Kimi Raikkonen looks set to race into the world of fatherhood.

Currently vacationing on his yacht off the Mediterranean island of Corsica, photos have emerged of the Finn’s girlfriend Minttu appearing apparently pregnant.

And Minttu has added a photo of the couple to her Instagram account including the hashtags ‘babyonboard’ and ‘momanddadtobe’.

Raikkonen’s spokesman, Riku Kuvaja, is quoted by the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat: “Minttu and Kimi hope, above all, for peace from the media in this joyous time.”

[ Source: ts.fi | motorsport.com ]

In F1 Racing magazine’s September 2014 issue is a feature on Kimi Raikkonen and John Surtees appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in late June this year. It was a historic meeting of two Ferrari legends and their championship winning masterpieces. In this interview, Kimi talks about meeting Surtees, the cars, being at Goodwood for the first time and his current season. I’ve taken pictures of the article, enjoy :)

When Kimi Met John

Scuderia Ferrari put on an exciting and spectacular show today, as part of VKV Rotterdam City Racing, the event which saw around half a million fans flock to the Dutch city, encouraged by the sunshine which chased away yesterday’s clouds. One of the supporters of the event was Scuderia sponsor Santander Bank.

On hand for Scuderia Ferrari was Formula1 driver Kimi Raikkonen, who drove three laps of the four kilometre circuit which ran between the Willemsburg bridge and the Hofplein roundabout, at the wheel of a 2009 F60, the car in which he won that year’s Belgian Grand Prix. The Finn thrilled the Rotterdam crowd with scorching starts, tyre burn-outs and spectacular acceleration.

Before and after his runs, Kimi met fans and enthusiasts of all ages, including lots of kids, chatting with them about this season and expectations for what lies ahead, while also signing dozens and dozens of autographs for racing fans from a country which used to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix up to 1985, when the Dutch Grand Prix was held for the last time at the Zandvoort circuit.

[ Source: ferrari.com ]

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

Here are new photos (courtesy of fakejellybean) of Kimi taken earlier this year as part of his ambassador role for the Wrangler-Europe franchise. Read our previous posts about Kimi’s Wrangler campaign.

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.

GALLERY

| Sources: zoom-auction.com | facebook |

Zoom is an innovative charity project in aid of the renowned Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Each year, the drivers and team principals of every F1 team are asked to take a photograph of their chosen subject. Images range from Fernando Alonso’s podium shot of the Monza crowd to Nico Rosberg at the wheel of a 1938 W154 and Bernie Ecclestone’s view from his window in Switzerland.

The images are signed and auctioned by Coys at a star-studded annual gala event alongside cameras provided for Zoom by Nikon. These have been signed by some of the sport’s most famous world champions.

This is Kimi Raikkonen’s third photograph taken for the Zoom Auction (see his previous photos here and here)

Kimi Raikkonen: “These are my gloves ready for my return to Ferrari earlier this year. I would rather be in a Ferrari than any other team.”

| Source: minttuvirtanen.com | hs.fi |

Minttu’s official blog:

It is my pleasure to announce a new addition to my family. Our healthy baby boy was born last night in Switzerland, weighing 3,7 kg and height 51 cm. The proud new parents are also well and we are looking forward to this new chapter in our lives.

Congratulations to Kimi and Minttu! Baby Raikkonen was born on 27th January, just in time before daddy has to go back to work. We can’t wait to see the little snowflake!

Update on 01/02/2015

Our Baby Boy has made it home!

We have arrived safely home with our baby boy. It is difficult even to describe these feelings… happiness and love. The little man loves to smile, sleep and eat and mommy can’t stop staring at him. 5 day old Robin and the happy parents are overwhelmed by all the greetings from all of you so thank you so much! It means a lot.

These pictures were taken early last year but have been recently released on Wrangler’s website as part of his ambassador role for the Wrangler-Europe franchise.

I must add… He looks mighty fine in the Texas range.

Read our previous posts about Kimi’s Wrangler campaign.

[Source: wrangler.co.uk | swiatmodnych.pl | fashionpr.pl]

It is Friday – the day off for Kimi Räikkönen during the preseason testing – but, however, the Finnish star of Ferrari arrives to the paddock of Montmelo. You can read from his face he is in sunny mood and you can see everything is fine with the oldest driver of Formula One with 35 years of age.

Räikkönen arrives to have an interview with Turun Sanomat and he visited his fellow countrymen at Koiranen GP factory close to the circuit to see brand new Formula 4 cars of theirs, as well.

Exactly at the agreed time Nicoletta Baffoni, who is one Ferrari media serving people, leads Räikkönen to the interview at Ferrari motorhome. Let’s get down to the business.

Räikkönen became of a father of son Robin at January 27th.

While making an interview with Kimi in the autumn in Belgium, I asked, how it felt for him to become a father soon. Kimi sighed, he believed it won’t make his world go upside down.

How is it now? Has his world gone upside down?

“Well, it is such a new thing, that I have not been able to assimilate it fully, yet. Buy it is the greatest thing, and I presume there will be a lot more items for big joy to come. Of course, obviously, everything is brand new, and I have not been able to spend too much time at home, while we have been testing and working at the factory.”

“The main thing is, the boy is healthy, and the mother is healthy. The baby is still such a little, but for me it is the finest thing in the world, and I am so happy everything has gone so well.”

How different does it feel to race, while you are now a man with a bigger family?

“Well, we have not been racing so far,” Raikkonen corrects with a broad smile, “But, for sure, it will change quite a lot.”

(Pictures via MinttuVirtanenOfficial and her blog)

While Kimi’s brother Rami got his first son, their father Matti Räikkönen brought a small GO Kart car to the hospital as a gift. Now there is not anymore grandpa Räikkönen bringing gifts.

“But there is already a mini-size crossbike to the boy. Antti Pyrhönen, the team of boss of our Motocross team, sent me a picture immediately, what kind of bike they have got for the boy,” smiled Raikkonen, who himself started his driving career witt small crossbikes.

Räikkönen owns a motocross team IceOne Husqvarna Factory Team and they started their season with a double win in MXGP class of the world championship series.

The sons of the Finnish racing drivers have become racing drivers, as well. It looks like Räikkönen is not able to avoid such a tradition to go on?

“I do not have anything against what the boy wants to do. He can decide that himself, what he likes the most. Obviously, we are not going to push him to any direction. I just hope, he would not end up here in the paddock – well, let him be in the paddock to see the race as time goes by, but not in the way, I would need to come back here myself to help him as racing driver.”

“The time will tell, what it will be for him. As long as he is happy, and is doing what he wants, it is the main thing for us,” Räikkönen says.

Räikkönen has a contract with Ferrari for this year and the team has an option for him for 2016. Have you ever been thinking, what you will do then, while Formula One is over for good for you?

“Most likely I will just be with the family. I do not have much more in my mind. Actually I have not been thinking of it, but I think, it is enough for me.”

Could you leave all the driving just like that at once?

“For sure, I can do that, I do not have any huge inch to carry on this for long. It is not my lfe. My life at home is just a normal life. I do this as my job, I like it a lot, but it is not such a thing, I could not leave behind me while I feel time is right.”

At Ferrari Räikkönen gets to the season with a remarkably better starting positions compared to the bad last year.

How about the atmosphere inside the team? Is it like you have with Lotus while you started there?

“For sure the things here at Ferrari are now much better compated to – let us say – last year. It makes things easier for all of us. What is better now, well, I would say it is the way how we do work together to the same direction.”

Is Sebastien Vettel the team mate you have liked the most during your career?

“For sure, he is the one that I get along ín the best way of them all. It is difficult to say more right now. We have not been working together too much so far, we have not been talking or sending sms too much. We have been together only a few days so far. While we start to go racing, it is different. But I can say, it is such a nice thing, he is here.”

How about after the first qualifying in Melbourne? Who ever is ahead of each other, does it affect to your mutual relationship?

“I do not believe that. Obviously, we try our very best to beat each other every time, but for us the main thing is to help the team up there, where it really belongs.”

“It is a strong fact I am rather in this team, although I would be second or tenth than to get higher position somewehere else. There will be the day to come, we will win again! I would not change to anywhere else.”

[ Source: ts.fi | Written by Heikki Kulta ]

Here is the first ‘public’ photograph of Kimi Raikkonen with his son Robin, which Minttu revealed via her blog today. Isn’t it adorable?! Robin is just over 2 months old now.

From minttuvirtanen.com

“We are getting used to this grey Finnish winter, which surprised us all after a few lovely spring days. I think it is great to be here except the weather could be better.  It is wonderful to see all the lovely people whom I miss so much when living abroad. 

Robin’s first flight went great! I was so excited that I could not sleep the night before at all. He was smiling all the time before he fell asleep in his daddy’s arms.” – Minttu.

“Daddy you so cool!”

Filed under: Family & Friends, Kimi Räikkönen, Off-track

Along with its owner, we went to discover how Kimi’s helmet was born, in the factory that Bell Helmets Racing has built a few meters from the entrance of the Al Sakhir circuit, in Bahrain.

The parts of pre-impregnated carbon fiber are cut into specific shapes before being placed in a shell mould.
Up to 40 pieces of carbon fibre are positioned very precisely in a female mould. This is called the “lamination” of the shell.
When lamination is completed, the shell goes into an oven at 150 °C under vacuum for 30 minutes. This is a shell coming out of the oven.

The opening for the visor, called the eyeport, and the excess of carbon in the lower part of the shell are cut with a jig saw.
Now the shell already looks like a real helmet… The technician will now position the shell in a jig, allowing him to precisely trim the 12 ventilation holes on the helmet.
To obtain homologation, the helmet must pass a series of tests including penetration. This test consists of a spike weighing 4kg being fired into the helmet at a speed of 10 meters per second. Bell uses a special machine for this kind of test, developed and built in-house.
The shell is being prepared for painting by being carefully hand sanded…
The shell receives a thin and smooth layer of clear coat, before being personalized into Kimi’s design.
The interior parts are now fitted inside the painted shell.
Finally, the transparent aerodynamic spoilers and the air intakes are glued onto the helmet, and here we are…
…ready to go!

Video: watch how it’s made!

Team owner of Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing, Kimi Räikkönen was cheering his team in Valkenswaard this weekend: “I am very proud of Max, great racing today. His work is very consistent and he has the red plate as proof of it. It was great to see the team here in Valkenswaard, everyone is working very hard for the same goal.” [via iceoneracing]

Prominent visit and mutual respect this afternoon in Valkenswaard as Ferrari F1 star Kimi Räikkonen, hot of finishing 2nd last week in Bahrain, chilled out this afternoon in the relaxing surroundings of the IceOne Husqvarna awning together with ex-Liverpool FC star Sami Hyypiä, Giuseppe Luongo and his charming wife Ursula.

MXGP supremo Luongo, the man who has turned MXGP into a truly global series in recent years, expressed his gratitude to the Finnish F1 champion: “We are delighted that you have shown such interest to support our sport and wish you further success.” Kimi’s IceOne team has even upstaged the Cairoli-Villopoto hype so far this year as Max Nagl has raced the blue-yellow rocket to three wins in the first four GPs. [via mx-pure.com]

Read other posts (here and here) about Kimi and his Ice1Racing adventures.

Thank you #KimiRaikkonen @ScuderiaFerrari for this picture today #kimiraikkonen #Iceman #Ferrari #f1 pic.twitter.com/zZSbUZlrUT

— Gilbert Schildermans (@Gilbert5033) April 26, 2015

Budapest, a historic city crammed with beautiful buildings is, for a third year, hosting the Nagy Futam event which sees all sorts of race cars parade along its streets. They range from Formula 1 to NASCAR, while the Ferrari Challenge series is also represented by the splendid 458 Challenge EVO.

There will also be an air display so the spectators will be able to turn their gaze skywards as well as down the wide boulevards of the Hungarian capital. Among those supporting the event is Scuderia Ferrari sponsor, Kaspersky Lab and the team will be running Kimi Raikkonen at the wheel of an F10, the car that took the Maranello marque to second place in the 2010 World Championship.

