Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (pronounced [ˈkimi ˈmɑtiɑs ˈræikkønen]) (born October 17, 1979 in Espoo, Finland) is a race car driver, currently driving for Alfa Romeo Racing. He is the 2007 Formula One World Drivers' Champion.
| Formula One World Championship career | |
|---|---|
| Races | 300 (297 starts) |
| Championships | 1 (2007) |
| Wins | 21 |
| Podiums | 103 |
| Career points | 1829 |
| Pole positions | 18 |
| Fastest laps | 46 |
| First race | 2001 Australian Grand Prix |
| First win | 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2018 United States Grand Prix |
| Last race | 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
| 2020 position | 16th (2pts) |
Räikkönen entered Formula One as a regular driver for Sauber-Petronas in 2001. Having previously only raced in very junior open-wheel categories, he was given his Super Licence from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) after a performance delivery promise from his team boss, Peter Sauber.[1] He joined McLaren Mercedes in 2002, and became a title contender by finishing runner-up in the 2003 and 2005 championships to Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, respectively.
Switching to Ferrari in 2007, Räikkönen became the highest paid driver in the sport,[2] and secured his first Formula One World Drivers' Championship, beating McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by one point.
Räikkönen is very calm, cool, and calculating in his race strategy—prompting the nickname "Iceman", which is subtly written on the side of his current helmet design. His other nicknames include Kimppa, Räikkä and Kimster (used by his mechanics).
NASCAR
Räikkönen joined the ranks of former F1 drivers who have moved to NASCAR in 2011. His first race was the Camping World Truck Series on May 20 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. He finished in 15th place on the lead lap.[3] He hopes to work his way up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.[4]
Räikkönen's second NASCAR race was also at Charlotte. He raced in the Nationwide Series. He received a penalty for speeding on pit lane, and finished in 27th place. After the race, he returned to Europe to compete in some more rally races. Räikkönen said his plans are to "see what happens."[5]
Results and records
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team Name | Races | Poles | Wins | Points | Final Placing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | European Formula Ford | ? | 2 | ? | ? | ? | 5th |
| Formula Ford Festival | Continental Racing Van Diemen | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | |
| Formula Renault 2000 UK Winter Championship | Manor Motorsport | 4 | 4 | 4 | 40 | 1st | |
| Formula Renault 2000 UK | Haywood Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | ? | ? | |
| 2000 | Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup | ? | 2 | 2 | 2 | 62 | 7th |
| Formula Renault 2000 UK | Manor Motorsport | 10 | 6 | 7 | 316 | 1st | |
| 2001 | Formula One | Sauber | 17 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10th |
| 2002 | Formula One | McLaren | 17 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 6th |
| 2003 | Formula One | McLaren | 16 | 2 | 1 | 91 | 2nd |
| 2004 | Formula One | McLaren | 18 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 7th |
| 2005 | Formula One | McLaren | 19 | 5 | 7 | 112 | 2nd |
| 2006 | Formula One | McLaren | 18 | 3 | 0 | 65 | 5th |
| 2007 | Formula One | Ferrari | 17 | 3 | 6 | 110 | 1st |
| 2008 | Formula One | Ferrari | 18 | 2 | 2 | 75 | 3rd |
| 2009 | Formula One | Ferrari | 17 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 6th |
| World Rally Championship | Tommi Mäkinen Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |
| 2010 | World Rally Championship | Citroën Junior Team | 13 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 10th |
| 2011 | World Rally Championship | Ice 1 Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18* | 8th* |
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | Kyle Busch Motorsports | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0↓ | NC↓ | |
| NASCAR Nationwide Series | Kyle Busch Motorsports | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0↓ | NC↓ | |
| 2012 | Formula One | Lotus | 20 | 0 | 1 | 207 | 3rd |
| 2013 | Formula One | Lotus | 17 | 0 | 1 | 183 | 5th |
| 2014 | Formula One | Ferrari | 19 | 0 | 1 | 55 | 12th |
* Season in progress
↓ As a guest driver, Räikkönen was ineligible for points
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
* Season still in progress.
Complete WRC results
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Tommi Mäkinen Racing | Fiat Grande Punto S2000 | IRE | NOR | CYP | POR | ARG | ITA | GRC | POL | FIN Ret |
AUS | ESP | GBR | NC | 0 | |
| 2010 | Citroën Junior Team | Citroën C4 WRC | SWE 29 |
MEX Ret |
JOR 8 |
TUR 5 |
NZL | POR 10 |
BUL 11 |
FIN 25 |
DEU 7 |
JPN Ret |
FRA Ret |
ESP DNS |
GBR 8 |
10th | 25 |
| 2011 | ICE 1 Racing | Citroën DS3 WRC | SWE 8 |
MEX | POR 7 |
JOR 6 |
ITA | ARG | GRE | FIN | DEU | AUS | FRA | ESP | GBR | 8th* | 18* |
* Season in progress
Kimi Räikkönen Media
Sauber C20 of Räikkönen at Hangar-7
Räikkönen at the United States Grand Prix in 2002
Räikkönen at the 2003 French Grand Prix
The McLaren mechanics push Räikkönen's MP4-19 into the garage during qualifying at the 2004 United States Grand Prix.
Räikkönen at the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix
Räikkönen at the 2005 United States Grand Prix
Räikkönen testing for McLaren at Valencia in early 2006
Räikkönen testing for McLaren at Silverstone in April 2006
Räikkönen driving for Ferrari at the 2007 United States Grand Prix, where he finished fourth
Räikkönen won his third race of 2007 at Silverstone.
References
- ↑ Formula 1 : Biography Kimi Raikkonen - F1-Live.com
- ↑ Forumula1.net - Räikkönen now highest paid driver in F1
- ↑ Ryan, Nate (2011-05-21). Kimi Raikkonen finishes 15th at Charlotte in NASCAR debut. Gannett. https://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/2011-05-20-Kimi-Raikkonen-finished-15th-in-NASCAR-debut-at-Charlotte_N.htm. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
- ↑ "Former F1 champion Raikkonen set for NASCAR debut". cnn.com. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. 2011-03-31. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
- ↑ Spencer, Reid (2011-05-30). "Notebook: Raikkonen hot-foots out of NASCAR—for now". sportingnews.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2011-06-04.