Formula 1 racer, born in Finland Oct 17, 1979. Although he started in F1 very young (Australian GP 2001 with 21 years and 5 months), that's not the most remarkable trait the guy has. Younger drivers have appeared there.

The astounding is, the highest racing series he was in before F1 was Formula Renault, an European entry series. That's like going from elementary school directly to postdoctorate.

More: he instantly became at ease within the series, consistently scoring points and hardly ever making mistakes. Sure bet for future stardom when the likes of Schumacher (both of them), Villeneuve, Häkkinen and Coulthard get fed up and go home to count the dollars.

Kimi currently (2001) races Sauber cars in F1.

Now that young Mr. Räikkönen has started to race for the McLaren racing team (As of the 2002 season), he has skyrocketed to fame in countries other than Finland.

For example, in Germany, the home of the Mercedes McLaren engine, Kimi has been received as a near-mute Finn whose answers to press questions are quite limited; indeed, according to the German press there are select few words the driver chooses to pronounce:

"I like the car."
"Maybe."
"I don't know."

Verbal talent at its highest.

Clearly, this apparent lack of desire to speak cannot be attributed to a problem in the young man's personality. However, it is interesting to note that Räikkönen's responses to the Finnish press also follow the form shown above, coupled with incomprehensible muttering and a strange, creaking sound I personally call "narina". (Literally, creaking.)

Thinking back to Mika Häkkinen's early days in Formula 1 racing, this is almost expected. It can only be hoped that Kimi Räikkönen gains a bit of self-confidence and public speaking skills in the near future.

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