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Veteran Formula 1 driver Kimi Raikkonen already has some notoriety for keeping conversations brief. The Finn has had the most starts in Grand Prix racing but never wastes a word when he has the option to stay quiet.
While the official F1 Instagram account today posted a clip of drivers weaving to warm their tires, with Kimi keeping a straight course down the middle of the track, one man could be relied on for brevity of response.
Kimi Raikkonen's one-word reply? "Fact."
The Alfa Romeo driver has something of a cult following for his terse responses and lack of facial expressions, as did his compatriot Mika Hakkinen. With over a hundred podiums across the V10, V8 and V6 hybrid eras, Raikkonen is as fearsome a competitor on the track as he is a challenging interview subject.
Kimi Raikkonen's words in print
In 2018, Ferrari sponsor PMI released a promotional book celebrating Kimi Raikkonen and his unique turn of phrase, containing a series of haiku based on Kimi quotes. The book was a huge hit on social media.
Moving into his 19th season in Formula 1, and his second with the Alfa Romeo Racing squad, the 2007 world champion will have slim hopes of adding to his tally of 21 wins. Kimi Raikkonen was a dark horse for title contention at Lotus F1 after returning to F1 in 2012, following a two-year sabbatical where he entered the World Rally Championship and even had an outing in each of the NASCAR Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) and the Camping World Truck Series.
The "Winnow Your Words: Kimi's Book of Haiku" was limited to 1500 copies at launch, with many of those distributed to media and through competitions, which means second hand copies are scarce and can run to upwards of $100 second hand.
