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In 1976, James Hunt won the Formula One world championship, beating defending champion Niki Lauda in rather controversial circumstances.

Hunt was a bit of a renegade, nicknamed ‘Hunt the Shunt’ for the large number of high-speed crashes he was involved in, and renowned for his disdain for authority.

He was hugely popular with fans thanks to his extroverted personality, and habit of speaking his mind without fear of the repercussions.

As his Formula One bio points out, he lived life to the fullest:

[He] often walked around in his bare feet, even on formal occasions. He drank heavily, smoked 40 cigarettes a day, occasionally took drugs, had a madcap social life and a succession of beautiful girlfriends. He married one of them, Suzy, a fashion model who eventually left him for the actor Richard Burton…

A second marriage, to Sarah, ended in divorce but produced two sons to whom James became deeply devoted. He fell in love, with Helen, a beautiful blonde half his age. On June 15, 1993, she accepted his marriage proposal. A few hours later James Hunt had a massive heart attack and died at the age of 45.

Well, that’s one way to go out.

What does any of this have to do with Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen and Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, you ask?

Fair question – here’s what Kimi posted to his Instagram account recently:

That’s James, and that’s Lewis.

Some sites fell all over themselves to paint it as Kimi mocking Lewis for being ‘super-woke’, like it’s a bad thing to care about social causes close to your heart, whilst others played it off as harmless banter.

Kimi followed it up with this:

Kimi has been a long-time admirer of Hunt’s, and in 2007, entered a snowmobile race under the former world champion’s name.

During the Monaco Grand Prix in 2012, Kimi also wore a helmet designed to resemble Hunt’s from the year he claimed the title.

If I was Lewis, I wouldn’t have to think too hard about my comeback.

How’s the 2020 Driver’s Championship table looking?

Oh, I see.

#Bantz.

[sources:f1&esports]