Although Kimi Raikkonen has at times had a different opinion of his former McLaren team boss Ron Dennis, their relationship has generally been fine.
As the founder and former CEO of the McLaren Group, Dennis was Team Principal of the McLaren F1 Team from 1981 to 2009.
During this time he worked alongside Raikkonen, who spent five seasons with the team between 2002 and 2006.
Things haven’t always been smooth sailing between the two as Dennis hasn’t exactly been on board with Raikkonen’s off-track life.
Raikkonen has even shared the story of how Dennis tore up his contract in the past, only to ask that they forget the dispute after Raikkonen won the next race.
According to ex-McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley, the two were also far from agreed ahead of the infamous 2005 United States Grand Prix, when Raikkonen was furious at the decision that all Michelin runners would retire after the formation lap for safety reasons .
Though there were indeed times when they weren’t on the same page, Raikkonen said his relationship with Dennis was “good” overall.
One of the most iconic photos from the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix, with Ron Dennis opening Kimi Raikkonen’s visor. #F1 #OnThisDay pic.twitter.com/26lZuqIauz
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) October 9, 2018
“I think it was good,” Raikkonen said while appearing on the Beyond The Grid podcast.
“Obviously a lot has been said and written about it, but I think internally [it] was good.
“I think we had a good relationship. Obviously we had some things we didn’t agree with [on], but that happens.
“I think even after I left and I saw him out on the track we talked about things and we joked.
“I think outside he is very different than on the track. I have nothing bad to say.
“We have our different opinions on some things, but that’s the way it is.”
Following that stint at McLaren, Raikkonen drove in two stints for Ferrari, Lotus and Alfa Romeo, becoming the most experienced driver in the history of the series by the time of his retirement, with the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix serving him 349th and final start in the Formula 1.
