Kimi Raikkonen, one of the greatest ever F1 racers has announced that he will be calling it a day on his long and illustrious Formula 1 career at the end of this current season.
The 2007 world champion began his career in over 20 years ago and has competed in more races than any other driver in the history of Formula 1.
41 year old Raikkonen has raced for Alfa Romeo for the past three seasons since leaving Ferrari. Wnnouncing his retirement on Instagram, Raikkonen said: “This is it. This will be my last season in Formula 1.
“This is a decision I did during last winter. It was not an easy decision but after this season it is it.”
“Even though the season is still on, I want to thank my family, all my teams, everyone involved in my racing career and especially all of you great fans that have been rooting for me all this time.”
“Formula 1 might come to an end for me but there is a lot more in life that I want to experience and enjoy. See you around after all of this! Sincerely Kimi.”
Finnish compatriot Valtteri Bottas is considered most likely to replace Raikkonen at Alfa Romeo next year with George Russell looking odds on favourite to take the former’s seat next to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Raikkonen: The Ice Man
One of world sport’s most iconic stars, Raikkonen has established a following among fans during his two decades in the sport. During moments in the past two decades, the Finn won the majority of his races in the early 2000s with both McLaren and Ferrari. After becoming world champion in his first season with the Italian team, he stayed on in motorsport for a further 14 seasons.
Dropped by the Scuderia only two years after his title win, Raikkonen left F1 for two years and competed in the World Rally Championship before returning for a second stint in the sport from 2012 with Lotus, where he said his famous “leave me alone, I know what to do”.
Raikkonen went on a long, win-free run but won for what is most likely the final time at the 2018 United States GP in Austin. He completed his circle by returning to the team he started with and at the 2020 Eifel GP, where at the Nurburgring, he broke Rubens Barrichello’s record of 322 race starts. Raikkonen has now raced in 341 Grand Prix with 10 races still to go of what will now be his final season. He will stand alone, should all races be completed, on 351 F1 races raced in.
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