Celebrating Kimi’s Arctic Run

Over the past two days, Finnish favourite Kimi Raikkonen has been brushing up his rallying skills and taking part in the Arctic Rally. He didn’t have an easy ride, managing to collide with a tree and end up quite a bit slower than his teammate, but I think it’s fair to say he has potential.

Combine Kimi Raikkonen, with some ice and snow and throw in a Red Bull photographer, and you end up with some stunning imagery. Although not technically F1 anymore, we were keen to highlight some of the best images from the event, and so we’ve picked our ten best for this F1 Big Picture – Kimi Special.

1. Happy For a New Challenge – Kimi poses in front of his new car, ready for the rallying still to be done.
2. Keeping a Roof Over His Head – He certainly looks different in the car, and it’s a whole new style of racing.
3. Something in the Air – It’s fair to say that the Arctic Rally was sometimes a bit a dark and often pretty cold. Rather him than me!
4. As Cold as Ice – You have to have nerves of steel to race across the snowy path, winding your way through (or around) the trees.
5. Out of the Limelight – The rally scene is completely different to F1, which is probably exactly why Kimi chose it!
6. Raging Bull – With a relaxed and friendly team like Red Bull behind him, Kimi can concentrate on what he does best – driving fast.
7. Taking the Rough With the Smooth – Some of the scenery surrounding the Arctic Rally is pretty breathtaking, particularly as we’re so used to the dull grey of F1 circuits.
8. Comfort Zone – Although sometimes pausing for thought, Kimi looked more happy than I’ve ever seen him during the entire two day stint.
9. You Can’t Fit Quicker – There’s still plenty of room for the mechanics to get involved though, particularly when your car meets a tree at high speed.
10. White Riot – To sum up, throw Kimi into a car with some ice and snow and a co-pilot, and he seems to be the happiest driver around.

I don’t know what the photography will be like when the WRC starts officially, but I’m hoping we can feature some more Kimi pictures in the future.

White Riot

Kimi Räikkönen made his official rally debut this weekend, taking part in the Arctic Rally in Lapland. Kimi appeared to be in his element over the past couple of days, smiling, happy and enjoying every minute of the event – even if he did end up making contact with a tree and finishing way down the order. Roll on the Championship.

Credit: GEPA pictures/ Vesa Koivunen/ Red Bull

You Can’t Fit Quicker

Kimi Räikkönen made his official rally debut this weekend, taking part in the Arctic Rally in Lapland. It’s easy to imagine that rallying (and in particular coming into contact with trees) requires a lot of mechanical support, but this is very different to the pit stops we see in F1.

Credit: GEPA pictures/ Vesa Koivunen/ Red Bull

Comfort Zone

Kimi Räikkönen made his official rally debut this weekend, taking part in the Arctic Rally in Lapland. Whilst his results over the past couple of days might not be exactly what Kimi was hoping for, he’s made a good start to the year and there’s no doubt that he’s completely comfortable with the change in his career.

Credit: GEPA pictures/ Vesa Koivunen/ Red Bull

Taking the Rough With the Smooth

Kimi Räikkönen made his official rally debut this weekend, taking part in the Arctic Rally in Lapland. Rallying requires a different skillset to Formula 1, and whilst speed is still the key component, you also have to deal with sharp corners, rough terrain and severe elevation changes.

Credit: GEPA pictures/ Vesa Koivunen/ Red Bull

Raging Bull

Kimi Räikkönen made his official rally debut this weekend, taking part in the Arctic Rally in Lapland. One of the things that was obvious when Kimi was in F1 was that he didn’t care about any of the media or politics, but simply wanted to get in a car and drive fast. Rallying offers ample opportunity for this.

Credit: GEPA pictures/ Vesa Koivunen/ Red Bull

Out of the Limelight

Kimi Räikkönen made his official rally debut this weekend, taking part in the Arctic Rally in Lapland. Compared to the repetitive scenery of a Formula 1 circuit, rallying offers some stunning backdrops, coupled with fantastic lighting to produce some excellent photo opportunities and of course, some great action.

Credit: GEPA pictures/ Vesa Koivunen/ Red Bull

As Cold As Ice

Kimi Räikkönen made his official rally debut this weekend, taking part in the Arctic Rally in Lapland. Initially, Räikkönen managed to avoid the surrounding nature, but on the first day of competition he ran off the road with the front of the car buried in a tree.

Credit: GEPA pictures/ Vesa Koivunen/ Red Bull

Something in the Air

Kimi Räikkönen made his official rally debut this weekend, taking part in the Arctic Rally in Lapland. As much as racing amongst the ice and snow sounds appealing, it also sounds very cold. Kimi is probably in his element though, as he and fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen are not averse to the odd bit of snowmobiling.

Credit: GEPA pictures/ Vesa Koivunen/ Red Bull

Keeping a Roof Over His Head

Kimi Räikkönen made his official rally debut this weekend, taking part in the Arctic Rally in Lapland. Kimi gets comfortable in his new car, which is a complete departure from single seater racing. Not only does he have a roof over his head, but he has to get used to having a partner alongside him as well.

Credit: GEPA pictures/ Vesa Koivunen/ Red Bull

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