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When one searches Kimi Raikkonen, the F1 driver on social media channels, the most viewed video will be on his radio communication. Raikkonen is seen shouting at his mechanics for his gloves, steering wheel as well as admonishing the team engineer over what he needs to do. His reluctance to participate in many media and PR events has made Raikkonen an enigma in the dynamic sport of F1. But, when one communicates with Raikkonen, his quirky one-liners make him a sensation.
When one looks at the racing credentials of Kimi Raikkonen, there can be no denying the fact that he is one of the best in the business. In the 18th year of his F1 racing, Raikkonen has announced that he is going to retire from the sport. There are many accolades that Raikkonen can be proud of. Having raced with the brilliance of Mika Hakkinen, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso to having given Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton a run for their money, Raikkonen has transcended generations and given the sport a different edge.
Raikkonen’s first major reputation as a great driver came when he was 15 years of age. In his karting season in Monaco, he suffered a broken steering wheel. But, working around that, he still continued to race. The very next year, Raikkonen suffered a bad moment. He ended up on the wrong side of the safety fence. But, he continued driving till the end of the road. He lifted his kart back and entered the race. After people thought he had retired, he joined back and finished third.
His F1 debut was spectacular. Before the start of the 2001 season, he was selected for the Sauber team. The race would have meant a lot of tension for many rookies. But, Raikkonen was reportedly asleep 30 minutes before the start. The calmness was such that many people were confounded. Raikkonen ended up winning a point for Sauber. The 2001 season demonstrated the brilliance of Raikkonen as he helped Sauber finish fourth in the Constructors Championship as he finished in the points four times. In 2002, Kimi Raikkonen was snapped up by McLaren and armed with a better car, he showed his brilliance.
Kimi Raikkonen secured four podium finishes in a season dominated by Michael Schumacher. But, it would be in 2003 that Raikkonen would finally secure glory.
Raikkonen had put in one of his greatest performances as he finished second, holding off a charging Schumacher. Despite safety car incidents, Raikkonen gave the first demonstration of his ice-cool mindset. But, in the Malaysian Grand Prix, Raikkonen finally achieved his goal. Starting seventh on the grid, Raikkonen put in a masterclass of driving and won his first F1 race. It would be a season of missed opportunities for Raikkonen as he ended up two points behind eventual champion Michael Schumacher.
After the high of 2003, 2004 proved to be a disappointing year for Raikkonen as he was plagued by technical issues. But, his most memorable moment came in the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa. He showed his brilliance and overtook Schumacher and David Coulthard in grand style on the Kemmel straight to secure McLaren’s only win that year.
In 2005, it was yet again a case of so near yet so far. While leading the European Grand Prix and with just a couple of laps remaining, he suffered a catastrophic tyre failure that saw him go out of the race. The entire season was plagued by difficulty and Raikkonen said he would leave McLaren if reliability issues were not sorted. The Finn won the Hungarian Grand Prix but it was his drive in the Japanese Grand Prix that stunned everybody.
Having started the race 17th on the grid, Raikkonen put in brilliant laps to reach second. On the final lap, he passed Giancarlo Fisichella on the straight and moved into the lead. That move was hailed as one of the best in F1 history and he won the race. The see-saw year continued in 2006 with Raikkonen not winning any race and finishing fifth. This saw him exit McLaren and moving to Ferrari. In that same year, Raikkonen had won the Brazilian Grand Prix after some big crashes forced the race to be stopped. But, the FIA changed the decision. Raikkonen, being a true gentleman, gave the trophy to Fisichella smiling. It was a tribute to his grace.
With his debut for Ferrari, Raikkonen won the 2007 Australian Grand Prix. The Finn built upon the good start and won in France and Belgium. It was his third consecutive win in Spa and it put him in an elite list. When he won in China, Raikkonen just needed to ensure that nothing went wrong for him in Brazil. The Finn won the race and Lewis Hamilton ended in the seventh position. Raikkonen won his first F1 championship by one point. At one point, there was a possibility that Hamilton would be pushed to fourth as some drivers had fuel irregularities.
The crowning moment of his coolness came in the Monaco Grand Prix. He retired from the race but a few minutes later, Raikkonen undressed, put on his normal clothes, went to his yacht and guzzled down a few beers. He was watching the race calmly as well. That was the definition of coolness.
But, the race stewards decided to not impose sanctions. McLaren went to the FIA Court of Appeal to reverse the decision but they failed. Raikkonen kept the title. However, from 2008 to 2009, Raikkonen tried to replicate his success but he could not achieve it. Following the end of the 2009 season, Raikkonen left the sport to pursue his other interest in Rally Car racing and NASCAR for two years.
Raikkonen made a stirring comeback in 2012 when he won the Australian Grand Prix with the Lotus team. But, that was the only amount of success that he got in two years with the team. In the 2014 F1 season, he came back to Ferrari, the team that had given him their first F1 championship. Raikkonen played the perfect foil for Sebastian Vettel as the German conquered the sport for a four-year period.
But, his stint for Ferrari was marred by reliability issues for most of 2015, 2016 and 2017. Finally, his jinx ended when at the age of 39, he won the US Grand Prix. Raikkonen had become the oldest driver to win an F1 Grand Prix. He finished third in the F1 championship despite four retirements, which showed in the other races that he was simply sensational.
After Ferrari, Raikkonen signed with the Alfa Romeo team and recently, he broke the record for the most starts in F1. Rubens Barrichello had held the record for 322 race starts and during the Eifel Grand Prix, Raikkonen started for the 323rd time. When he retires, it will be a sad day for F1. Raikkonen may have been ‘boring’ on the surface, but deep within, he is s driver full of passion, aggression, humour and wit.
