Google News Raikkonen announced his retirement from F1 at the end of this season!
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Kimi Raikkonen has just announced that he is retiring from Formula 1 at the end of this season. Fin's contract with Alfa expired at the end of this year and he was expected to leave. The 2007 champion has confirmed that he will leave Formula 1 at the end of this season, and he announced the news of his retirement on all Instagram profiles.
"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 time for new things." "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" Raikkonen started his Formula 1 career in 2001 at Sauber, and great rides during his debut season brought him a call-up to McLaren, where he spent 5 seasons and where he built his name as one of the best drivers on the grid.
In 2003 and 2005, he was close to the title but had to wait until 2007 for the title. In one of the tensest finals of the championship ever in Formula 1, he won the title by a point ahead of Alonso and Hamilton and thus became champion in his first season with Ferrari.
History
He remained in the ranks of the "reds" until the end of 2009 when he took a 2-year break from Formula 1. In 2012, he returned to the Formula 1 grid with the Lotus team. He had a great comeback season and finished third in the drivers ’standings.
He stayed at Lotus until the end of 2013 when he returned to Ferrari, where he ‘stayed’ until the end of 2018. In 2019, he returned to the team where he started his career, but the team was no longer called Sauber because their commercial rights were bought by Alfa Romeo.
Raikkonen has driven a total of 344 races so far (341 starts, making him the record holder in F1), achieved 21 victories, 103 podiums, and won 18 pole positions. Raikkonen has built a cult status among fans because of his character, which earned him the nickname ‘Iceman’, and he will be remembered as one of the greats of this sport.
In the Alfa Romeo team, he should be succeeded by his compatriot Valtteri Bottas, which has been speculated about for a long time.
