At the age of 35, Kimi Raikkonen is the oldest driver in the current F1 grid. Usually F1 drivers will hang up their racing gloves by the time they reach the mid thirties. It looks like the invertible has happened as the 2007 World Champion revealed he will not be in F1 beyond 2015.
Speaking with the media during the British Grand Prix, when asked how long he plans to stay in F1, the straightforward and blunt Finn responded: “Until my contract is finished, and then I will probably stop. That is what I think is going to happen.”
The Iceman began his F1 journey as an unknown for the Sauber team in 2001, where he finished his first race in the points. A year later, McLaren signed him for five years before moving to Ferrari in 2007; where he narrowly became the World Champion. After two unimpressive years with the Prancing Horse, he went on sabbatical in 2010 to compete in every form of motorsports including NASCAR and his personal favourite, rallying.
In 2012, the Iceman returned to F1 by signing with the Lotus team, before he rejoined Ferrari last year. Over twelve years in F1, he has won 20 races, making him one of the most respected drivers on the F1 grid. However, 2014 has proven to be a difficult year for the Finn; driving an uncompetitive Ferrari and was frequently outpaced by teammate, Fernando Alonso. He is now 12th at the driver’s standing after a massive crash in last week’s British Grand Prix.
We would think this will not be the last time Raikkonen to be in the world of motorsports the moment he leaves F1. Meanwhile, it will be best to “leave him alone” as we all know it, “he knows what his doing.”
[Source: Autoblog]
