Do we like Kimi Räikkönen?
Our score: 7 out of 10. Decent record, no harmful campaigning found, one unresolved denied allegation and a couple of shrugs on issues that mattered to others.
Räikkönen is the Finn who stuck to saying very little and driving very fast. He spent 19 seasons in Formula One before calling it quits at the end of 2021, and he is still the last Ferrari driver to win the drivers' title, in 2007 by a single point. His whole brand is not caring what anyone thinks of him.
The nearest thing to a scandal is a 2018 claim from a Montreal woman, who alleged online that an intoxicated unnamed F1 driver touched her inappropriately at a bar after the 2016 Canadian GP. His Montreal legal team said he “denies the allegations completely” and filed an extortion complaint, claiming she wanted a huge payout. Her firm said the complaint misconstrued what she wanted. The reports we read show no outcome, so it stays an allegation.
On the harm test, we found nothing from him against LGBTQ+ people, women or migrants, and no sign he has campaigned for anyone who does. That is a thin record, not a rainbow flag: he's never really been out there on these things either.
On the planet, he took a more mixed line in 2019 after Hamilton's climate push. He said climate change “involves everybody who lives on this planet”, but argued racing drivers are badly placed to preach, since they burn fuel to finish first. Fans of Hamilton heard hypocrisy talk, others heard honesty.
The good stuff is small and human. After he crashed out of the 2017 Spanish GP, a young fan was seen crying on TV, and Ferrari brought the family into the paddock where Kimi met the boy and gave him a team cap. That's the pattern fans love: gruff on camera, decent off it.
Lately he's been relaxed and funny in retirement. In May 2026 he said it amused him that Antonelli shares his name, called him “really good”, and tipped him to handle title pressure.