12 Reasons Why F1 Would Suck Without Kimi Raikkonen

Current Lotus F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen is a sporting hero; immensely talented, rude as hell and very funny when he's blind drunk. Or wearing a gorilla costume...

Kimi is so effortlessly cool because he doesn't give a damn what other people think about him. Just in case you're unaware of what the 'Iceman' brings to the F1 table, here are 12 ways to remind you.

1. He looks good in a gorilla suit

F1 drivers are so restricted in what they can do away from the circuit - in case of injury or misrepresentation of the team - that they struggle to have fun. But not our Kimi; in 2007, he donned a Gorilla suit so that he could compete in a motorboat event in Finland.

2. He knows what he's doing

Kimi is confident in his ability and clearly knows what he's doing. So when his race engineer dared to tell him how to drive at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Kimi told him exactly where to go...Fair play.

3. He never minces his words

Raikkonen is brutally honest and that's refreshing in Formula 1. Drivers come out with so much PR BS, that it's hard to know what's real anymore. And Kimi? What do you think?

4. He's always got time for Ice Cream

Kimi Raikkonen famously tucked into an ice cream at the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix during a red flag period. The rest of the field? They were sitting in their cars in the rain.

We all found this hilarious. Kimi just wanted ice cream.

5. Nothing fazes him

Raikkonen famously revealed that before his first Formula 1 race for Sauber at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix, he was asleep half an hour before the race. Nothing bothers Kimi and he rarely gets nervous.

6. He likes to party

You'll never see an F1 driver party hard. Unless of course it's Kimi. Above, he's drunk on a boat and falls over. It's funny to watch, even though we know Kimi doesn't give a damn what we think.

7. Kimi's an adrenaline junkie

Formula 1 driver contracts are full of restrictions; don't do that, you mustn't do this. Kimi doesn't have time for this, which explains his snowmobiling accident in 2011. The accident injured his wrist, but fortunately healed in time for his F1 return.

Motorcross is also a sport he enjoys when he does get some time off.

He also spent his time off rallying. Despite showing flashes of speed, he spent the majority of his short WRC career crashing into trees and barriers. Not that he cared.

8. He's Top Gear comedy gold

Last year, Kimi Raikkonen made a popular appearance on Top Gear, to lap the ageing Suzuki Liana around the TG track.

Thanks to wet and cold conditions, he couldn't challenge Sebastian Vettel's fastest time. Lewis Hamilton has subsequently gone faster still, leaving the Finn 3.2 seconds down on the leader.

Top Gear's behind-the-scenes footage is comedy gold:

9. One face, 100 emotions

Even when on the top step of the podium, Kimi is always cool, calm and eager to get back in the car. The picture above shows the biggest smile he's likely to crack.

10. Crashing makes him happy

While people complain about Kimi's lack of emotion, you sure do cherish the moments when he laughs. Like when he's crashing. Take this example of the Finn laughing at Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham as she takes on the challenge of driving on ice.

She crashes - after rubbish advice from the Iceman - which Kimi finds utterly hilarious.

11. He's a terrible interviewee...

Kimi hates talking to the media; he's admitted that. So when journalists interview him, they'd better be prepared to come away empty handed and we'd better be ready to laugh at the awkwardness.

When asked by a journalist, for example, about the importance of his helmet and the meaning of its design, Kimi said: "It protects my head." When asked what activities there are in Finland, he replied: "Well, in summer there’s fishing and shagging. And in winter the fishing is bad." Probably not the answer that was expected, typical Kimi.

12. He's a damn good racing driver

There is no denying Raikkonen is one of the biggest talents to enter Formula 1 in the last 15 years. He burst onto the scene in 2001 after just 23 single-seater races, and raced for the likes of McLaren and Ferrari before taking the title with the latter in 2007.

After a brief break between 2009 and 2012, he returned with the Lotus team where he not only looks better than ever on track, but he seems to be incredibly comfortable at the team - they clearly understand what makes him tick, which previous teams failed to do.

Image source: Daimler

He has also created some stand-out moments in recent F1 history - including the one featured in the video above - such as this awe-inspiring last-lap overtake on Giancarlo Fisichella for the lead of the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix.

So there you have it; 12 reasons why F1 would suck without Kimi.