“The first time I met Kimi Raikkonen I understood why they call him the Iceman!”

Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli has recalled a brief interaction with former Formula 1 champion and his namesake Kimi Raikkonen.

Raikkonen became famous for his gruff personality and aversion to speaking in public during his time in F1, long before Netflix launched the Drive to Survive series and put focus on individual characters in the sport.

Antonelli was still racing in karts when he got to meet Raikkonen on the sidelines of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 2018.

While Antonelli was starstruck to see the then-Ferrari F1 driver in person, the Finn’s reaction was telling of his cool demeanour.

Kimi Antonelli recalls Kimi Raikkonen meeting

“I met him when I was quite little – I think it was 2018,” Antonelli recalled. “He was doing the Monza GP.

“And, you know, the first time I met him I understood why they call him the Iceman, to be honest, because I remember going to him super excited and he had completely no reaction! But I think he's such a cool dude.”

Antonelli said he would like to have a longer conversation with Raikkonen at some point, as there are plenty of things he could learn from a driver who competed in nearly 350 races over a career spanning almost two decades.

“I never really got the chance to properly have a chat with him, but [it’s] definitely something I would like to do,” said the 18-year-old.

“It would be cool also to have some advice about racing, for sure, because he has done a lot in the sport, so [that’s] definitely something I would like to do in the future.”

Raikkonen made a rare return to the paddock at last year’s Italian GP, coincidentally the same race where Antonelli was announced as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes for the 2025 season.

Speaking at that time, Raikkonen welcomed the arrival of Antonelli and other rookies on the 2025 grid.

“Yeah, I heard! When we came here, somebody said that they announced it!,” said Raikkonen, who is now 45-years-old.

“It’s great. A lot of new faces, I think, coming next year, a lot of new drivers that have been signed to F1. 

“It’s good for the sport, and it’s also great to have an Italian in the championship. It’s good for everybody, I think.”

Since retiring from F1 at the end of 2021, Raikkonen has largely stayed out of the limelight, but he took part in a pair of NASCAR Cup Series races with Trackhouse Racing in 2022-23, achieving a best finish of 29th.