There is truth in the rumour that Raikkonen has to be woken from a peaceful slumber half an hour before a race. That may sound extraordinary, but the Finn is as relaxed as they come, seemingly a man without nerves or emotion. He is taciturn but not colourless, he is fond of a tipple, is married to a former Miss Scandinavia, and can pull the odd wild stunt.

Ice-cool winner: Kimi Raikkonen savours victory
For instance, earlier this year he and a couple of friends entered a powerboat race in Finland dressed in gorilla suits, with the driver adopting the pseudonym "James Hunt". Raikkonen loves speed and adores risk when he is off duty. Put him behind the wheel of a racing car and he becomes brave to the point of lunacy.
The 28-year-old can eke the last drop of power out of a car and lets his driving do the talking. Which is a good job because in interviews he rarely says much, and when he does it is usually not very interesting. Journalists seeking a quote resort to asking him about famous people he has met.
"Kimi, you met the King of Spain on the starting grid. How was that?"
"Very nice king." There are reindeer in Finland's forests that are better interviewees than Raikkonen, but as he will point out – if he can be bothered – he is not a Ferrari spokesman. His job is to drive a car as fast as possible.

That is something which Finns have always been good at. Keke Rosberg was the first to the title, Mika Hakkinen carried on the tradition, and Renault's Heikki Kovalainen is ready to take the baton from his countryman.
Why there should be so many flying Finns is no mystery: it is to do with early driving lessons on icy roads in pitch darkness, which sharpens the reflexes no end. Raikkonen certainly displayed a precocious talent.
After a successful karting career, his passage into F1 was swift, driving in just 23 car races before being granted his superlicence. Lewis Hamilton's progress was stately by comparison.
Raikkonen won the British Formula Renault Winter Series in 1999 and a year later he won seven of 10 races en route to clinching the Formula Renault UK Championship. He followed that with two wins in three races in the European Formula Renault Championship. That resulted in Sauber offering him a test, and despite FIA president Max Mosley's concern about the rising star's inexperience, Formula One beckoned.
As if to prove Mosley's consternation was unfounded, Raikkonen finished sixth on his debut in the 2001 Australian Grand Prix. McLaren chief Ron Dennis was so impressed with Raikkonen's maiden season, he signed him up for 2002 as the replacement for the retiring Hakkinen.
Raikkonen spent five years at McLaren, twice finishing second in the championship, initially in 2003 to Michael Schumacher when he had a shot at the title. It was a long one as he needed victory in the final race in Japan and for the German to finish out of the points.

By the finish Raikkonen could only manage second, with Schumacher taking the point he required to wrap up his sixth title, and fourth in a row with Ferrari. Although Raikkonen won seven of 19 grands prix in 2005, he could not stop Fernando Alonso's march to the first of his back-to-back crowns with Renault.
Frustration followed a year later as a poor McLaren car led to Raikkonen signing for Ferrari, stepping into Schumacher's shoes.
Raikkonen dazzled on his Ferrari debut, claiming victory in Australia before going off the boil to such an extent that he trailed Lewis Hamilton by 26 points after the United States Grand Prix.
But since then the Finn has been the driver in form, benefiting from the focused attention of the Italian team while McLaren had their pair of bickering drivers.
And while his rivals were getting hot under the collar, the ice-cool Raikkonen claimed the title in a spectacular final race.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk