The Unknown Kimi Räikkönen, written by a Finnish top writer Kari Hotakainen, was released on August 16, 2018. The book is published by Siltala, and it is the first non-fiction book written by Hotakainen. The English version of the book will come out on October 18. I can assure to Kimi's English-speaking fans, that the book is definitely worth waiting for!
Who is Kimi Räikkönen? He's a famous Finnish F1 driver, who has won the world championship for Ferrari in 2007. He is known as "the Iceman" in the Formula 1 world. He doesn't talk much. He hates to be in front of media. His team radio messages are legendary. One of the most famous ones is the comment "Leave me alone, I know what to do", which Kimi let out of his mouth in the victorious 2012 Abu Dhabi GP. Kimi is married to Minttu Räikkönen and has two kids. But what else do we actually know about this personal man, who stands out of the crowd in the strictly controlled F1 world? Over the years there have been many stories in the media about Kimi's drinking habits and his sometimes reckless private life. Never before Kimi has revealed so much that he does in this spellbinding book.
What makes the book even more interesting, is the fact, that the writer didn't know anything about Formula 1 racing. Fans, including me, tend to see Kimi through Formula 1 glasses. That is very natural, as the F1 world has been the only environment, where we have seen this ice cool Finn, as Kimi has been extremely protective about his personal life off-track. But in the book Kimi is not defined as a racing driver but as a man. You don't need to know anything about Formula 1 to find this book interesting. However, since last summer Kimi has offered his fans a glimpse into his personal life, as he joined Instagram. I was absolutely flabbergasted that he did! What is absolutely charming about the book, is the way Kari Hotakainen writes Kimi's story. It has been written with unconventional style and with great sense of humour.
Kimi is a celebrity and a star, which is everything Kimi wouldn't like to be. Unknown - Kimi Räikkönen is a story of a man, who has gone out of humble conditions and broke into the top of an unusual profession. In Kimi's opinion the greatest thing would be if you could drive Formula 1 unknowingly. Unfortunately such a world doesn't exist. Unknowingly, you can shave or drive a lawnmover, not a seven million-euro racing car. The book draws a picture of a man, who is a star just because he doesn't want to be one. Honesty is a word, which describes the content of the book perfectly. Kimi doesn't try to please other people and doesn't care what other people think of him. Having this kind of attitude, it's no problem for him to tell about his 16-day drinking streak, including partying with the Prince of Bahrain and parties in Switzerland, Italy and Finland. After 16 days of drinking, Kimi travelled to Barcelona for the Spanish GP and finished the race in P3! Honestly, I always thought, that Kimi's drinking habits were massively exaggerated and sort of an urban legend. So I can't help but wonder, how Kimi has achieved such success when leading such a reckless life! The story about Kimi's first press conference as a Ferrari driver in 2007 seemed quite unbelievable as well; I read open-mouthed how Kimi almost missed the event due to heavy drinking in the previous night! Kimi could have left all these stories untold, had he wanted to. Kimi definitely hasn't been a good role model for younger drivers, in terms of his drinking habits. But Kimi has never seen himself as a role model. He sees himself as an ordinary man, who loves to drive cars as fast as possible and have fun every once in a while (sometimes even for 16 days in a row). I admire such honesty.
The book tells a story, how everything is possible, when you have the passion and devotion for what you do. Kimi doesn't come from a rich family, but his parents took every effort to offer Kimi and his big brother Rami a chance to drive, in Finland and abroad. As money couldn't be taken for granted, Kimi learned to do many things by himself. This is something that many young drivers can't do nowadays, as they have mechanics of their own from a very early age. Kimi's story shows, that when you have the talent and the passion and the support from your family, it can lead to amazing things, like a success story in the pinnacle of the motorsport. Family still means everything to Kimi. And having a family of his own has had a very positive and healthy influence on the Iceman; it's absolutely touching to see how devoted Kimi is to his wife and kids.
In the regulated world of Formula 1 Kimi doesn't show his emotions. There're many jokes about Kimi's facial expressions, how they look all the same no matter which emotion is in question. The book shows a glimpse of Kimi's emotional side, which has been well-hidden. Kimi's father Matti passed away at Christmas 2010. Kimi had had a quarrel with his father, and Matti passed away before they managed to settle the dispute... I was touched to read Kimi's thoughts about his father and get to know this side of Kimi.
The book was so entertaining and compelling, that it was very difficult to let it off my hands. On one hand I hoped to read it as fast as I could, but on the other hand I wished, that I would never reach the end. It has been written in such vivid and descriptive way, that reading the text made me feel I was actually there, at the Ferrari garage, at Kimi's home or partying with Kimi. An excellent sense of humour spiced up the book; from time to time I couldn't help but laugh out loud! This book is worth reading, no matter if you are a Formula 1 fan or not! Absolutely a masterpiece!
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