A CO DONEGAL mechanic has helped the Formula 1 driver, Kimi Raikonnen, to victory in the opening race of the year.
John Carey, who grew up in Greencastle, looks after the engine for Raikonnen’s Lotus.
“I’m out in Australia at the moment doing a bit of mechanicking for Lotus Formula 1,” he told BBC Radio Foyle.
“We qualified quite low down, but we pushed on and worked very hard last night and ended up winning the race.”
“It’s unbelievable,” he said.
“Kimi Raikonnen is a hard-working bloke.
“He puts every ounce of strength into driving the car hard, and obviously we do everything too, to make the car good and reliable for him.”
John Carey first worked as a mechanic in Donegal, before moving to England, where he got involved in motor racing.
“I basically worked up through the ladder through British Formula 3 and World Series Renault GP2, and eventually F1. Now I’m at the pinnacle!”
His job during the week is to look after the car’s engine, water system, oil system, and auxiliaries – but he also has a job during the races.
“I’m the front tyre warmer,” he said in the interview. “You might see me on the grid!”
But, he added, working as a mechanic on Formula 1 is far from the champagne life it might appear.
He works long hours, and not just in Australia.
“Tomorrow I’m flying to Malaysia and then I’ll be starting it again, flat out, doing it again, seven in the morning to nine or ten at night for the next week. Then it’s back to the UK and do a bit of pit stop practice and then we do it again.”
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