Kimi Raikkonen said he only had a small party following his victory at the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday because it takes “a long time to recover” now he is 39.
Raikkonen won his first race in over five years last weekend, beating Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to the flag in a tense finish to the race. The Finn was once known for his outlandish partying, but according to his recently released biography, he has led a more sedate lifestyle since meeting his wife Minttu in 2013.
The victory in Austin was his first in in over five years, but Raikkonen said the celebrations were relatively subdued.
“We had a small party, but it takes a long time to recover at this age,” he said on Thursday. “So that part is definitively not the nice part … but the first part is always fun. It was not really much, just a few friends and that was about it.”
Following a victory drought of 113 races, Raikkonen’s first win since 2013 proved popular with fans. The result went down particularly well in his native Finland, but Raikkonen said he only received a handful of congratulatory messages as very few people have his phone number.
“I didn’t really look that much in the news and I don’t know who has, but I’m happy if people are happy,” Raikkonen said. “The main thing is that I feel good about what I’m doing, some like it, some not, but that’s absolutely fine. Obviously, it’s great, I don’t think we always get the biggest support from Finland, so when we get it, we take it.
“Like I said, I don’t know exactly if somebody has congratulated me. Not so many people have my number, so it’s not going to be that direct. I don’t read too much stuff on the net, so I’m more than happy and take all the good wishes on board. Now we go forward and see what we can do this weekend.”