09-01-2021 – HINWIL, SWITZERLAND – After 20 years on the Formula 1 tracks, the Alfa Romeo’s driver Kimi Räikkönen has decided to retire at the end of this season. He made the decision last winter to spend more time with his family.
The Finn started his career in 2001 with the Sauber F1 Team. He is currently the most experienced drive on the grid with his 344 Grand Prix and 19 seasons. The 2007 F1 world champion replaced Mika Hakkinen at McLaren during the 2002 season and finished second in the championship the following year. He moved to Ferrari in 2007 to win his first ever world title, beating Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by a single point during the Brazil final.
In 2010 and 2011, Räikkönen took a break from Formula 1 to do rallying and even NASCAR. He finally returned to the Formula 1’s grid in 2012 with Lotus and scored two wins for the team before returning to Ferrari.
After Ferrari decided to sign the young Charles Leclerc for the 2019 season, Kimi had to return to Sauber, the team that gave him his start. The team is now called Alfa Romeo.
The driver said on his Instagram: “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.”
“There isn’t any driver out there like Kimi Räikkönen. His presence, his charisma and his unique attitude, (…) have made him a legend of our sport in a way which numbers and statistics struggle to convey. It was a pleasure to work with him in these years and I believe I speak on behalf of everyone at Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN, (…) when I say a driver like Kimi has written some indelible pages of our team’s, and our sport’s, history.” Said the Team Principal of Alfa Romeo Racing, Frédéric Vasseur.
Alfa Romeo Racing has been an automobile constructor since 1910 and on the Formula 1’s grid since 1950. The team represented the first Formula 1 world champion, Giuseppe Farina.
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