Kimi retires, Valentino retires, at the same time, at the same age, 42 years old. And, although far away in everything, they have some similarities.
Valentino Rossi with all the bikes of his career.
For both of them it will be a long goodbye. In a dizzyingly changing Formula 1, Raikkonen was perhaps the last certainty, the last point of reference, the last safe haven for romantic fans.
A pure champion Kimi, who of F1 only loved driving, intolerant of everything else. He hated simulators, a driver from another era. And he was the last Ferrari world champion, in short, we will miss you Kimi.
"This will be my last season in Formula 1. It's a decision I made last winter. It wasn't an easy choice but, after this championship, it's time to start new experiences." Thus Kimi Raikkonen announces his imminent retirement on social media.
Raikkonen fans cheer up for their idol at Spa Francorchamps in 2008. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
"Even though the season is still in progress, I want to thank my family, all my teams, the people who have been involved in my career and, most of all, all of you big fans who have been cheering for me all this time, the Finn continues. There is much more in life that I want to live and enjoy. We'll see you around again!”
Kimi Raikkonen at Spa in 2008. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
Kimi Raikkonen at Spa in 2008. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
Kimi Raikkonen at Spa in 2008. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
“In the end it wasn't a difficult decision to make, I've been around for a long time, it was just the right time. I've been thinking about it for a while now and, around last Christmas, I made this choice, it was my decision.
Kimi Raikkonen's farewell to Ferrari in 2009.
I have no regrets, I had a good career, I am happy with what I have achieved, with what I have won, with the World Championship, with my time in Ferrari. But even of the times when I've only come close to the title, I wouldn't really change a thing. I did what I wanted and I did it all my way. I don't know what I will miss most about racing, I think the fans, people in general, the ones I met in this context and who then became friends. I have great memories, starting with the 21 wins. All different, all beautiful. Some more important than others, of course, I am thinking of those for the World Championship or at Spa or in Japan, but choosing one of them is impossible". And to the classic question that arises in these cases, namely whether he will continue to race, perhaps elsewhere, Raikkonen replies: "if I knew I would tell you, I didn't make plans, who knows, maybe yes, maybe no, we'll see". In true Kimi style.
Kimi and Hanna Raivisto, a beautiful girl from Helsinki, on August 3rd 2001 in Talma Golf Center. Kimi and Hanna didn’t want to pose for a pic together, even though they got interviewed together. They avoided getting in front of the camera together as Kimi always walked meters in front of Hanna. Hanna and Kimi have been going out for a couple of years.
The debut in Formula One took place with Sauber in 2001 in Australia, then the five seasons with McLaren, before moving to Ferrari after Schumacher with the World Championship won on his first attempt.
Kimi’s fans at Silverstone on 12 July 2019.
The Finnish champion says no more F1. By Autosprint. And he leaves a void that is difficult to fill. The Circus loses not only a great driver but, above all, a symbol of freedom. Kimi Raikkonen quits in Valentino Rossi style even if, in his case, the vehicle is slower than him and it is no small thing. Before saying goodbye for good to the Circus, he will achieve 350 world championship races. To close a wonderful, particular, oblique career.
Kimi Raikkonen is greeted by Minttu.
Made of a world championship won, it was 2007, the first and only one for him and the last for Ferrari to date. Iceman is perhaps the first driver in the history of modern F1 that everyone has been fond of for exactly twenty years now, from the day of his F1 debut with Sauber.
Kimi Raikkonen and Arrivebene’s wife have a brilliant exchange on 24 November 2018.
It is not known if this F1 is still worthy of him. After all, he is one of the few, if not the only one of the modern era, who has always said and done everything that went through his head.
Kimi Räikkönen, F1’s Ice Man, tackles his next frontier: lawn mower racing.
He is not just a driver, no, he is the symbol of the last cry for freedom, the anarchist bark of the talent that still survives in sport avoiding being regimented by the system.
