver, decided by a draw before the start of a race where the victory went to Fabrega.

(Source: ferrari.com)

@Formula1chick @willbuxton kimi won the race, the Spanish team won the event

— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsF1) July 17, 2014

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