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Kimi Raikkonen Says “Leave Me Alone” In Beverage Ad

Kimi is a man of many talents, but what he does best is drive fast and give Formula 1 one of the best radio messages of all time. The world champion became a well-cemented legend of the sport in 2007 when he clinched the title with Ferrari, and a second time at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Kimi Raikkonen "Leave Me Alone" Hartwall ad 5 photos
Photo: screenshot from YouTube
Kimi RaikkonenKimi RaikkonenKimi RaikkonenKimi Raikkonen
That weekend was voted as the most unforgettable Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by Formula 1 fans, chiefly because a fuel pressure problem ended Lewis Hamilton’s race on lap 20. The Briton’s retirement opened the door for Kimi, who inherited the lead and kept his cool until the checkered flag.

The most memorable moment of the race, however, was lap 23. The race engineer radioed tire temperature data that Raikkonen couldn’t care less about, distracting Kimi from his driving and prompting the Finn to lash out at Simon Rennie, replying: “Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing.”

As if that quote wasn’t notable enough in the realm of Formula 1, the world of advertising decided to refresh our memories with a clever ad. Raikkonen is the brand ambassador of Hartwall since January 2017, and the Finnish brewery launched a PR campaign in Japan at the beginning of November starring Kimi. The first ad, titled “Live Original,” is not bad, but Raikkonen shines the brightest in the second ad thus far.

Titled “Leave Me Alone,” the 20-second spot sees Kimi enjoying a refreshing Original Long Drink in northern Finland, telling the narrator: “I know what I’m drinking.” Don’t know about you, but I have this sudden urge to enjoy a brew.

“Original Long Drink is my favorite drink in Finland – you can’t find anything similar anywhere else in the world. I’m proud to introduce this favorite to people abroad, too,” said Raikkonen. The campaign is aimed at the Japanese market, where Original Long Drink is offered in Iceman Edition to mark the company’s partnership with the Formula 1 driver.



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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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