Raikkonen endured a mare of a race during yesterday s British Grand Prix as his Ferrari team struggled to adapt their strategy to the changing weather conditions. However, it appears the Finn was frustrated even ahead of the red lights going out.
As the 28 year old exited his F2008 Ferrari after bringing the car to the Silverstone grid, noted photographer Paul-Henri Cahier started to capture images as he removed his helmet. Kimi objected to the attention as the Frenchman used a flash enabled camera just inches from the driver s face. When Cahier came closer, standing on the Ferrari driver s race equipment, Raikkonen pushed the photographer over backwards.
It was a heat of the moment reaction, and as such Paul-Henri will not be taking the matter further. However, it does raise the question of how much access the press should have ahead of such an event, as drivers and teams attempt to prepare for races of which Championships and millions of pounds worth of sponsorship rest upon.
Speaking of the encounter to Finnish television station MTV3.fi, Kimi s manager Steve Robertson was quoted as saying: “This one particular photographer was actually standing on Kimi’s gear, and obviously he’s preparing for the race. He actually touched Kimi, and Kimi is obviously trying to protect himself – you know he’s got his work to do. They should respect the fact that Kimi has got to go out there and race, and not to get too close.â€.
Click here to view the confrontation between Raikkonen and Cahier on our forums.
Update Article – Photographer brands Kimi Rude and Arrogant