Kimi Raikkonen poses with an 'official' fan ☺ at Hockenheim in July 2008. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
Raikkonen and Vettel enter the sunglasses contest at Budapest in August 2008. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
Winner Kovalainen and third placed Raikkonen spray champagne at Budapest in August 2008. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
A frustrated Raikkonen walks away from a retired Ferrari car at Valencia in August 2008. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
Kimi Raikkonen at Shanghai in October 2008. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
Kimi Raikkonen at Shanghai in October 2008. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
Chinese fans run after reigning World Champion Kimi Raikkonen at Shanghai in October 2008. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari, at the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix. Crédit: Getty Image.
The key to Kimi Raikkonen's infinite preciousness is all here, not in the world championship won or in the 21 GP wins he took home. The laconic jokes, the intolerance for stupid questions and stupid journalists, the wonderful talent to keep it short on any subject, the sense of the catchphrase, the dry and icastic, if not sarcastic way, the desire to never fake anything, hating the smartasses, the do-gooders, the greasy well-being that now exudes from today's champions and even the ability to abandon Formula 1 to go for rallies only to return when no one expected it, coming back to win and becoming the best driver of all at respecting and managing the high degradation tires. Here, this is Kimi Raikkonen. He, who has never been a champion in managing liver degradation from fluid intake. Because there is no Iceman without vodka, eh. Come on Kimi, we have a few months to get used to doing without you, on the track and in the paddock, to get out of the addiction of your bwoahhh with which you started every answer to say a little more than nothing but a lot. And now, here, we have only a few lines to remember you by resorting to a single episode capable of containing everything. Canada 2008, in full race, pit lane. Hamilton hits Raikkonen in line at the traffic lights in the lane, immediately after the restart from the pits. Stupid and sensational accident, debris, mess and drivers out of race. Kimi gets out of the car with slow movements, almost hieratic, very calm. He approaches Hamilton, looks at him calmly, then points to the traffic light, making the Brit make one of the worst figures that a super champion has ever made. With you the best part of this F.1 goes away.
Alfa Romeo put a sympathetic message on Kimi Raikkonen's car for the Finn's final weekend in Formula 1.
We will leave you alone, of course. Have fun without F1 Kimi. We’ll try to have fun with F1 without you, but it will be tough.
Kimi Raikkonen waves goodbye to fans after his last race in F1 in Abu Dhabi. Image by Pool via Reuters.
Kimi Raikkonen at the last race in Abu Dhabi: from the Montecarlo escape to the 16-day drunk, to the Ferrari title. By Daniele Sparisci. Kimi Raikkonen way of life. Behind the armor, those who really know him say it is a recitation. The Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday 12 December will be the last race in his career for Kimi Raikkonen. Twenty years have passed since his debut with Sauber, the same team with which he chose to end his career after the end of his second adventure in Maranello. He retires at 42, perhaps he should have done so before, but he remains a unique and inimitable character. That will be missed by all of Formula 1. "My wife is more excited than me”, he said on the eve of his 350th GP (an absolute record). “How do I feel? Good". The usual repertoire that sends millions of fans into a frenzy: "I can't wait for it to be over, not to worry anymore about meeting times, technical meetings, travels and calendar. It's nice to have made it this far, to have won the World Cup, but I can't wait to have a normal life."
Kimi Raikkonen. Lapresse.
He doesn't say anything, but they love him for it. Kimi Raikkonen is one of the most enigmatic and fascinating drivers ever. It would take him a novel to tell his life, above all beyond the track, to enter his dimension. Kimi joined Ferrari in 2007 to replace Michael Schumacher, the greatest of all. Others would have melted under the pressure, not him. Used to dismiss reporters' questions with five-word sentences. Answers that leave no way out. Like: «when the trafic light turns green you have to go». Or:
interviewer: “is it true that sometimes you are bored in the car?” Kimi: “only when I am in front by a country mile, like in Melbourne last year. Then you are thinking about other things or you’re playing with the buttons on the steering wheel.”
