Watch: Alfa Romeo post heartwarming video from Kimi Raikkonen's farewell party
2007 World Drivers' Champion and F1 legend Kimi Raikkonen is set to retire at the end of the current season, ending a long and illustrious career in the sport. The Finn, nicknamed "The Iceman", is one of two F1 drivers above the age of 40 on the current grid, with the other being Fernando Alonso. His current team, Alfa Romeo Racing, organized a farewell party for him and his family, and shared highlights from the event on social media.
You’ll always be missed ❤️ https://t.co/pTCiBOmkqq
The team celebrated Raikkonen's long career with speeches from friends and family along with former colleagues and admirers. He has made nearly 350 Grand Prix appearances, having debuted back in 2001 for Sauber.
Kimi Raikkonen knows what he is doing
Kimi Raikkonen is known for his cold and brutally honest responses and anecdotes. His one-liners and team radio moments have become the stuff of legend.
In perhaps what was of the driver's most memorable victory, Kimi told his race engineer to "leave him alone" at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. His Lotus engineer had just updated the him about Fernando Alonso's pace and position, to which he replied with the now classic line:
"Leave me alone, I know what I am doing"
It turned out that Kimi Raikkonen did know exactly what he was doing, winning his first race since 2009 and successfully keeping Alonso behind him in the much-faster Ferrari.
Kimi Raikkonen gave Michael Schumacher a run for his money
After just one season with Sauber, Raikkonen was hired by McLaren in 2002 to replace compatriot Mika Hakkinen, who had decided to call it a career. The following season, he lost out to Michael Schumacher by just two points in the 2003 World Drivers' Championship.
A good time to bring this back
Michael Schumacher 🐐 vs Kimi Raikkonen🐐
It's incredible how Kimi managed to score a point in this race (after all the things he went through) 😆 https://t.co/44nHSl2xKt
The German driver had won the championship in 2002 with nearly double the points of second-place finisher and teammate Rubens Barichello (144 to 77). Many in the sport were surprised to see Raikkonen in only his third season in the sport, giving the then five-time champion a run for his money.
2003 was also the season which saw the Finn score his first win, at the Malaysian Grand Prix. He finished nearly 40 seconds ahead of Rubens Barrichello.
With the Iceman set to leave the sport at the end of the ongoing season, Valtteri Bottas will be the only Finnish driver left on the grid in 2022.