Kimi

Picture Credit: Twitter

The 2007 Formula 1 World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen has been one of the most celebrated drivers to have ever stepped into the racing circuit. After a career that was spread across 20 years in the Formula 1 circuit, the most experienced race driver is about to draw curtains onto his illustrious career after the end of the 2021 season. The 41-years-old Alfa Romeo driver made this announcement officially today.

Knowing that age catches up with the rigorous pace of the competition, Raikkonen has been struggling majorly in the 2021 season and has only been able to register 2 points after 12 races. It is being reported that Mercedes Finn driver, Valtteri Bottas is all to set replace Raikkonen’s seat in the next season at Alfa Romeo. Looking back at his career of 19 years, Raikkonen started in more races than any other driver to have ever participated in the history of Formula 1.

Kimi Raikkonen set to retire from Formula 1

The 41-year-old, Kimi Raikkonen announced the news via his official Instagram handle, stating, "This is it. This will be my last season in Formula 1. This is a decision [sic] 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.”

He added, “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."

Check out his post here:

To those who are not aware after couple of difficult seasons in Formula 1, Raikkonen stepped away from the sport in order to try his luck in rally and NASCAR. After which he eventually returned in 2012 for Lotus and moved to Ferrari in 2019. Having said that, he registered 21 wins to his name. Kimi Raikkonen’s last victory came in 2018, which was the U.S Grand Prix.