"Last time you guys were giving me s**t because I didn't smile enough": When Kimi Raikkonen had a cheeky response after winning a race

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Source: Getty
Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and Lotus attends the post race press conference- Source: Getty

Former F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen previously gave a cheeky response to his ex-teammate and former F1 driver David Coulthard after he won the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Finn returned to the F1 grid at the start of the 2012 season, racing for Lotus after taking a hiatus of two years from the sport.

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The 2007 world champion made a promising start with the Enstone-based outfit, finishing in the points regularly and securing a couple of podiums as well. However, the high point of his comeback came during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the final phase of the year when he surprised everyone with a win while defending from the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel behind.

During his post-race interview on the podium, David Coulthard asked Kimi Raikkonen about his feelings after claiming his first victory in over three years, to which he replied:

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"Not much really."

When the Scot pushed him to express his feelings a bit more, the former Ferrari driver gave a cheeky response and said:

"Last time you guys was giving me s**t because I didn't really smile enough, so maybe this time again,"
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Raikkonen's win at the Yas Marina Circuit was filled with cheeky responses, which started with his banter directed towards his race engineer, Simon Rennie, and continued till his media duties.

When Kimi Raikkonen extends his gratitude towards Lotus after his win in Abu Dhabi

Former Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen previously stated that he was "very happy" for the team after he clinched the team's first victory since they returned to the track as Lotus in 2011.

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In his post-race press conference, the 21-time F1 race winner reflected and said:

"I'm very happy for the team. We have had hard times lately, and hopefully it gives some belief for the people, even more that... I mean, they've been working very hard the whole year, but with the hard times, there's a bit unknown in the whole situation, and hopefully for the people who run the team, who own the team, the people who work for everybody.
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"Hopefully, it gives a bit more support and hope that things will turn around and be even better than they've been this year. So, great thing for the team itself, for the guys and, I mean, of course, I'm happy myself, but if I win it's great, if I don't, I will try again, and it's not the end of life."

Kimi Raikkonen finished P3 in the driver's standings in the 2012 season, but left Lotus at the end of the 2013 season to join Ferrari. The Finnish driver managed to win another race for Lotus in the season opener in 2013 in Melbourne and was competitive throughout his final year with the team.

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Edited by Devang Chauhan
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