Kimi Raikkonen questions why he’s so popular with F1 fans

The 2007 world champion is set to retire after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Kimi Raikkonen will finally draw an end to his decorated Formula One career this week in Abu Dhabi, but admitted he hasn’t always understood why he’s been such a popular figure within the sport.

Raikkonen, who first competed for Sauber in 2001 and won the world championship with Ferrari in 2007, is widely revered as a driver as well as for his dry and deadpan humour.

The Finn will retire with the most race starts in the sport’s history but says he isn’t overly emotional at the prospect of bidding farewell and that he “doesn’t know why” he’s been so popular with fans.

“Maybe because I’ve always been myself,” Raikkonen told Formula 1’s Beyond the Grid podcast. “You’ve got to ask the fans to come here and spend a lovely 45 minutes with you [on the podcast] to discuss that. I don’t have an answer for that.”

Raikkonen was similarly uncertain when asked how he’d like to be remembered.

“However they wish, you know?” he added. “I don’t want to put some kind of limits on how you remember. I mean, I don’t care much because, like I said, I luckily have been able to do most of the things how I wish to do it and whatever they remember – good way, or bad way, it’s a memory – and it’s fine for me.”

Although he’s dedicated his life to F1, the 42-year-old said he’d always managed to make space in his life for other interests and so he does not envisage adapting to life off the track being too difficult.

“[F1 has] never been the main thing in my life and it might be different to many others, you know?” Raikkonen said. “My life outside has always been the most important thing for me and yes, it has taken most of the time in the last 20 years, but it hasn’t been the most, let’s say, important thing, in many ways.

“Yes I enjoy racing and this otherwise I wouldn’t have done it for so long but I appreciate my own time much more. Like, it’s more important for me than anything else.

“I’ve been counting [down] races for a long time already. “I think my mum for sure is happy – she’s been asking probably for the last 15 years if I stop already!

“The kids are looking forward, they have asked many times and I’m sure they will be very happy when I’m home. I can understand that and I want to be there.”