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Former F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen was left fuming with Sergio Perez and threatened to hit the Mexican driver when he sees him after the race.
The Finnish driver was known for his ice-cool demeanor inside and outside the sport and earned himself the nickname of 'Ice Man'. However, he could not help went out his frustration at then McLaren driver Sergio Perez as the young Mexican hit him in the back during the Nouvelle chicane during the 2013 Monaco GP.
In his eagerness to move up the grid, Perez did not recognize that Raikkonen, who was in his Lotus Renault, had closed the door at the entry of the chicane. He could slow down his speed and collided with the Finn.
According to F1.com, the move angered Raikkonen, who said on the team radio:
"That ***** idiot... I wanna hit him when I see him. He hit me on the rear."
Sergio Perez claimed that his McLaren stint damaged his career
In his first high-profile move, it did not quite work out for Sergio Perez as he was comprehensively beaten by his McLaren teammate Jenson Button and dropped at the end of the season by the team.
The 2009 champion had a 10-9 head-to-head record in qualifying and 11-5 in races, which did not reflect well on the Mexican. In his interview with Autosport in 2015, Sergio Perez said:
"At that time, McLaren was winning for a couple of years already - it was the team to be at. Obviously, in hindsight, it damaged quite a bit my reputation because when a big team gets rid of you after a year, it damages your reputation in the sport."
"But I believe my results in the past year and this year if I have strong results, then the opportunity could come back in the future to go to a top team."
Since his stint with McLaren ended in 2013, Sergio Perez has thrived in the sport as he made a name for himself in Force India and later Racing Point as one of the best drivers in the midfield. He finally got his opportunity at the top team when he joined Red Bull in 2021 alongside Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman and Perez have helped the Austrian team win world championships and get back to dominating the sport. Sergio Perez has even managed to lap his former team on the track in a couple of races.
