Kimi. A name the motor racing world knows all too well. A name that projects images of… ice. The Formula 1 circus will thaw and increase by more than a few degrees at the end of the 2021 season with the departure of “The Iceman”, Kimi Raikkonen.

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Record breaker

Kimi holds a number of Formula One records and will be remembered by fans for years to come. As a driver, he leaves the sport with the most number of Grand Prix starts (349). Interestingly, he is also the only driver to win in three different engine configuration eras (V10, V8 and V6 turbo hybrid). 

He burst into the top echelon of the sport after completing a mere 16 single-seater events. He had to perform at a test session to prove to the powers-that-be that he was capable of handling the beast that was a Formula 1 car. Once accepted, he knuckled down to the task, producing impressive performances for his Swiss racing team, Sauber.



An impressive rookie

Team Principal, Peter Sauber, knew he struck gold by discovering the Finn, but still had to concede to McLaren’s advances to buy out Kimi’s contract at the end of 2001. It was rumoured that Kimi’s retiring countryman, Mika Hakkinen told Ron Dennis “If you want to win, get the Finn”, resulting in Raikkonen getting the nod over the more fancied German, Nick Heidfeld. Kimi promptly repaid Dennis’s confidence in him by finishing on the podium in Australia in 2002, his first race for the McLaren team.

The Finn won his first Grand Prix at Malaysia 2003, a feat that was felt long overdue. It was Kimi’s only win of the year as a result of reliability issues and bad luck. Despite this, he was runner up in the world championship. His tenure at McLaren was a rollercoaster ride, but he still managed to win nine races for the team, seven of them in 2005 where he was runner up in the world championship. 

The Ferrari years

A torrid, winless season in 2006 led him to sign for Ferrari in 2007, replacing the retiring Michael Schumacher (click here to check out images from Schumacher museum). It proved to be a watershed year for the Iceman, taking six victories and snatching the world championship by one point from his championship rivals Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, ironically, both driving for McLaren. He seemed to lose his verve and passion by 2009 and left the sport to go rallying for two seasons instead. He added a couple of NASCAR starts to his resumé in 2011, before coming back to the F1 paddock the following season.

An F1 return

The family atmosphere at Lotus clearly suited the Finn and he looked at home in the paddock once more. He won two races for a team that looked to be floundering, before a somewhat surprising return to Ferrari in 2014. It was alongside his (it is rumoured) one true friend in F1 and part-time badminton buddy, Seb Vettel than Kimi added to his podium tally. It was in red that Raikkonen claimed his final F1 victory, at Austin in 2019.

Full circle

When the Scuderia announced it would be replacing Kimi with talent Charles Leclerc, Raikkonen made his final F1 career move. He rejoined Sauber, now rebranded as Alfa Romeo Racing. The Finn’s F1 career had come full circle returning to the Swiss-based team where it all began.

From 2014 until now it’s been Kimi time, where the Finn has shown that he is a racer at heart. Kimi owns a Motocross team in the MX1 World Motocross championship and runs a team in the local Finnish championship for up-and-coming stars.

More below the gallery…

  • Kimi Raikkonen first win.
  • The fans love Kimi Raikkonen
  • Kimi Raikkonen had a brief stint in WRC.
  • Kimi Raikkonen and the Ferrari team.
  • Kimi Raikkonen has his own clothing label.
  • Kimi Raikkonen and his buddy Seb Vettel

No BS

Kimi Raikkonen is known to be a straight shooter. He does not believe in racing politics and gamesmanship. He’s there to race. He has never been enthusiastic about the public relations side of the sport and has made this abundantly clear.

Notably, he particularly does not enjoy press junkets (note the nervous tick as he often rubs his neck). As a result, the quotes – some of them not so savoury – have been hysterical. “Driving is the only thing I love about F1.” and “Yeah. I was having a s***.” are among the more memorable since the introduction of pit-to-car radio broadcasts on television, the quotes have reached legendary status: “Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing” comes to mind. That message prompted a tongue-in-cheek message on the engine cover of his F1 racecar for his last race: “Dear Kimi, we will leave you alone now.”

He has been known to be a party animal and enjoy a drink or two. To this, David Coulthard commented the Iceman was very quiet, but after a few drinks one couldn’t shut him up! After having a technical failure behind the safety car at Monaco in 2006, he stepped out of his car and was seen sunning on his yacht barely ten minutes later…

The lesser-known Iceman

Kimi has shown his human side to the world only recently, having avoided social media for almost a decade. It is clear from his posts that he is a dedicated family man. This may be why he is not too downhearted at the prospect of leaving the F1 circus.

He has always been highly regarded by his teammates. In fact, Antonio Giovinazzi already paid tribute to him earlier this season by acknowledging that Kimi was his mentor. He has received stirring tributes from the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. The latter states if one has an issue with Kimi, the problem is probably you, not him.

Goodbye to Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen. The Iceman. Quiet. Racer. Family man. Despite his quietness, he has shown how much character he has. He will be missed and the paddock will be all the poorer without him. From all of us at Double Apex we say Hyvästi ja kiitos (goodbye and thanks – Ed) for the years of excellent memories.