Last Updated on August 10, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar
My favorite sport is – Formula 1 racing. I’m an avid racing fan. My favorite sportsperson is a racing driver. He is none other than Kimi Raikkonen, the Finnish legend. This essay is dedicated to him.
In this essay, I’ve covered the following details – a brief outline of his career, highlights of his career, titles, and accolades won by him, his qualities (in and out of the car and circuit), and some interesting facts and stories about his life so far.
Before talking about Kimi and how he became my favorite racing driver, let me tell more about my passion for motorsport and F1 in particular. As a child, I was crazy about anything related to motorsport and automobiles. I was crazy about toy cars, bikes, and vehicles. I had an impressive collection of toy cars and bikes. My passion for cars and bikes led me to motorsport.
As a child, I even used to take part in karting tournaments (at the local level). Due to my family’s financial condition, I couldn’t continue to pursue karting seriously. But that didn’t stop me from following motorsport events such as – F1, Moto GP, endurance race tournaments, etc.
Among all these motorsport events, my favorite event is F1. F1 stands for Formula 1. It is the best, most competitive, and most demanding motorsport event in the world. I follow each F1 season closely. Nowadays, it is easy to catch all the action (thanks to the internet and smartphones).
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Thanks to the internet and video streaming platforms, I can catch all the F1 action, replays, analysis, updates, news, and more on my smartphone! Long story short, I’m passionate about F1 and everything related to it.
My favorite F1 team is – Scuderia Ferrari – the legendary Italian team. And my favorite F1 driver of all time is – Kimi Raikkonen. Yes, the Finnish driver made me his ardent fan during his stay at Ferrari. And even after leaving my favorite team, he has managed to remain my favorite F1 driver.
Let us talk about Kimi Raikkonen’s early life and career now. He was born in Espoo, Finland. Since his childhood, little Kimi was passionate about racing and motorsport. He began karting at the age of ten. He would take part in karting tournaments in Finland.
His karting days were filled with adventures on the circuit. For example, in his first major karting race outside Finland, his steering wheel broke. Still, he managed to cope with the situation. In the second race, a collision resulted in him being thrown on the wrong side of the safety fence. He continued to drive, lifted his kart, placed it on the circuit, and continued the race. In an incredible turn of events, he managed to finish third in that race! These stories indicate his mental strength, calmness, and maturity (at such an early age).
The same calmness and maturity later earned him the nickname – Ice Man. Let us talk about his F1 career now. As I mentioned before, F1 is the most competitive and demanding event in the world of motorsport.
When it comes to F1, there are ten teams fighting for the title. And each team has a set of two main drivers. In short, there are twenty seats available for drivers in F1 (in total). To become an F1 driver, one must have that ‘special something’ in him. And Kimi has had a long and successful stay at the highest level (F1). This signifies his caliber, aptitude, and ability.
In his long F1 career (still continuing), he has been a part of the following F1 teams – Red Bull Sauber Petronas, McLaren Mercedes, Scuderia Ferrari, Lotus F1, and Alfa Romeo Racing. He has spent a considerable amount of time on the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team. With Ferrari, he has had great success as a racing driver.
In 2007, he won the World Championship with Scuderia Ferrari. In 2008, he finished third in the driver’s championship with Ferrari. In 2009, he decided to say goodbye to F1 and try his hand at World Rally Championship. Later, he made a comeback to F1 in 2012. In 2012, he joined the Lotus F1 team and he finished third that season. His comeback to F1 was spectacular.
In 2014, he rejoined Scuderia Ferrari. In 2018, he finished third with Ferrari. As of now, he is racing for the Alfa Romeo F1 team. Throughout his career, Kimi Raikkonen has scored many points for his F1 teams. He also has an impressive amount of race wins and podium finishes.
Kimi’s name is not just associated with F1. His race for motorsport took him to events such as – World Rally Championship, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR World Truck Series, and more. He is also known to take part in amateur motorsport races and events.
Kimi is well known for his ‘no-nonsense’ attitude. In the car, he stays calm and focused. He simply likes to race and give it his best. His no-nonsense attitude earned him the nickname – Ice Man. He is not very good at giving interviews or socializing with teammates. He is very well known for giving blunt and no-nonsense answers to interviewers! Some of these interviews are hilarious.
At this age, Kimi possesses a wealth of experience and knowledge. He is a legend and will go down as one of the best Finnish drivers of all time.
I am Vishnu Nambiar a career and educational blogger from India. I am also a full time educational consultant having more than 12 years of experience in the educational sector.
I share articles related to courses, colleges, careers, exam tips and more here.