F1 icon shaved reverse mohawk into staff member's hair as revenge at "p*** up"

05 February 2024 , 08:01

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Kimi Raikkonen became known for his partying antics during his F1 career (Image: Getty Images)

Ex-F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen once shaved a reverse mohawk into a former McLaren engineer's head during a wild, booze-fuelled party.

The Finnish star was known for his end-of-season parties during his time with the team - as much as he was for his blisteringly quick driving style. Raikkonen regularly hosted celebrations back in his home country.

One particular party saw ex-McLaren engineer Marc Priestley walk away with a slightly different hairdo. Speaking on the Pit Stop podcast, he said: "As we did every year, out to Finland for a p***-up. So we go there the first night, it's all of his mates, all of our mates. We all get together, start drinking and it gets to two in the morning. I'm so tired.

"I figured I couldn't go to bed first because I know he's gonna try something and get me back. But, in the end, there's no way I can stay awake. So I went up to my room in his house and I thought 'I'll put a chair under the door handle, just in case!'

"Within 20 minutes, I was asleep. 20 minutes later, the door comes off its hinges! Literally bursts, and the door gets smashed to pieces! It was Kimi and his mate, and they burst in and we have this full-on fight in bed. I'm wrestling him and he's pinning me down, his mates got me pinned down…

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"I had long shoulder-length hair at the time and he gets a set of clippers and buzzes like a reverse Mohican down the middle of my long shoulder-length hair! And then, worse than that, he cuts the plug off the end of the clippers and throws it out a window into like a five-foot snowdrift! They're gone, the clippers were gone."

While Priestley tried his best to avoid his fresh trim during his trip to Finland, he can't claim that he didn't see it coming. He had previously treated Raikkonen to a somewhat embarrassing McLaren tradition during the final race of the 2006 season in Sao Paulo.

Kimi Raikkonen celebrates at the Canadian Grand Prix (Getty Images)

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The Finn's gloves were filled with blue dye, leaving him with 'smurf hands' as Raikkonen's former colleague described it. That would prove to be his final season with the team before a move to Ferrari for the 2007 campaign.

Raikkonen would enjoy plenty of success as he lifted his first Championship off the back of six race wins - his first and only career F1 success. He followed that up with third place during the following campaign.

Raikkonen would have three seasons with Ferrari before he took a step back from F1. After a couple of years out he returned with Lotus, where he also finished third in the drivers' standings. A subsequent return to Ferrari followed while he was last seen with Alfa Romeo in 2021. He has since been racing in NASCAR.

Daniel Orme