“It’s time to move on to new adventures, this is my last season in Formula 1.”
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On Wednesday, Kimi Raikkonen announced via his Instagram account that he will be ending his motorsport career after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 12.
This decision does not surprise anyone in the F1 world. We knew Finn, who will celebrate 42 years in October, was preparing for his exit.
which we affectionately called snowman “(Iceman) was certainly not the most talkative driver in the circuit, but his absence would certainly be unfortunate, even among the journalists who entertained himself with running away!
Ferrari’s last address
Raikkonen will go down as one of the greatest actors of his generation with 21 Grand Prix victories, most recently in Texas in 2018, and a 103 podium finish.
He was crowned world champion in 2007, a small point ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. It will be his only crown in F1. He is also the last driver to win the title behind the wheel of a Ferrari. On two other occasions, he placed second in the final standings, in 2003 and 2005.
Among his victories, one was earned at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2005 at the wheel of a McLaren. It’s too record holder of the disputed Grand Prix (342), ahead of Fernando Alonso who now has 324 starts for life. In his record, Räikkönen also shows two presences in the series
NASCAR in 2011 at Oval Circuit in Charlotte, North Carolina, one in the Xfinity Series and one in Pickup Trucks.
Bottas to replace him?
In all likelihood, it is compatriot Valtteri Bottas who should replace him in 2022 on the Alfa Romeo team. It is no secret that the Finn’s association with Mercedes will end at the end of this season.
The announcement of Raikkonen’s retirement may soon confirm the recruitment of young British driver George Russell next year to the side of Hamilton.
Villeneuve, acrobat
After the chaos that marked the last stop in Belgium, F1 will celebrate its reunion at the weekend for the Dutch Grand Prix which will be shown on Sunday after a 36-year absence.
In 1985, the last race was contested, won by Niki Lauda. For the record, Gilles Villeneuve was also noticed at the Zandvoort circuit in 1979 when he completed a lap on three wheels before giving up.
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