A Look At Kimi Raikkonen: F1 World Drivers Champion

Depending on where you live and what your interests are you may or may not recognize the name Kimi Raikkonen. Kimi was born October 17, 1979 and in July of 2004 he married a Finnish model and former Miss Scandinavia, Jenni Dahlman. Raikkonen and his wife currently live in Switzerland.

Obviously the fame that Raikkonen has earned is not related to the above facts. Kimi is well known for his Formula One (F1) driving records. He is the 2007 F1 World Drivers Champion. Amazingly Kimi began driving karts at the age of ten. His first race out of Finland was in Monaco when Raikkonen was only fifteen years old.

Unfortunately the steering wheel broke during that race. But that did not stop Kimi. He continued the race with a detached steering wheel. His next Monaco race was also doomed in some ways. During a first lap collision Raikkonen was thrown to the wrong side of the safety fence. But again, he did not give up.

Kimi continued driving until he ran out of road and then he lifted his kart back onto the track. He soon caught up with the other competitors and finished third in the race. Not surprisingly Kimi has become known for his never-give-up attitude.

High on the list of hobbies that Raikkonen enjoys you will find snowboarding and ice hockey. In March of 2007 Kimi competed in a snowmobile race in Finland. He won the Enduro Sprint race by over twenty seconds. Later in the same year Kimi and two friends competed in a powerboat race in the Finnish harbour city of Hanko. To add interest this team wore gorilla suits. It should not come as a surprise that they won a prize for being the best-dressed racing crew.

In order to get a clear picture of this incredible person you should know that during the snowmobile race and the powerboat race Kimi entered under the pseudonym, James Hunt. This is in reference to the 1976 world champion who appeared to have a playboy lifestyle. Comparisons of the two men and their lifestyles have been made over the years.

Even with all that he has also been compared to Michael Schumacher. Schumacher has always been considered to be very protective of his private life and he openly disliked the celebrity spotlight.

Early in 2008 Raikkonen raced in the Monaco Grand Prix. The race did not go so well for him. Many speculated that his off-track activities had much to do with the less than outstanding driving. For the fifth time in 2008 Kimi qualified behind his teammate Felipe Massa. But that was not the end of the disappointments as Kimi made two driving errors and did not seem to be as calculating as in the past.

In early September of 2008 it was announced that he will continue to be a part of the Formula One until the end of the 2010 season. This was announced by Ferrari with the confirmation that the team will keep the Raikkonen-Massa formation through that period.

Whether Raikkonen appreciates his fame or not it is sure to only increase as his participation in sporting events continue. Additionally, in August 2008 an announcement was made that he will appear on a set of Finnish postage stamps. These stamps are being released to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the Finnish postal service. Images of Kimi racing and on the podium will be featured along with a heading that proclaims his achievement of the 2007 F1 world Champion. Few people reach that level of fame!

Seed Newsvine

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