"This moment still send chills down my spine": F1 pundit describes Kimi Raikkonen's iconic act of not lifting through a cloud of smoke

F1 pundit James Allen discussed the moment when former driver Kimi Raikkonen sky-rocketed his McLaren through a puff of smoke during the 2002 Belgian Grand Prix. This moment occurred during the qualifying session of the weekend.

Raikkonen was battling Michael Schumacher for the pole position during the session. As he went on for his hotlap, there was an incident up at Eau Rouge that covered the entire corner with a thick plume of smoke. While all the drivers slowed down while going through it, Kimi Raikkonen kept his foot flat on the pedal and rocketed through it without lifting. The Mercedes engine in his McLaren remained strong enough to complete the lap without any issues. While he didn't clinch the pole position, he was set to start their race in P2.

This moment remains one of the most breathtaking and fascinating ones in F1's history. The risk of getting up to Eau Rouge without clear visibility and driving through smoke, ahead of which was the possibility of a crash, Kimi Raikkonen remained fearless and drove through without a second thought.

James Allen, a popular Formula 1 analyst, reminisced about the moment on his social media. He labeled it as one of the most "committed" acts in F1, praising the Iceman for his fearlessness through the corner.

"This moment still send chills down my spine. One of the most committed acts by an #F1 driver I've ever seen. Proud of the way we immediately saw the significance of the moment and found the right soundtrack . To be fair, the 19,000rpm V10s help..! @F1," Allen wrote on X.

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How did the 2002 Belgian Grand Prix end for Kimi Raikkonen?

Starting the race from the front row, Raikkonen had a good chance to battle for victory during the race. Although Schumacher's dominant Ferrari took a strong lead initially, Raikkonen kept racing within the top order. He, alongside teammate David Coulthard, remained strong throughout the race.

However, the engine reliability hindered Raikkonen once more as he was forced to retire on the 35th lap of the race because of an engine failure. This remained his story for most of the season. This was his second year in F1 and the first with McLaren. He retired in 10 of the 17 races last season, but his form was promising with four podiums in the rest of the races.

McLaren delivered a better car in the following year and Kimi Raikkonen was able to clinch his first F1 win. He finished the season in second place in the Drivers' Championship.