Kimi Raikkonen was always known for being a man of few words, which is primarily what won him over as a fan favourite.
The Finn was always direct with media but a fierce competitor on the track, often going wheel-to-wheel with Formula 1 greats including Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher.
Raikkonen started his career at the back of the grid at Sauber and quickly made an impression, which caught the attention of Ron Dennis at McLaren.
The Finn would go on to race alongside some world-class drivers including Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel in his career at Ferrari and later finished off at Alfa Romeo.
When asked who was his favourite teammate in his 20-year career on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Raikkonen named one Schumacher rival as his best.
Kimi Raikkonen names David Coulthard as best teammate in F1
After Mika Hakkinen announced his sabbatical for the 2002 season, the team needed a replacement, and Raikkonen was drafted in alongside David Coulthard.
Although McLaren struggled with the Adrian Newey-designed MP4-17, Raikkonen still managed to finish on the podium and took his first race win in Malaysia in 2003. Coulthard had come off the back of a season-long battle with Schumacher for the title in 2001, but Ferrari effectively out developed the team.
Despite the sporadic reliability of the McLaren, Raikkonen says he looked back on his period with Coulthard with fond memories.
Tom Clarkson: “Let’s talk teammates quickly, best teammate you’ve ever had in F1?”
Raikkonen: “David was very good, he wasn’t my first one. First I had Nick (Heidfeld) and then David. I thought we had a very good working relationship and he was a really nice guy and normal guy in many ways. I enjoyed that a lot.”
F1 fans include Kimi Raikkonen in vote for greatest overtakes
Overtaking used to be a rare sight in F1 before the inclusion of the Drag Reduction System, which meant it was always impressive when a driver could overtake more than one car in a race.
After having a few comeback drives in his time, Raikkonen’s overtakes during the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix were named as one of the standouts in F1’s 75-year history by fans.
The Finn was back in P17 due to the poor conditions qualifying was held in, and made his way back through the field to overtake multiple cars.
His overtake on Giancarlo Fisichella through the first corner was hailed as one of the best, as it put him on the path to taking an iconic win around the Suzuka circuit.
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