Part of the fun of watching a Formula One race live is listening in to team radio. The communication between drivers and their teams is often revelatory, giving viewers an insight into what is really going on – but it can also be inadvertently hilarious. Kimi Raikkonen is known for being curt and quick with his replies, and finds himself on our list. Here are some others:
#1 Fernando Alonso, Bahrain GP 2012
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Fernando Alonso, then with Scuderia Ferrari, was trailing the Mercedes of German driver Nico Rosberg at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain in 2012 by a small distance. Unable to navigate the space behind Rosberg because the gap was too small, Alonso got audibly agitated, shouting “You have to leave the space! Alll the time you have to leave the space!” before making a rude gesture at the Mercedes in front.
#2 Sebastian Vettel, Abu Dhabi GP 2013
Vettel, who won the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, did doughnuts or figure-eights around the track after crossing the finish line in celebration. F1 rules, however, expressly forbid this, and the action attracts fines.
Red Bull crew told the German as much, but Vettel laughed it off, and mocked a certain Finn who is currently his teammate, shouting “I know what I’m doing!”
#3 Fernando Alonso, Canadian GP 2015
An audibly frustrated Alonso was agitated with McLaren-Honda’s strategy. The team, looking for the Spaniard to conserve fuel, instructed him as much on the radio – with the driver shouting repeatedly, “I don’t want, I don’t want!”
#4 Juan-Pablo Montoya, Austrian GP 2001
The Colombian racer, then with Williams, was racing at the Osterreichring, then the A-1 Ring, when animals appeared on the track. A fawn jumped across the section of track the driver was crossing at the time.
Montoya, making a pun as he drove 200mph and swerved to avoid the animal, shouted “Oh deer!” as crew and driver laughed.
#5 Kimi Raikkonen, all the time
