Finnish driver and former World Champion Kiki Raikkonen has announced his departure from Formula 1. Raikkonen is now set to retire at the end of the season after a truly illustrious career. Raikkonen, who will be 42 by the end of the year, made his debut in the 2001 Australian Grand Prix with Sauber and won the world title in 2007. Later on in 2019, he returned to the outfit that became Alfa Romeo, with whom his deal expires at the end of this season.
Raikkonen has raced for Alfa Romeo for the past three seasons since ending his second stint at Ferrari. Announcing his retirement on Instagram, Raikkonen said: "This is it. This will be my last season in Formula 1. This is a decision I made during last winter. It was not an easy decision but after this season it is time for new things. Even though the season is still on, I want to thank my family, all my teams, everyone involved in my racing career and especially all of you great fans that have been rooting for me all this time. Formula 1 might come to an end for me but there is a lot more in life that I want to experience and enjoy. See you around after all of this!"
Finnish countryman Valtteri Bottas is considered the favourite to replace Raikkonen at Alfa Romeo next year with George Russell appearing set to take the former's seat next to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. "Kimi is an incredible part of our sport, a personal friend and a true champion.I had the privilege of working with him at Ferrari and know the fantastic person he is. We will all miss him and his unique style and wish him and his family the best for the future." said F1 president Stefano Domenicali.
Last year the Finnish racer broke the record for most F1 starts. Team Alfa Romeo said on Twitter: “Truly the end of an era for our sport. Thank you for everything, F1 won’t be the same without you. Kiitos, Kimi.”