Interviewer: “how does it feel to drive at 300 km/h? Kimi: ”it feels normal”.
Interviewer: “the most exciting moment during the race weekend? Kimi: “I think it’s the race start, always”. Interviewer: “the most boring?” Kimi: “now”.
When he won his first race with Ferrari, to Jean Todt, who handed him the mobile phone and asked him to say hello to President Montezemolo, he replied: “no, I don't care, thank you”. "He was the only one in the world who could have done such a thing", concludes the journalist Pino Allievi.
Last world champion of Maranello, victory in the year of his debut. For one point, at the last GP at Interlagos. After, much more of course, but he had already given the best. F1 will miss the character more than the driver: allergic to ceremonials, to paddock rituals, spontaneous beyond all limits. Reserved but very nice with his caustic and cutting humor.
“Driving is the only thing I love about Formula 1”.
“My life would be much more easier had I been a F1 driver in the 70s with the guys. I was definitely born in the wrong era”.
“There’s always a lot of talk about motivation to race, but nobody really knows what I do or what I think apart from myself, so I don’t really care what people think”.
"Am I surprised that I am still the last Ferrari champion? Yes, but that's exactly how it went. They've come close to it at times. But, when I left in 2018, I wished them all the best and hope that things will change soon, but it hasn't happened yet. But, who knows, maybe next year or in the near future the situation will change".
“I don’t care, really,” Raikkonen responded after being quizzed on whether his talent deserved more titles. “I mean, I said it always that I wouldn’t change [anything], even if I [could]. It wouldn’t mean that I win more races or championships, because change one thing and I don’t think we would be here today. So my life would probably be different. I tried and failed a few times, but that’s a part of racing”.
Why they call him Iceman
Known as the "Ice Man" in the Circus, his friends actually say he's very outgoing, funny and generous. To give him this nickname was Ron Dennis, the owner of McLaren, who hired him after a year in Formula 1. Kimi's first nickname was "Eskimo": this is how Peter Sauber, the owner of the Swiss team who made him debut in Formula 1 in 2001, called him.
At Sauber in 2001.
That retirement in Monte Carlo and the direct boarding on the yacht
It is one of the most incredible episodes of Kimi's career. 2006 Monte Carlo Grand Prix: McLaren's engine goes up in smoke. Kimi, instead of returning to the paddock, giving the usual interviews and taking stock with the team, heads for his yacht moored near the Swimming pools. He climbs the ladder with his overall and helmet still on. Then he changes his clothes, sips a beer and watches the end of the Grand Prix. "The boat was a stone's throw away and then my race was over, what's strange?" he will comment.
His passion for hockey and when he was drunk for 16 straight days
It is 2012, Kimi is back to driving at the highest levels in the Lotus Renault designed by James Allison. He is second in Bahrain and, together with his friend Kimmo Pikkarainen, hockey player, - Kimi started with hockey like many Finns but then gave up "because he had to wake up too early in the morning to train" - he participates in a party organized by Bahraini prince. The celebrations last a week or more, Kimi then flies to Helsinki where the revelry continues. He arrives in Barcelona, he will say he remembers very little of those wild days, races at Montmelò and finishes third. Another podium, let alone if he had been sober. "Alcohol sometimes relieves stress", he will later comment in his biography. Also that of military service, compulsory in Finland. Kimi, with some companions, was climbing over the barracks fences to go party out. When they found him out, while he was trying to come home drunk, they decided to punish him with twenty days of solitary confinement.
He loves the "do it yourself" (and he repaired the bathroom of the Ferrari motorhome)
He loves manual work, lives in Switzerland but has a splendid estate in Finland with private forest, lakes and a motocross circuit (this is another of his great passions, he also owns a team that races in the World Championship). Even his wife Minttu revealed his skill in "do it yourself": he assembles furnitures, tables, does gardening. Ferrari still laugh when they remember when he repaired the motorhome bathroom: Kimi borrowed a toolbox from the mechanics in the garage, fumbled for a while until he fixed it. "The bathroom was the same as my yacht's, it wasn't difficult," he later explained.
When he stuck himself into the airport baggage belt
Another unmissable anecdote, always revealed by his biography. At the airport, the usual routine. At departures, Kimi stuck himself into the X-ray belt that checks the luggages. The emergency procedures are activated, the policemen stop him and interrogate him for a long time. He tries to explain: "I wanted to have an image of what my body is like".
Kimi Raikkonen at the airport. Twitter.
That cell phone thrown into the sea
"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's those who call to tell you "oh, it's nothing, I just wanted ..."". Recently, thanks to his wife Minttu and his friends, Kimi opened up to social media: dry, ironic, funny posts, in his style. Few but good. However, the allergy to superfluous communications remains. In 2013, when he reached an agreement to return to Ferrari the following year alongside Fernando Alonso, he threw the phone overboard. He didn’t like to reply to all the messages of compliments that he would receive after the news was made official.
Twitter.
The show (always drunk) at the FIA Gran Gala in 2018
End of the adventure with Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen concludes with the victory of Austin (the only one since the return in red) in 2018, when it was already known that he would be replaced by Charles Leclerc. Perhaps he should have won more: in Monaco, in 2017, he was sacrificed with the game of pit stops to favor Sebastian Vettel; and in Hungary Kimi had protected his teammate, struggling with a problem at the wheel, allowing him to win. At the end of the season in Saint Petersburg there is the FIA Gala, a formal ceremony. Kimi takes care of animating it: invited to receive an award, he arrives on stage completely drunk. He staggers, grimaces, jokes with Mick Schumacher. A show. Yes, it's the usual Kimi.
At the Fia Gala in Saint Petersburg with Sebastian Vettel.
"I think he is the only driver who has always remained consistent and identical in the behavior I know in F1. When I made my F1 debut he was the point of reference and welcomed me in a splendid way. We already had a good relationship prior to our four years together in Ferrari from 2015 to 2018. I don't think you can have a problem or a dispute with Kimi. If you argue with him, the problem is you.” Sebastian Vettel
The family and the two wives
Wedding day of Kimi Raikkonen and Jenni Dahlman in Finland on 31 July 2004.
Kimi Räikkönen’s and his model-wife Jenni Dahlman-Räikkönen’s (25) on June 28, 2006.
Jenni Dahlman-Räikkönen arrives at the Castle party in 2007. The next day, Kimi Räikkönen will have a party in Monaco. EPA.
The first marriage lasted until 2013, Kimi was married to Jenny Dahlman (formerly Miss Scandinavia). After the divorce, he meets Minttu Virtanen, a former airline hostess.
Kimi and Minttu on the cover of Elle Magazine.
Kimi and Minttu in presidential palace.
Kimi and Minttu Räikkönen launching event at the Clarion Hotel in Helsinki in 2018.
Kimi Räikkönen and his wife Minttu Räikkönen attend the "No time to die" premiere during the 17th Zurich Film Festival at Kino Corso on September 28, 2021 in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for ZFF.
Together they have two children, Robin and Rianna, they play in the Alfa Romeo commercials and have fun, celebrate their wedding in the abbey of San Galgano near Siena, go on vacation in Montalcino on the estate of the former CEO of Ferrari Louis Camilleri of whom Kimi is a great friend.
Kimi vacationing on his yacht off the Mediterranean island of Corsica in August 2014.
Kimi vacationing on his yacht off the Mediterranean island of Corsica in August 2014.
In the picture, Minttu and Kimi are posing happily in a joint picture. Even the Iceman, known for his harsh comments, has melted into a faint smile.
Minttu in August 2014.
The family at the center, Kimi continues to have a great time.
Kimi Raikkonen and family at the F1 farewell party.
He doesn’t party until dawn anymore, he doesn’t wake up in unknown hotel rooms (once he got the wrong room, no one knows how he got in and the owner of the room found him asleep in his bed), he no longer fights for the top positions, but basically he hasn't changed.
Kimi Raikkonen is truly missed by his Chinese fans. Shanghai 2010. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.
Formula 1 will miss him.
With the press conference on Thursday, the last weekend as an F1 driver began for Kimi Raikkonen, who appeared very calm and relaxed, emphasizing the importance of the human side in these 20 years in the Circus. By Matteo Novembrini.
Raikkonen will bow out of F1 after Abu Dhabi… again.
He arrived 20 years ago as a pimply boy with high hopes. He leaves two decades later, with the same attitude and with the same, scarce, desire to talk. Even if from the outside he looks the same, inside everything has changed: by now Kimi Raikkonen is an adult man, a husband and a family man who is preparing to live his last weekend as a Formula 1 driver.
A world in which he distinguished himself, in his own way; both for his unique personality and for his palmarès: 350 GPs, 21 victories, 18 pole positions, 103 podiums, 46 fastest laps, 1873 points and, of course, a world title.
Kimi Raikkonen ended his career with a crash at the Abu Dhabi GP in 2021.
The career ending is serene, with no regrets. "I feel good, Kimi said at the press conference, I can't wait for the race to arrive, we hope to have a good speed. I don't think I will get excited on Sunday. What will I miss? I have met many good people in this sport, some of whom have become friends for life. Unfortunately, the race weekend is not the ideal time to spend a lot of time together. I will miss things closely related to sport, to competition. I have spent half my life in Formula 1 and I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or not. I have absolutely nothing planned for later. If I'm going to drive, it must be for something meaningful and fun."
On which it was the hardest race, the Alfa Romeo-Sauber driver said he didn't have one in particular in his mind: "the most difficult races are usually those where the weather is humid and hot, such as Malaysia or Singapore. But many GPs have been tough, for different reasons".
When asked who will win the world championship, Raikkonen replied in full Raikkonian style: "whoever has the most points after the race will win". With a preference: "if I had to choose, I would like Red Bull to win, for the simple reason that it would be something different".
In conclusion, he was asked if his children are aware of the importance of this Sunday in their father's life. Who, however, specified: "no, they are not. They are simply happy to be able to play on the beach this weekend".
After the race Kimi was asked about the circuit: Kimi, now that you've raced in Jeddah, what do you think about this track, is it fun? "It makes no difference to me, I won't be back here next year".
Kimi Raikkonen at the Italian GP in 2018.
"Raikkonen? Had he been born twenty-five years ago he would have won eight world titles. Kimi needed very few instruments and information to be fast. He didn't even know there were technical issues related to the car, because he never asked for anything. At the first race in Australia he did not even know how the steering wheel worked! I was indignant. Once the qualifications were over, he went peacefully to our work area. Then one of our men began to explain to him how to use it to the fullest. It’s not that he wasn't working or paying attention, he just expected others to come and talk to him. The next day he had an incredible race, demonstrating what he was capable of doing. An extraordinary driver. He started eighteenth, reached the finish line seventh! And it took him ten races to figure out that my name was Rico, short for Ricardo. Previously he called me simply “engine“. Unforgettable.” Ricardo Penteado, head of track operations for the Renault Sport F1 Team and former Lotus engine engineer.
“Quite frankly, Kimi Raikkonen is the fastest driver in the world”. Stirling Moss
“I saw that the same quality that attracted me to Kimi, his steely determination, was also the reason why I lost him”. Peter Sauber
“Kimi is so incredibly cool that I think that aspect of his personality surpasses even Mika (Hakkinen). He is not fazed by anything”. Ron Dennis
“I saw him drive at Mugello. I observed him and evaluated his lap times and I could see that he can be a champion. He’ll make mistakes, but then again all of us do.” Michael Schumacher
“He is a genuine and sincere lad. I have always liked him both as a driver and in terms of the way he is out of the cockpit; always remaining the same in what is the difficult world of Formula 1”. Jean Todt
"We'll miss him. He has had a fantastic career, I don't know him that well as a person, you know how he is, he's a bit shy, he doesn't care much about relationships. We have also been team mates but I don't know him that well to express an opinion on his person. As a driver, however, he has always been respectful, fast, competitive and determined. You could always trust him, you knew that he would never do anything crazy, we will miss him for that.“ Fernando Alonso
“Kimi has had a great career, I think he wants to enjoy his family but he will always have racing in his blood. I lost a World Cup against him and we lived through great battles together. I think he is one of the best drivers of the modern era, very tough but at the same time very correct". Lewis Hamilton
“I looked in his eyes and I thought I’ve seen that look before. And I know where I saw that look before. And it gave me goosebumps when I remembered that look. It was Senna.” Sergio Rinland, an Argentine engineer best known for his work in Formula One
Today he finished his career with a retirement. He got out of the car, reunited the family and, while the circus exploded in jubilation for Verstappen, while the Mercedes prepared the papers, the lawyers and a thousand antics, Kimi walked away from the back door, in his own way. Without fanfare or shows. Kimi turns his back and walks away. He won’t miss that world, but that world will miss Iceman.
He said he left Formula 1 to avoid planning his future and finally enjoy his family. He kept his promise. Happy holidays from Kimi Raikkonen.
Photo by Kimi Raikkonen.
And yes, Formula 1 is changing and it will do it without Kimi, but are we sure it's necessary? And are we sure that the direction of change is what the media want us to believe? Finally, in fact, the results of the global survey commissioned by Liberty Media, the entity that controls and manages F1, emerge, carried out on fans of the discipline, in collaboration with Nielsen, to intercept the opinions, orientations and tastes of Formula One fans in the whole world. The survey itself ranks as the largest ever, operating through the Motorsport.com website in 15 languages and receiving feedback from 167.000 fans in 187 countries. The funny thing is that, from the official point of view, the evaluation is done emphasizing absolutely irrelevant data and assumptions and instead trying to hide those that are important, dry, unappealable and such as to provide absolutely unavoidable indications and, moreover, very negative compared to the guidelines recently introduced. As for the favorite races among the fans, the cult races of the fans, Monza is first of all, well ahead of Spa, Silverstone and Monaco. And, already here, Liberty Media would do well to tremble, given that, for 2023, the idea of who is in charge is precisely that of giving a rest shift to Spa-Francorchamps, which is the most beautiful and convincing track in the world championship. But this is nothing, because the real first fruit, definitely embarrassing for Liberty Media, is that only 7 per cent of respondents think that the sprint race, the infamous Saturday Grand Prix, scheduled this year in Great Britain, Italy and Brazil, has improved the level of the show offered over the weekend. And really 67 % of the survey participants declare in no uncertain terms that they clearly reject the introduction of the sprint race in most of the 2022 world championship. Clear, right? In other words, the most liquid, electronic, evolved and multitasking part of the fans has already disliked the horrendous, useless, pompous and boring small Gran Prix, so imagine all those with gray hair who have not voted - and they are billions of billions - because, even if they are 24-karat passionate about F1, they don't think it's appropriate to take part in a survey. Another clear, almost plebiscitary, rejection concerns the hypothesis of inverted starting grid races to facilitate overtaking and increase the show, kicking the fastest ones out to the bottom of the grid and let the slowest of the qualifiers start in front. So, in conclusion, the considerations to be made are few, quick and obvious to all. All the lines of stimulus, renewal and change, in progress or soon to be implemented by Liberty Media, - namely qualifying race, inverted grid, rotation and possible rest time for certain historic GPs to make more room for profitable races in countries without a Motorsport tradition but who pay well - are clearly rejected. Do you know then what Liberty Media has to do to save and improve F1? Anything. Just nothing. And, possibly, even stopping commissioning surveys.
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