The Finn will show off the F10 and its glorious 2.4 litre “056” V8 engine, in an environment where the crowd can get much closer to the cars than they can at an actual Grand Prix. Indeed, the Scuderia is happy to take part in show runs like this, which bring motorsport to the heart of major cities and closer to the public. In fact, this won’t be Ferrari’s only appearance in Budapest this year.

This show on 1st May is a sort of taster for fans and enthusiasts, prior to the Ferrari Racing Days event, which takes place at the Hungaroring circuit from 26 to 28 June, a month prior to the Formula 1 Grand Prix. The weekend provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of the Maranello marque, featuring the third round of the European Ferrari Challenge, split between the Trofeo Pirelli and the Coppa Shell races. Also, in collaboration with Shell, Sebastian Vettel will be on hand to drive a Formula 1 car.

Watch this funny video by Kaspersky Lab of Kimi displaying his awesome enthusiasm as ever for PR events:

| Source: formula1.ferrari.com |

The Nagy Futam event has just come to a close in Budapest and, as predicted, it drew a huge crowd of fans. The nice sunny weather definitely helped. Around 300.000 people cheered on the various show runs held over the course of the day. After the obligatory meeting with the press and then greeting the fans, Kimi Raikkonen got behind the wheel of an F10, completing almost ten laps, much to the delight of the spectators.

“It’s a pleasure to be able to bring the spectacle of Formula One closer to our fans, thanks also to the support of our partners, in this case Kaspersky Lab,” commented Kimi. “Budapest is a beautiful city and we will be back here for the Grand Prix at the end of July, while before then, in less than a month, my team-mate Sebastian Vettel will be here to take part in the Ferrari Racing Days.”

| Source: formula1.ferrari.com | extra Kimi quotes from mcsatorna.hu |

Video Interview with Kimi:

Interview Translation:

@miezicat1 @speedy_mary Here you go, should be roughly correct pic.twitter.com/PN6AXtbL9G

— Mark Lovas (@hunocsi) May 1, 2015

GALLERY

View full album here.

We are just an hour away from the start of the 83rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Here’s a little round-up of Kimi’s experience with Le Mans back in August 2011:

It was Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 at the Motorland Aragon circuit. The usually quiet area was shattered by the repeated comings and goings of a race car. The entire Peugeot Sport team was working hard at the Spanish circuit preparing for the Silverstone Intercontinental Le Mans Cup race. The delegation of drivers was classic, with Stéphane Sarrazin, Franck Montagny, Alex Wurz and Simon Pagenaud.

To them add a prestigious guest who used the session to get to know Peugeot. Quite different from what he knew behind the wheel of his Citroën DS3 WRC, but actually quite close to what he had lived in Formula 1, Kimi Räikkönen went all in. The Finland native completed 35 laps in the Zaragoza province and worked closely with the Sochaux manufacturer’s technicians and engineers for this one-day experience!

True to his great oratorical skills, the 2007 F1 World Champion declared at the end of the session: “The 908 is a great car to drive!” Ah, Kimi. There is no way to know if the session would have led to a factory driver contract in 2012, knowing that Räikkönen was to make his big return to single-seaters with Lotus that year. The only information, his desire to rediscover the sensations on the track was very real and the birth of the FIA World Endurance Championship could have very well met Iceman’s expectations. [ via 24h-lemans.com]

Kimi, characteristically honest about his experience in this interview, said:

“The Le Mans car was interesting but, to be honest, the steering was quite shit and the widescreen was really strange – it sort of distort the view… maybe because it’s very round. I can’t imagine what it’s like with oil and mess on it after you’ve been racing for a long time. But I enjoyed the experience and the car felt good, even though I’m told that it had less power compared to previous years. I’ hadn’t really driven on a circuit for ages apart from the NASCAR race, but that was on an oval, so it was completely different.”

As a Kimi fan, I would certainly love to see Kimi participate in the 24h Le Mans for real. He’s tried the WRC, Nascar, rides motocross as a hobby, and it would just be awesome to see how his endurance skills result in Le Mans, as he often uses this strength to achieve best possible results in outstanding tyre management in his F1 races.

The 31-year-old, who told Finalnd’s Turun Sanomat that racing at Le Mans would be ‘great’, summarised the experience: “I enjoyed this test with Peugeot. The 908 is a really fun car to drive.”

