Top Gear producer recalls the moment he exploded with Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen over the \u2018Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car\u2019<\/p>\n
Back in its prime ages with James May, Jeremy Clarkson, and Richard Hammond, Top Gear threw up some seriously hilarious moments<\/a>.<\/p>\n But some of the best content was watching multi-millionaires throw a $1,000 car around the track like their lives were worth nothing.<\/p>\n In a separate leaderboard for racers, Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen appeared<\/a> behind the wheel of the Suzuki Liana in 2012, just as he was returning to Lotus for a gargantuan F1 comeback.<\/p>\n However, former Executive Producer of Top Gear Andy Wilman<\/a> needed to give the F1 icon a rocket up the backside to be able to record a time worthy of a place on the leaderboard.<\/p>\n Speaking on the Midweek F1 podcast<\/a>, Wilman revealed that he had to enter R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen\u2019s motorhome to tell him to drive faster.<\/p>\n Detailing how the wet conditions were clearly putting off the F1 racer from trying hard, R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen was putting in sub-par times that would have left him at the bottom of the leaderboard.<\/p>\n \u201cI go into the motorhome after him,\u201d the Top Gear producer said. \u201cHe\u2019s in the like, La-Z-Boy chair, and it\u2019s warm, and he\u2019s fully sort of stretched out, like Joey from Friends.<\/p>\n \u201cI went, \u2018Kimi, you know, it\u2019s drying out now. I can\u2019t tell you your time, but it wasn\u2019t brilliant. We know you could go faster\u2019. And he went, \u2018No, I can\u2019t\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI lost it with him a bit, and b****cked him, like, \u2018There are so many people here waiting to see you make a comeback, and that\u2019ll be on you if you don\u2019t do something!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Formula 1 racer\u2019s fastest times on the famous Top Gear lap<\/p>\n Kimi did get back on the circuit, but the Iceman didn\u2019t do much skating, as his time only improved to be second-worst in the segment.<\/p>\n Nine drivers took to the track in the drab Suzuki car, and R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen\u2019s 1:46:1 was only better than Damon Hill (1:46:3), the first ever racer to try it.<\/p>\n Funnily enough, this was less than a second faster than the leading celebrity guests, with Dame Ellen MacArthur, Jimmy Carr, and Simon Cowell holding the Suzuki Liana records.<\/p>\n The leaders of the racing pack posted times four seconds faster, as a prime Daniel Riccardo (1:42.2) beat Lewis Hamilton (1:42.9) to top spot.<\/p>\n Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen went on to win a number of races on his return to the F1 paddock, including three in his tenure at Lotus. <\/p>\n It seems like he was keeping himself in check for the big return, despite the best efforts from the Top Gear producer.<\/p>\n Nowadays, Top Gear is more of a legacy, and fans hold a dear place in their hearts for some of the finest cars that ever appeared<\/a> on the show.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Kimi-Raikkonen-Top-Gear-1024x640.webp.webp\")
<\/a>BBC<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Kimi-Raikkonen-F1-1024x640.webp.webp\")
<\/a>Formula 1<\/p>\n