Bernie Ecclestone believes that Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen was the last F1 driver who did not behave like a “robot” – perhaps one of the most ironic and laughable statements the old man has made for quite some time!

That said, during his Formula One career, Kimi Raikkonen was known for not mincing his words when speaking to the media or even his own team. The former Alfa Romeo Formula 1 driver was always known for his obvious lack of enthusiasm in dealing with the media and his disdain for anything to do with public relations. In fact, his voice is very much ‘robot’ like during interviews, making Ecclestone’s comment rather laughable.

Some fans and journalists rather disliked the behaviour of the so-called ‘Iceman’, while others appreciated Raikkonen’s approach in an age when drivers are ‘remote-controlled’ by their teams every race weekend. 

Former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes there is no longer a driver like Kimi Raikkonen in the paddock now the Finn retired at the end of the 2021 campaign:

“Kimi as a person is a great guy. As a driver, he’s a race driver. He is what you want, he runs, he doesn’t pay much attention to people. In fact, he even gives them his opinion,” Ecclestone told Sport1.

“There’s not really a Kimi today, I don’t think. That’s the problem. They’ve all become very…like robots, listening and doing what they’re told, rather than doing what they think is the right thing to do.”

Now a recent retiree, it is not known what Kimi Raikkonen will do with his future. The Finn said at the end of 2021 that he would now enjoy his family and a life free of travel and schedules:

“I have no plans at the moment. I don’t want to make any plans, I’m just looking forward to a less busy schedule, then we’ll see if we do something or not in the future.”