Kimi Räikkönen, nicknamed “The Iceman” due to his ice-cool attitude both on and off track, had a long and successful career in Formula 1 that peaked when he won the 2007 Drivers’ Championship with Ferrari.
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Born | Kimi-Matias Räikkönen 17 October 1979 Espoo, Finland |
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Born on 17 October 1979 in Finland, Räikkönen began his F1 career with the Sauber-Petronas team in 2001, after just 23 car races in other series. His talent caught the eye of Ron Dennis in that first season, and for the following 2002 season, he joined the historic McLaren-Mercedes team, replacing fellow Finn Mika Häkkinen. He emerged as a strong title contender for the team, finishing second in the 2003 and 2005 championships behind legends Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, respectively. However, Räikkönen’s time at McLaren was plagued by issues of car reliability, which ultimately led to his move to Ferrari in 2007.
Joining Ferrari marked a turning point in Räikkönen’s career. In his debut season with the team, he won the 2007 Formula One World Championship. The race to the title had been close that year, with Kimi coming out on top ahead of McLaren teammates—Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso—by a single point. The following year, while Räikkönen didn’t win the title, that went to Hamilton, he did equal the record for the most number of fastest laps (at the time) in a season, a record he also held from earlier in his career.
Despite winning the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, Räikkönen faced challenges with the less competitive Ferrari F60, leading him to take a break from Formula One at the end of the 2009 season. However, his passion for F1 was reignited when he returned to the sport in 2012 with Lotus F1. During his time with Lotus, Räikkönen gave the team their only victories, establishing himself, once again, as one of the most sought-after drivers.
In a remarkable turn of events, Ferrari re-signed Räikkönen in 2013 on a two-year contract, which was later extended to 2018. His second stint with Ferrari saw a run of consistent performances, with 26 podium finishes, two pole positions, and a memorable win at the 2018 United States Grand Prix—his first win after a 113 Grand Prix gap. During his eight-year association with Ferrari, Räikkönen remained a consistent top-four finisher, ending his time with the team with a third-place finish in the 2018 drivers’ championship.
For the 2019 season, Räikkönen joined Alfa Romeo Racing. His contract with Alfa Romeo, initially for two years, was extended until his retirement from Formula One at the end of the 2021 season.
Beyond Formula 1, Räikkönen explored other racing series. He competed in the World Rally Championship, driving for Citroën’s Junior Team in 2010 and ICE 1 Racing in 2011. Despite being relatively new to rallying, he managed impressive results, including a stage win and a tenth-place finish in the championship for two consecutive seasons.
Räikkönen has also entered NASCAR, making one-off appearances in the Camping World Truck Series and the Nationwide Series in 2011 and later in the Cup Series in 2022 and 2023.
Kimi Räikkönen Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 2001–2009, 2012–2021 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, Alfa Romeo |
| Entries | 353 (349 starts) |
| Championships | 1 (2007) |
| Wins | 21 |
| Podiums | 103 |
| Career points | 1873 |
| Pole positions | 18 |
| Fastest laps | 46 |
| First entry | 2001 Australian Grand Prix |
| First win | 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2018 United States Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
