Kimi Raikkonen marked his return to Formula One in 2012 with an appearance on the hit BBC motoring show Top Gear, but despite a well-received interview, he ruffled some feathers.
Former Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman has revealed the story of his behind-the-scenes run-in with Kimi Raikkonen ahead of the 2007 world champion’s return to Formula One with Lotus.
The incident in question took place between Raikkonen’s Ferrari exit at the end of the 2009 season and his return to the sport in 2012. The legendary Finn spent his time away from F1 competing in the World Rally Championship and made a couple of appearances in the NASCAR Truck Series.
Before returning to F1 with Lotus, Raikkonen appeared on Top Gear, partaking in an interview with Jeremy Clarkson before laying down a lap in the reasonably priced car. Asked about his comeback, the Finn replied in textbook fashion: “Very normal. Cars are the same, people are the same. Same story.”
However, when the time came to set his laps, the appearance went downhill. Recounting the story on the Midweek F1 podcast, Wilman explained: “Raikkonen came on the show. So everyone is doing their lap. His was a wet day. And we were like, ‘Oh, he’s not going to do it’. He’s like, ‘Okay’. But he’ll give it some, because it’s Kimi.
“It was when he came back with Lotus. And we were all like, ‘Oh, we are not worthy. You’re here. You’re here!’ I went down to see the guy with the timer, Nick Dalton, who had the watch out. I was like, ‘How’s he doing? How’s he doing?’ He went, ‘Not great.’
“So he goes into his motorhome, and he’s like, ‘I’ve done enough laps now’. He wasn’t unfriendly, but he’s just like, ‘It’s a rainy day’. I go into the motorhome after him. He’s in the, like, Lazy Boy chair, and it’s warm, and he’s fully sort of stretched out, like Joey from Friends.
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“I went, ‘Kimi, you know, it’s drying out now. I can’t tell you your time, but it wasn’t brilliant. We know you could go faster.’ And he went, ‘No, I can’t’. And we were like, ‘No, Kimi, it really is dry now’, and I said, ‘If you look out of the window, you’ll see it’s definitely getting drier’.
“And he, with hugely bad grace, upped himself to the window, and he went, ‘No, it isn’t’. I lost it with him a bit, and bollocked him, like, ‘There’s so many people here waiting to see you make a comeback, and that’ll be on you if you don’t do something!’
“Then I thought, ‘What have I done?’ And then he got out, and he went and did a couple more laps and went a bit faster. But that was the day I told Kimi off.”
