The Finn will break Rubens Barrichello’s record of 322 race starts at the Eifel Grand Prix this weekend. According to sources, he has taken an option to stay with his current team in 2021.
It’s unclear when Raikkonen’s plans will be officially announced, but the team can wait to decide on their second driver.
It goes without saying that Alfa Romeo has not yet made a final decision on who will be Raikkonen’s teammate, with both Antonio Giovinazzi and Mick Schumacher in the running.
As part of its partnership with Ferrari, the Maranello-based team has the right to decide who will take one of the Alfa Romeo cockpits, and will consider whether to stay with Giovinazzi or promote Schumacher from F2.
Schumacher has his first run in an F1 practice session with Alfa Romeo in Germany.
While Raikkonen will break the F1 record as the driver who has started most of the races, he admitted before the weekend that the performance means little to him.
Speaking exclusively to Motorsport.com about whether he cared about being the most experienced driver in F1, he said, “No, not really. If someone asked me the number, I would have no idea. I never really did looked up how many races i have done or how many others have done.
“Of course people talk about it, but it doesn’t make a difference to me. I think most of the records in the future will always be broken. I’m not here because I want to do so many races. As long as I enjoy it, I’m happy to do. “
Raikkonen had a fairly successful career and remained Ferrari’s youngest world champion after his success in 2007. He has taken 21 victories in his career, most recently at the 2018 United States Grand Prix.
When Raikkonen thought about how he perceives his time in the sport, he said that the most important thing for him was that he achieved his dream of winning the title.
“If I feel like I did it the way I wanted, then I can live with it for good or bad,” he explained. “I’ve always wanted to win championships [and] Of course you want to win more, but we got closer a couple of times but for a lot of different reasons it didn’t happen. But that’s how it works in racing.
“So I have no bad feelings, no bad memories or anything like that. I am happy that I won the championship with Ferrari and that I have been able to do something that I enjoy for many years, and I still enjoy it.”
* For more information on how Raikkonen became – in his own words – the most experienced driver in F1, see the October 22nd issue of Autosport magazine, which will be available in stores and online.
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