P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The story of how F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen nearly signed for Force India and how Angry Birds was involved
A former F1 boss revealed how he almost signed Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen and how the founders of ‘Angry Birds’ were involved in the situation. Kimi Raikkonen won the world drivers’ championship with Ferrari in 2007, then left the team in 2009, having a brief F1 career pause before joining Lotus for the 2012 season. Otmar Szafnauer, a former F1 boss at Force India, tried to sign Raikkonen before he went to Lotus, involving a meeting at a Japanese restaurant in Brazil with Raikkonen and his two ‘Angry Birds’ founder buddies. Despite their best efforts, Raikkonen ultimately decided to go to Lotus, a move that worked out well as Lotus was more successful at the time. The association between Kimi Raikkonen and ‘Angry Birds’ continued with sponsorship deals and merchandise collaborations, linking the Finnish driver to the popular video game series.
