Kimi Raikkonen has announced that with his retirement at the end of the current season, he will end more than two decades of racing at the highest level.
The Finn made his debut at the 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix and has since driven more than 300 Formula 1 races.
He won 21 races, was on the podium 103 times and, as the culmination of his career, won the drivers’ world championship with Ferrari in 2007.
“That’s it,” wrote Raikkonen, typically a man of few words, on Instagram. “It will be my last season in Formula 1.
“That is a decision I made last winter. It wasn’t an easy decision, but after this season it’s time for something new.
“Even if the season is still running, I would like to thank my family, all my teams, everyone who was involved in my racing career, and above all all the great fans who have supported me all along.
“Formula 1 may be over for me, but there is a lot more in life that I want to experience and enjoy. See you after all that! “
During his career, Raikkonen drove for five different teams, first at Sauber, before moving to McLaren and replacing his compatriot Mika Häkkinen.
He moved to Ferrari for the 2007 season and immediately won the world title, but was off the field two years later and when no racing car was available to him, he decided to try his hand at rallying instead.
During his two-year absence from Formula 1, he also appeared at several NASCAR events before finally returning with Lotus and returning to Ferrari in 2014.
In his second term, however, he only won one race and then moved to Alfa Romeo, the team with which he will now end his F1 career.
“Truly the end of an era for our sport,” wrote his current team on Twitter.
“Thanks for everything, F1 won’t be the same without you. Kiitos, Kimi. “
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The post Kimi Räikkönen retires from Formula 1 as the most experienced driver of all time at the age of 41 first appeared on monter-une-startup.