Peugeot Sport team manager Pascal Dimitri said the test had proved interesting, with Raikkonen offering valuable feedback on his first test.

“Kimi adapted very quickly to the car,” Dimitri said, “and gave us a valuable technical feedback. It is always interesting to get inputs from drivers such as Kimi.”

Peugeot’s sport director Olivier Quesnel said the test had been planned ‘for a long time’ and that no decisions have been taken for the future.

“Originally, this test session was planned for a long time in order to prepare the rest of the season, on top of which we have allowed Kimi to discover the 908.

“As of today, nothing has been scheduled or planned for the future.” [via autosport.com | other sources: fourtitude.com | autoblog.com]

This weekend, Nico Hulkenberg will start from 3rd on the Le Mans grid with car #19 thanks to Porsche dominating qualifying. Good luck to him and all the others participating, including Kimi’s long time friend Toni Vilander (teamed up with Giancarlo Fisichella) who will be driving car #51 headed by Gianmaria Bruni for Ferrari GTE-pro.

“I am very pleased the 2015 Formula One calendar allows for it and I’m grateful to my Sahara Force India Formula One Team’s generosity to let me go for it,” said Hulkenberg when announcing his Le Mans plans.

Though it was common in the past, the last driver to compete in both Formula One racing and the Le Mans 24 Hours at the same time was Sebastien Bourdais, who raced for Toro Rosso and Peugeot in the respective disciplines in 2009.

Only four drivers in history have won both the Formula One world championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours overall – Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill, Jochen Rindt and Graham Hill.

Can you just imagine how cool it would be if Kimi was there too?! It would be something to look forward to once Kimi leaves F1 for good. Maybe with Ford? Just look at this beauty.

I hope you’re reading, Mr Raikkonen.

Shell Motorsport have just announced that Kimi Raikkonen will appear at the Goodwood Festival of Speed at once again this year, on Friday 26th June.

Kimi Raikkonen, the Iceman himself, is coming back to #FoS with @ShellMotorsport! http://t.co/tmhvr731oD pic.twitter.com/wOsRFpkxpj

— Goodwood FOS (@fosgoodwood) June 17, 2015

Last year Kimi made his first appearance at the classic event with 1964 Ferrari champion John Surtees. Read all about that day here and Kimi’s F1 Racing interview. Last year’s photo album is here.

We must have made a good impression on the Iceman, mustn’t we? News that the inimitable Finn will, like Felipe Massa, be returning to the Festival of Speed for the second year in succession stirred memories of the wonderful occasion last year when he starred alongside 1964 World Champion John Surtees in an historic run up the hill in Ferrari Grand Prix cars old and new.

The 20-time Grand Prix winner and 2007 World Champion will be here on Friday only and will be accompanied by Ferrari‘s long-standing fuel supplier Shell, which will be demonstrating on its stand its pursuit of innovation. Shell Chairman Erik Bonino tells us ‘Everyone at Shell is delighted to be back at Goodwood. This event, with its rich history, is a showpiece in the international automotive calendar. It is the perfect venue for us to demonstrate our fearless pursuit of innovation and mobility, including the ground-breaking developments we are making today as a result of our Technical Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari.’

Kimi will be driving up the hill on Friday in a 2010 Ferrari F10 Grand Prix car and we cannot wait! Welcome back to Goodwood, Kimi.

Further good news is that Friday tickets are still available! Click here.

| Source: espn.co.uk | motorsport.com | goodwood.com |

Santander to bring Kimi to Finland for karting event

Kimi will be at Helsinki Ice Hall on 18th August.

Räikkönen kohtaa taviskuljettajat kartingradalla Helsingissä http://t.co/UQfHhn45on #MTVSport pic.twitter.com/VxHaZpIbOC

— MTV Sport (@MTVSportfi) June 18, 2015

| Source: mtv.fi |

Kimi: “good to get youngsters close to the sport”

Yesterday, Kimi Raikkonen had spent a very busy day at a venue that is dear to all car lovers.

The Finn first stopped off at a Shell service station, carrying out some promotional activities for the Scuderia Ferrari sponsor.

