Former Ferrari F1 boss reveals 'crazy' Kimi Raikkonen prank: 'I said...f*** you'

Raikkonen wins 2007 world championship — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Former Ferrari F1 boss reveals 'crazy' Kimi Raikkonen prank: 'I said...f*** you'

How Kimi Raikkonen fooled his Ferrari boss

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 17 March 2026 22:43

Former Ferrari F1 boss Maurizio Arrivabene recently reflected on his time at the Scuderia and with it the Kimi Raikkonen prank that had him fooled.

Arrivabene led Ferrari from 2014 until 2019, when he was eventually replaced by Mattia Binotto, during which time he largely oversaw the driver lineup of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.

The Finn is best known, and widely missed, for his monosyllabic answers and 'Iceman' persona, but as Arrivabene revealed he also wasn't immune to pulling a prank from time-to-time.

Article continues under video

Speaking to Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, he explained: "Raikkonen once played a crazy prank on me. Kimi loves motocross and would video call me showing me his leg in a cast.

"I didn't know who to replace him with or how to tell Marchionne. When Kimi took the cast off, I said... f*** you."

F1 HEADLINES: Alonso takes drastic action as FIA alarm raised

What is Arrivabene doing now?

After sitting on the board of football team Juventus FC since 2012, Arrivabene became CEO in 2021 only to resign in 2022.

The team found itself at the centre of a financial scandal involving 'financial irregularities' and 'false accounting' regarding previous transfer deals.

On whether he missed his roles in football and F1, Arrivabene added: "I miss Formula 1 more than football. I love being operational and on the front lines, like when I was team principal at Ferrari. At Juventus I had a more managerial role, I wasn't the coach."

When asked where he saw himself in the future, Arrivabene even teased a return to Ferrari and said: "I say Formula 1. I wouldn't go abroad, not even for a lot of money. Ferrari or nothing. But Ferrari has [Fred] Vasseur, whom I respect, and all they need is my support."

F1 Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen