Raikkonen wears James Hunt helmet in Monaco
Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus F1 wearing a James Hunt themed helmet
XPB Images
May 25 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is paying tribute to one of his heroes this weekend at Monaco.
During Thursday practice for this weekend's blue-riband event, onlookers were surprised to see the late James Hunt apparently at the wheel of a 2012 black and gold Lotus.
In fact, it was Finn Raikkonen wearing 1976 world champion Hunt's iconic black helmet livery.
In 32-year-old Raikkonen's championship year in 2007, he famously entered a snowmobile race under the name 'James Hunt'.
Raikkonen has admitted to identifying with the carefree Briton, who once said after winning a Grand Prix: "9 points, $20,000 and a lot of happiness -- can I grab that cigarette?"
The former BBC commentator, who died aged 45 in 1993, also wore a logo on his overalls with the words: "Sex: breakfast of champions".
Asked about the tribute on Thursday, Raikkonen insisted: "It's not for any particular reason.
"I just like him and the kind of racing there was in the past," he is quoted by the Finnish broadcaster MTV3.
"It's a nice (helmet) design. There's not any more (to it) than that."
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments