Raikkonen somewhere very relieved to leave F1 behind: 'So much is fake'

Kimi Raikkonen has said goodbye in 2021 after an impressive career in Formula 1. For nineteen seasons, the Finn kept his jaws literally and figuratively stiff. But now that he has retired he is venting his displeasure with certain aspects of the sport.

Raikkonen became the driver with the most race starts in the history of Formula 1. Logically, he also drove the most race kilometers and Grand Prix laps. The Finn made his debut in 2001 and with two years of absence, in the middle of his F1 career, he now looks back on that time twenty years later. In conversation with Autosport.com he mentions the things he did not like.

'Formula 1 can be very fake'

Raikkonen begins his argument by saying that many things in F1 do not make sense to him. In the Finn's words, all kinds of 'bullshit' happens in F1. Everyone knows about it, but no one says anything, according to the retired F1 driver. He calls many aspects of the sport downright fake.

Raikkonen seems to have become especially bored over the years. In his debut years, the former world champion was not bothered by the 'fake stuff'. In his later years, it became unbearable. Money, according to the driver, is the big cause of everything, as in any sport. The politics that come with money is what the Finn hates the most. It explains why Raikkonen is always measured in the media and never goes too deep into journalists' questions or speculation. In his own words, Raikkonen does not want to get too involved in F1 politics; after all, that is not healthy.