Kimi Raikkonen has announced he will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 season.
This year marked two decades since the Finn made his debut with Sauber in 2001, before later having stints at McLaren and Ferrari, where he became world champion in 2007.
After 2009, Raikkonen would leave F1 for two years until he came back in 2012 at Lotus where he would spend two seasons and won twice.
2014 saw a return to Ferrari alongside Fernando Alonso and then Sebastian Vettel, with the ‘Iceman’ claiming his final win at the 2018 United States GP.
Since 2019, Raikkonen has been back where his career began at what is now the Alfa Romeo team, but has had a frustrating time only scoring very occasional points finishes.
Speculation over his future has been growing, and on Wednesday, the 42-year-old confirmed via Instagram this would indeed be his final season on the grid.
“This is it. This will be my last season in Formula 1,” he wrote.
“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.”
His departure paves the way for Valtteri Bottas to be confirmed as his replacement for 2022, which in turn frees up a seat for George Russell at Mercedes.
But for now, let’s pay tribute to a driver who has become an enigma during his time in F1 and, though this is the second time Raikkonen will leave, the grid will feel very different without his presence next season.
Thank You, Kimi.
