In early 2007, Formula One driver Kimi Räikkönen entered and won a snowmobile race in his native Finland under the name James Hunt. Räikkönen has openly admired the lifestyles of 1970s race car drivers such as Hunt. - Source Wikipedia
Another parallel: the late Ferrari favorite son Gilles Villeneuve started his professional racing career on snowmobiles in Canada and the northern US, and it seems that Kimi is pretty good at it too, Raikkonen is Finnish, after all(hint, hint! Car control!).
Räikkönen has openly admired the lifestyles of 1970s race car drivers such as Hunt.
There are definitely a few parallels.
I'd guess that there are far more parallels between Kimi and Mika (Hakkinnen, not Salo) or Kimi and Keke Rossberg. James Hunt was a smart-ass, outspoken, really close to the press, gave a great interview and would let you in on what was up, especially if someone preferred that you keep it quiet. I'm not sure I see the parallels beyond young F1 driver, and Hunt the Shunt's rep for partying. But back then, most everyone had a bit of a playboy reputation.
Hunt was extremely charismatic, and very boisterous. It has been said that his antics were calculated to warn off other drivers, that if they thought he was 'barking mad' they mightn't try to pass so quickly, or to block so severely.
I dunno, I don't see Kimi putting a 'wide load' bumper sticker on his Ferrari if the scrutineers find it a centimeter out of spec.
Maybe I'm missing something...
Visually Kimi looks a bit like james hunt to me at times. If he grew his hair long it would be even easier to see. However, somebody did a visual comparison between Kim and actor (Star Wars/Transpotting Star) Ewan Mcgregor that was much more on the nose.
Kimi has always reminded me of James Hunt.. and I would venture to say that.. (judging by the rumor) he named himself 'James Hunt' for one of the snowmobile races. That Kimi reminds himself of James Hunt. (Or at least there is some admiration there) This comparison also dovetails with the Kimi early retirement rumors.. (As Hunt split the scene early after winning a title).
Another parallel: the late Ferrari favorite son Gilles Villeneuve started his professional racing career on snowmobiles in Canada and the northern US, and it seems that Kimi is pretty good at it too, Raikkonen is Finnish, after all(hint, hint! Car control!).
Now, now.. let's not be racist. (Or nationalist or whatever).
Now, now.. let's not be racist. (Or nationalist or whatever).
Er, I'm thinking (and I could be wrong) that the 'car control' relation to 'Finnish' isn't either, but refers to the fact that Finland is quite covered with snow and ice most of the year, and some parts, all of the year. Growing up in that environment would give you an innate feel for adhesion, and lots of practice recovering from the loss of it. I could be wrong.
Kimi is a great fan of 'Hunt the Shunt', and took great pride in being compared to James Hunt in the period in which the McLaren constantly let him down, while he was driving one. I'm remembering that this is where his admiration of the English driving start started. I could be wrong.
OTOH, Jim Hunt's retirement wasn't really self-imposed. He became despondent over the deaths that occurred during his career, especially that of Ronnie Peterson. Jim died still blaming Patrese for that, even though Patrese had officially been cleared of any wrongdoing.
I dunno where that parallels the rumours of Kimi's early retirement.
Now, now.. let's not be racist. (Or nationalist or whatever).
Er, I'm thinking (and I could be wrong) that the 'car control' relation to 'Finnish' isn't either, but refers to the fact that Finland is quite covered with snow and ice most of the year, and some parts, all of the year. Growing up in that environment would give you an innate feel for adhesion, and lots of practice recovering from the loss of it. I could be wrong.
Kimi is a great fan of 'Hunt the Shunt', and took great pride in being compared to James Hunt in the period in which the McLaren constantly let him down, while he was driving one. I'm remembering that this is where his admiration of the English driving start started. I could be wrong.
OTOH, Jim Hunt's retirement wasn't really self-imposed. He became despondent over the deaths that occurred during his career, especially that of Ronnie Peterson. Jim died still blaming Patrese for that, even though Patrese had officially been cleared of any wrongdoing.
I dunno where that parallels the rumours of Kimi's early retirement.
Good God, folks. The man dressed up in a gorilla suit for a boat race. He's a wit, just not a loudmouthed one. I'm starting to see a bit of the Mika smirk in his answers sometimes, too.
And I'll admit for those newer folks who don't remember, I didn't get the Kimi thing for ages. Until he brought a crap McLaren home third in the German GP in '06, proving to me that he wasn't actually a car-breaker, and then that classic gorilla suit for the boat race.
I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on the Hunt comparisons.
Also, a comparison to James and Kimi personality-wise(aside from the partying rumors) may leave much to be desired. Hunt was quite a bit more flamboyant and outspoken than Raikkonen is, and anyone who ever heard James doing commentarty for BBC's F1 broadcast aside of Murray Walker from 1979 to Hunt's death in 1993 would know that he didn't need to be on a racetrack for that now famous criticizing, dry, sarcasic but usually good natured humor(I've always viewed James Hunt to be the George Carlin of F1-using humor to tell it like it is!) to come through. Hunt had the brass to let one know that he was brassed off with someone or something, and didn't care what anyone else thought about it.
Raikkonen is no where near as outspoken in his speach, but he atleast gets kudos for his ontrack accomplishments-Hunt's outspokenness and somewhat unconventional lifestyle clouded over his driving accomplishments, even his '76WDC, which is a little said if you ask me.
The way Kimi speaks should not be judged of how he speaks English. It's two different things to speak English and Finnish. Really, it is
Also the environment in which you speak makes a lot of difference, and a lot more so when the speaker is shy.
I remember that me and my girlfriend saw Kimi a couple of years ago on the Finnish TV as a guest of a "youth" TV show; it was targeted I think at teenagers. The other people in the show as guests and as "staff" were teenagers. In that environment, the way Kimi spoke was very different to how he speaks in the F1 interviews, even in the Finnish ones.
He was very relaxed and had no trouble at all giving quick and smart answers to the questions the teenagers were asking him. It seemed that the more relaxed environment made him feel more comfortable about himself and he didn't seem to be shy at all in that situation.
My girlfriend noticed it first and said that that is the way how Kimi speaks normally. I then came to watch it too and noticed that it really wasn't the speaking style Kimi used in the F1 interviews, not at all. I think my girlfriend was right when he said that that speaking style is how Kimi speaks normally when he is around his friends. Relaxed, joking, laughing. The F1 'press conference, interviews' environment is uncomfortable to Kimi, and doesn't it show in the interviews.
Just something I wanted to bring up here, when people judge the way he speaks. They didn't see those moments when Kimi spoke in the relaxed style like in that TV show I saw. I think it's shyness which makes him look uncomfortable in the F1 interviews and the more formal the situation is, the more difficult it is for him to speak in a relaxed, fluent style.
Thanks Anzie for that insight.. (another reason I love these boards. ) Nothing like a local perspective to .. well.. give things a broader perspective.
