Top 5 most popular drivers in the history of Formula One

#4 Kimi Raikkonen

Raikkonen is one of those drivers that can get away with saying absolutely anything. Photo: Getty Images

"Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing".

There aren't that many drivers in the history of the sport that can get away with saying anything they want quite as much as Raikkonen does. Then again, Raikkonen is a one-of-a-kind driver who would get it on the track and nonchalantly follow it up with some of the best one-liners ever heard in sport.

Raikkonen jumped into the spotlight as the spiritual successor to his outgoing compatriot, two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen at McLaren, and immediately proceeded to carry his silver steed to places it didn't always deserve, giving the likes of Michael Schumacher a run for their money.

His unflappable attitude, ice-cold demeanor, and raw speed in a Formula One car made everyone a fan of his in no time.

Raikkonen's aura would continue to grow during his stint at McLaren, where he was let down by substandard machinery multiple times in the title fight. He then moved to Ferrari in 2007 to win his first and only championship.

His popularity reached its peak when he made a return to Formula One with Lotus and looked like the Kimi Raikkonen of old. His pace and consistency made him one of the best drivers on the grid. What made Raikkonen so affable was his reserved nature, dry humor, and an ability to unwittingly say something funny.

It was this attitude that made Raikkonen a different kind of Formula One driver in an era of robotic drivers.

Even at 41, Raikkonen is still going strong and will be driving for Alfa Romeo in 2021.