Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli has recalled a brief interaction �🐷�with former Formula 1 champion and his namesake Kimi Raikkonen.

Raikkonen became famous for his gruff personality and aversion to speaki♚ng in public during his time in F1, long before Netflix launc▨hed the Drive to Survive series and put focus on individual characters in the sport.

Antonelli was still racing in karts when he got to meet 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Raikkonen on the side🌜lines of the Italian Grand Prix a🐽t Monza in 2018.

While 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Antonelli was starstruck to see the then-Ferrari F1 driver in per🔯son, the Finn’s reaction was telling of his cool demeanour.

Kimi Antonelli recalls Kimi Raikkonen meeting

“I met him when I was q𒐪uite li✃ttle – I think it was 2018,” Antonelli recalled. “He was doing the Monza GP.

“And, you know, the first time I met him I understood why they call him the Iceman, to be honest, because I remember going to him super excited and he had completely no reaction! But I think he's such a c𝓰ool dude💎.”

Antonelli said he would like to hav🔜e a longer conversation with Raikkonen at some point, as there are plenty of things he could learn from a driver who competed in nearly 350 races over a career spanning almost two decades.

“I never really got the chance to properlyꦡ have a chat with him, but [it’s] definitely some🐬thing I would like to do,” said the 18-year-old.

“It wouꦑld be cool also to have some advice about racing, for sure, because he has done a lot iܫn the sport, so [that’s] definitely something I would like to do in the future.”

Raikkonen made a rare return to the paddock at last year’s Italian GP, coincidentally the same race where Antonelli was announced as 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lewis Hamilton’s replacement at 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Mercedes for the 2025 season.

Speaking at that time, Raikkonen welcomed the arriv🤪al of A🐼ntonelli and other rookies on the 2025 grid.

“Yeah, I heard! When we came here, so🐼mebody s🥃aid that they announced it!,” said Raikkonen, who is now 45-years-old.

“It’s great. A lot of new faces, I think, coming next year, a lot of new drivers that have been signed to F1. 

“It’s g𝐆ood for the sport, and it’s also great to have an Italian in the championship. It’s good for everybody, I think.”

Since retiring from F1 at the end of 2021, Raikkonen has largely stayed out of the limelight, but he took part 🔥in a pair of NASCAR Cup 🔜Series races with Trackhouse Racing in 2022-23, achieving a best finish of 29th.