Then he headed to Goodwood, where he tackled the famous hillclimb at the wheel of an F10. Kimi also took time to greet the many fans attending the event, as well as Prancing Horse owners.“It’s the second time I’ve come to Goodwood and I reckon it’s a very nice event, always well organised. I met a lot of youngsters this time and it’s definitely a good thing to get them closer to the sport,” commented Kimi as he saluted the fans before leaving [via ferrari.f1.com]

FoS Behind The Scenes – Who Says Kimi Raikkonen Never Smiles?

It’s often said that Kimi Raikkonen is a completely different character when the cameras are turned off, but, thanks to our very own Lord March, we can now show you that side of the 2007 F1 World Champion.

Filmed yesterday when Kimi headed to Goodwood House to meet the FoS founder and Ken Block after his trip up the hill in a 2010 Ferrari on behalf of Shell. We won’t spoil the video, but prepare to see a very happy Kimi chatting about F1 and the potential of driving with the Hoonigan one day [via grrc.goodwood.com]

VIDEO

Kimi drives the F10:

Goodwood FoS 2015 – Crofty as Kimi’s mechanic https://t.co/MkJaUcTnqe Kimi bringing the fuel 😂

— Verena (@miezicat1) June 28, 2015

Kimi meets with Lord March and Ken Block:

GALLERY

King Informal Maverick Iceman

Fool April is a Finnish band who have made a dedication to Kimi Raikkonen and wanted to share it with us. Fool April were formed in 2010 by vocalist/guitarist Petteri Martinsuo and drummer Jussi Peltonen. Good luck to these guys! It’s a pretty cool song! Check it out below.

It’s not the first time Kimi has been associated with musicians paying tribute to his legendary iceness; he is even good friends with Axl Rose of Guns’n’Roses, who included the Iceman in the ‘thanking list’ of their album Chinese Democracy. Keyboard player Chris Pitman, pictured below, is also clearly a big fan of Raikkonen as he performed wearing the F1 world champion’s 2007 helmet; the band also pictured Kimi’s McLaren on screen while playing ‘You Could Be Mine’. Little Kimi fact of the day: the first record Kimi bought was indeed a Guns’n’Roses cassette.

Kimi Raikkonen was greeted with a glorious summer’s day in Helsinki today, just a few kilometres away from his home town of Espoo. The driver was in the Finnish capital to take part in an event organised by Scuderia Ferrari sponsor, Santander Bank, on the eve of the forthcoming Belgian Grand Prix. During the day, Kimi met fans and local media, before taking part in a karting competition. He also had a go on a driving simulator that was on site. “It’s nice to be at an event so close to home,” commented the Finn. “I like this sort of thing, as it’s always fun driving a go-kart.” [via ferrarif1.com]

VIDEO

THE RACE

More videos:

• Kimi Räikkönen vs. Finnish Press
• Kimi Räikkönen GoPro
• Santander Press Conference with Kimi Räikkönen – PART 1/2 | PART 2/2

GALLERY / VIEW IN FULL

Sources: ferrari.com | yle.fi

The Finnish government has never before appointed anyone as an Ambassador for Sport, but it did so at a Sport Gala, held in Helsinki on Tuesday 17 January.

The recipient was none other than Kimi Raikkonen, who received the honour from Prime Minister Juha Sipila. Kimi’s presence at the gala had been kept secret right up until the last moment.

Kimi Raikkonen: “I’m not that used to making formal speeches. But I would like to wish all the best to the winners in every category, as well as those who missed out on the prizes this year. I would stress how important it has been in my case to have the support of my family and help from trustworthy colleagues and the people within the Ferrari Team, with whom I have worked for so many years now.”

In 2017, Finland celebrates the centenary of its independence.

Translation: “I want to congratulate all who got awarded today and all who didn’t. This is a great honour to get awarded. For whole my career I’ve had the pleasure of working with good people and good teams. Right now I’m working in one of the world’s best companies (Ferrari) and teams. The biggest thing for me (in my life) has been the ability to do all the thing my way. Sometimes there have been some mishaps. But all and all I’ve believed in my own thing and did just that. You don’t always have to do things like your neighbour does them. Sometimes doing things your own way gets you success.”