In his own words: The secret to Raikkonen's F1 longevity

Kimi Raikkonen was predictably underwhelmed when he became F1's most experienced driver at the Eifel Grand Prix, but in an exclusive and revealing interview with Autosport, that could be part of the secret of his success

Published Oct 23, 2020, 3:50 PM

Does a 40-year-old driver deserve a spot at the pinnacle of motorsport when there are countless young hopefuls trying to break through? Should a driver with two points in 11 races in 2020 keep their seat for next year? Is one win in seven years, and 21 in total, an accurate reflection of prodigious ability? Is one title enough to be a Formula 1 legend?

Does Kimi Raikkonen care about any of the above? Of course he doesn't. Raikkonen, the Iceman, has made a career out of not caring. It's his niche, what makes him a cult hero (a status perhaps aided by his world title triumph being 13 years ago). He's a driver who says what he thinks, if anything, and doesn't care if anyone is listening.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.