‘I hate Formula 1’ – Hilarious Kimi Raikkonen nightclub encounter recalled by F1 analyst

Former Ferrari and Williams team manager Peter Windsor told the story of how Kimi Raikkonen once told him “I hate Formula 1” in a bizarre encounter fitting of The Iceman. 

Raikkonen became a beloved figure of the Formula 1 grid, not only because of his ability at the wheel, but perhaps more so for his rather unique personality. With Raikkonen, he would always say it as it is, which often led to some hilarious outbursts.

Kimi Raikkonen dropped ‘hate F1’ bombshell and left

Many brilliant Raikkonen stories have been shared over the years, the Finn known to have been quite the party animal off the track, far from his rather reserved and quiet demeanour in front of the cameras.

And on that note, Windsor, speaking in a livestream on his YouTube channel, revisited the scene of a David Coulthard birthday party where he shared a moment with Raikkonen, during which “I hate Formula 1″ were the only words spoken by the Finn.

“I remember going to a nightclub – it was DC’s party actually – after a Brazilian Grand Prix one year, and it was a late party,” Windsor began.

“There was a balcony overlooking the dancefloor and I went up to the balcony to look down on it, see who was there and what was going on, and Kimi was up there.

“He had his elbows rested on this balcony, staring into space. I stood next to him and we both stared in silence at this scene, and then suddenly Kimi turned to me and said, ‘I hate Formula 1’, and then just walked away.”

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Regardless of whether that was a moment of striking honesty of just classic Kimi banter, his performances on the track cemented his legacy as an elite Formula 1 talent, the crowning achievement being his sole World Championship triumph with Ferrari in 2007.

That remains Ferrari’s most recent Drivers’ Championship, a piece of history which Lewis Hamilton will hope to re-write upon joining Ferrari in 2025.

Raikkonen made his final grand prix appearance in 2021 – retiring after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – feeling the time was right to step away from the expanding Formula 1 schedule and spend more time with his family.

Raikkonen has since appeared twice in the NASCAR Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing.

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