When Raikkonen's brutal prank gave former Ferrari boss a big scare

The Finn enjoyed two spells with Ferrari, the first from 2007 to 2009, winning the world championship in his debut season with the team, before returning for a less successful second stint between 2014 and 2018. He then left the Scuderia for good the following year to join Alfa Romeo.

It was in 2016 that Arrivabene recalled being at home in Maranello late in the evening, ready to relax after a long day, when he unexpectedly received a message from Raikkonen. The Finn sent him a picture showing his leg in a cast, accompanied by just one word. Arrivabene immediately feared the worst and began thinking about how he would have to inform Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne about the situation.

Just as he was about to pick up the phone and tell Marchionne that they had a serious problem, Raikkonen called him and revealed that the whole thing was a joke: "I was at home in Maranello, and it was already late. You know when you can't wait to get on the sofa and say, 'Ah, the day is finally over'...

Raikkonen confirmed the story, explaining that he was working with a company that produced braces at the time and deliberately used the opportunity to take the misleading picture. The Finn admitted that he found the prank amusing, prompting Arrivabene to make it clear that he certainly did not: "Yes, that's true. I was working with a company that made braces. I took a picture and obviously did it on purpose. I had fun with it, though."

In a rare interview with Italian outlet Quotidiano Sportivo, Raikkonen named Max Verstappen as the strongest driver on the current Formula 1 grid, regardless of the performance of the car underneath him.

The 2007 world champion recalled watching Verstappen arrive in F1 during his second spell at Ferrari and quickly recognising his exceptional talent. Raikkonen particularly pointed to the Dutchman's maiden victory at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, where Verstappen finished directly ahead of him, as the moment he realised a new star had emerged.