CHRISTOPHER CLAREY: Heikki, I know you just did a book on Kimi in Finland. The feeling among the general sports public is that he's bland (your one book vs Hamilton's dozens would offer support for that). Is that perception fair or unfair?

HEIKKI KULTA: My book is mainly built on my stories for my daily. There are some things about his childhood and youth that explain a little bit how Kimi has been all his life. He is not the most colorful guy, not even as a Finnish sport star, but he is honest and always says what he thinks. That is something that a bland guy would do, wouldn't he?

CHRISTOPHER CLAREY: Candor does not usually equal bland in my experience.

HEIKKI KULTA: That's what I mean. F1 is so political that it is unusual that you can survive with candor.

CHRISTOPHER CLAREY: So why has he survived?

JOE SAWARD: Speed forgives all...I think Kimi is very clever. He appears to be dull so as to avoid having to do too much press work. I suspect that he is a very interesting guy, but he does not want the world to know that...

BRAD SPURGEON: That's the reason I say I like Kimi. He is quite funny when you pierce the armor. But that's a major undertaking!

CHRISTOPHER CLAREY: I wonder if, being competitive, it bothers Kimi that Hamilton finishes second and still hogs the international headlines. Tennis players and golfers are sensitive to that.

JOE SAWARD: I don't think he cares about any of that stuff. He cares about driving cars fast and winning. End of story.

BRAD SPURGEON: True. Raikkonen, like it or not, has been very, very fast, and very close to the title for years. 2003, 2005, second each time, now 2007, he gets it. The guy we don't hear that much about, but who delivers.

HEIKKI KULTA: Kimi's motivation with McLaren was going down. It was the Ferrari offer that kept Kimi racing. With Ferrari he has things as he wants them to be. It is a two-way street there. Both sides get what they expect from each other.

Source: iltalehti
Translated by Lady Feanor