In the high-stakes world of Formula 1, some of the most fascinating stories happen away from the track—and former team principal Otmar Szafnauer has just shared a gem from his paddock days. The man who once led Force India and Aston Martin recently revealed on the High Performance Racing podcast that he came tantalizingly close to signing Kimi Raikkonen for the 2012 season, only to be thwarted by a Red Bull party and the unlikely involvement of the founders of "Angry Birds."

After Raikkonen left Ferrari at the end of 2009, the Finn took a break from the championship before making his famous return with Lotus in 2012. But Szafnauer had other plans. At the season finale in Sao Paulo, he made a bold push to bring the 2007 world champion to Force India. "Nearly signed Kimi Raikkonen to Force India before he went to Lotus," Szafnauer recalled. "I had to meet Kimi at the Hyatt in Morumbi. There's a Japanese restaurant there, so I met him with two of his buddies, trying to convince him to come to Force India."

True to his famously laid-back persona, Raikkonen played by his own rules. There was no traditional manager in sight—just two friends by his side, who, as Szafnauer discovered, were the founders of the wildly popular mobile game "Angry Birds." "So there wasn't a manager... it was the buddies and Raikkonen," Szafnauer explained. "So Raikkonen says, 'Right, let's go talk at the Red Bull party.' So Red Bull were having a massive party at the end of the season. And we get there, and I'm thinking we're not going to get in, the crowds are huge... Kimi waited for every one of us to get in before he stepped through."

Despite the surreal setting and Raikkonen's unique entourage, Szafnauer couldn't seal the deal. "As it turned out, I couldn't convince him to come to Force India. It was a bit of everything. I mean, you have to convince drivers too that the future looks rosier than the other offers that they have. And to be fair to him, he went to Lotus at a time where they won more races than we did. So they were better."

And history proved Raikkonen right. Over two seasons with Lotus, he amassed 390 points, 13 podium finishes, and memorable victories at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the 2013 Australian Grand Prix. For Szafnauer, it remains a tantalizing "what if" in a career full of close calls.