Daniel Ricciardo remembers the hilarious time F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen caught him in the LADIES toilet: ‘One day I’ll show you I’m a man’
- Happened in his early days of Formula 1
- Thought he would skip the line by using the ladies
- Was humiliated by Raikkonen when caught
Aussie F1 superstar Daniel Ricciardo has revealed the savage moment he was caught by legend Kimi Raikkonen using the women’s toilet before a race early in his career.
Ricciardo said on Perth radio station 96FM that there was usually a frenzied rush to use the toilets before a race.
“You don’t want to pee in a race car,” he said.
“The belts are so tight and they push you in and it’s just not fun.
“I recently tried putting it in a bottle, nup, doesn’t work.
“Everyone queues sometimes and because you don’t have much time.”
Ricciardo spoke about the embarrassing incident while back in Perth, saying he took Raikkonen’s jab personally
But with no female drivers in F1 and a huge queue outside the men’s room, Ricciardo saw an opportunity in his early days.
“There was a female and a male, and I was like ‘look if you have to go, just go,'” he said.
“So I bumped into the females and as I was walking out Raikkonen said, ‘All the females are in here’ or something like that.
“He was actually teasing me about being a woman.
“I was new and the way he said it, he doesn’t really talk to anyone, I just took it personally.
“One day I will show you that I am a man.”
Raikkonen and Ricciardo were all smiling at this 2018 press conference, but the two had several clashes during their F1 careers
Ricciardo on the podium at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix with Raikkonen and former rival Sebastian Vettel
It wouldn’t be the last time the two drivers sounded the horn, with Ricciardo previously revealing that Raikkonen had knocked him out in the paddock.
“On the grid I’m usually quite friendly with people, but when I smile at someone and they don’t say anything to me, I get a little annoyed. I definitely take it personally,” he told Esquire in 2020.
“I remember Kimi [Raikkonen] always gave me the cold shoulder and I took that personally.
“I’d make a mental note of it, and on the track, if I ever felt generous, it would never be for him.”
Throughout his career, Raikkonen was known for his cool demeanor and impressive racing craft, earning him the nickname ‘The Iceman’.
He has won 21 races, achieved 103 podiums and set 18 fastest laps over the course of his F1 career. He announced his retirement from F1 at the end of the 2021 season.