Kimi Raikkonen posed for australia in the same way as 18 years ago - a memorable debut under experienced panic chick: There was nothing fake

Kimi Raikkonen returned to Alfa romeo, the former Sauber, as a driver where it all started 18 years ago – to Melbourne, Australia.Video: IL:n Mikko Hyytiä and expert Jyrki lake grove go through the setups for the new F1 season. Kimi Raikkonen photographed in Australia in Melbourne 1. march 2001. ZUMAWIRE / MVPHOTOS

F1 through 2019 to the first GP-weekend includes a healthy dose of nostalgia. When Kimi Raikkonen settled Thursday afternoon for pictures in the Albert Park paddock Alfa Romeo in white driving overalls in the minds of many returned to the view 18 years ago, when Raikkonen was posing in the same place, the same garage in the blue driving overalls. The garage name at the time was the Sauber, but in practice it is the same garage as Raikkonen's current employer.

4. march 2001 run of the Australian GP will be indelibly engraved in the Finnish formula one fans memories. Only 23 car competition experience one of the risen Raikkonen ranked at the time of the sixth and reached first championship points. Raikkonen crossed the finish line seventh, but fourth-placed BAR-Honda Olivier Panis received a 25 seconds time penalty to do to bypass the yellow flag during the and fall I saw three seconds of Raikkonen behind.

Raikkonen F1 debut to be remembered also that the Sauber team was about 30 minutes before the start a small panic chick, when 21-year-old Finnish rookie, but didn't seem to find anything. Eventually, the team physical therapist Josef leber. fn to find Raikkonen asleep.

Kimi Raikkonen photographed in Australia in Melbourne 14. march 2019. AOP

I Said, Kim, you have to drive a while to get to the first competition. He asked to sleep for another five minutes. I've never seen anything like that again. It was exceptionally cool, but there was nothing fake. It was real. I let him sleep even for a moment, Leber, said the Formula1.'s interview.

18 years, less than 6 600 days later in Melbourne posing my own words, it's exactly the same Raikkonen, although age has accumulated already 39 for a year, and the F1 experience, too, is more than anyone in the second this via the driver.

292 start, 18 pole position, 46 race fastest laps, 103 awards podium in the ranking, with 21 wins and one world championship. Point the pot is getting fat on its opening point after the handsome 1816-point read, which is also its own kind of symbolism: 18 years, 16 of the F1-season.

19. in and 17. the season starts on Sunday Finnish time, at 7.10, when the starting lights go out.