"There aren’t any Kimis today" - Ex-boss on problem in F1

Ex-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes Kimi Raikkonen’s absence from the grid is a huge loss to the sport. The Briton described the Finnish world champion’s rare mindset and unique personality to German publication Sport1.

Comparing Raikkonen’s uniqueness to current drivers, Ecclestone said:

“There aren’t any Kimis today really, I don’t think. That’s the problem. They’ve all become very, very much [like] a robot, listening and doing what they’re told, rather than doing what they think is the right thing to do.”

According to Ecclestone, the current drivers are influenced by their teams and the pit wall and lack the uniqueness to be able to differentiate between right and wrong. The 91-year-old former sport stakeholder believes there aren’t many drivers in the sport like the Finnish Ferrari champion, which is a problem, and the latter's departure from the sport is a loss.

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Ex-F1 boss believes Kimi Raikkonen a unique persona in F1

As the Ferrari’s last world champion retired from the sport, many described his unique nature and clean driving skills. The Finn was never unpopular for his driving tactics and was, in fact, praised by fellow drivers for fair wheel-to-wheel battles. Known for raw pace, and ignorance towards the sport’s political side, his unique persona was praised by former sport chief Bernie Ecclestone.

Praising the 2007 world champion and his persona, Ecclestone said:

“Kimi, as a person, is a super guy. As a driver, he’s a race driver. He’s what you want: he races [and] doesn’t take an awful lot of notice of people. In fact, he gives them his opinion.”

The retired Finn is known to have stuck to the racing element in the sport and refrained from voicing opinions about politics and management. Raikkonen is often believed to be making a statement and voicing his opinions on-track rather than off-track, a rarity amongst the current flock of drivers.