Kimi Räikkönen
Finnish racing driver / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Born | Kimi-Matias Räikkönen[1] (1979-10-17) 17 October 1979 (age 44) Espoo, Finland |
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Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | Finnish |
2024 team | Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari[2] |
Car number | 7 |
Entries | ( starts) |
Championships | 1 (2007) |
First entry | 2001 Australian Grand Prix |
First win | 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix |
Last win | 2018 United States Grand Prix |
Last entry | 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
2020 position | 16th (2pts) |
World Rally Championship record | |
Active years | 2009–2011 |
Teams | Citroën Junior Team, ICE 1 Racing |
Rallies | 21 |
Championships | 0 |
Rally wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Stage wins | 1 |
Total points | 59 |
First rally | 2009 Rally Finland |
Last rally | 2011 Wales Rally GB |
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.[3] 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,[4] 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).