Kimi Räikkönen entered F1 in 2001 despite having only 23 races in junior categories under his belt and was quickly recognised as a star for the future.
Kimi scored a point in his debut race with Sauber at the Australian Grand Prix in 2001, going on to complete the year having achieved four points scoring finishes and eight top eight placings.
Such was Kimi’s debut that McLaren moved to sign the young talent for the 2002 season as a replacement for two-time champion and compatriot Mika Häkkinen. He finished third in his debut race with the team and came close to winning the French Grand Prix before taking his maiden victory the following year at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Despite no further wins, a strong run meant he finished second in the title race, just two points adrift of Michael Schumacher.2004 was to prove frustrating, with Kimi taking McLaren’s only win that year at the Belgian Grand Prix. The following season was more encouraging, as the Finn finished second to Fernando Alonso in the title race with seven wins to his name. 2006 was to prove his final year at McLaren and the momentum did not continue from the year before, with Kimi finishing fifth in the standings.
Kimi’s debut in 2007 for the prancing horse was a fairytale with pole position, fastest lap and the honour of becoming the first driver since Nigel Mansell in 1989 to win on his Ferrari debut. He followed that with a further five wins, stealing the title from under the noses of the battling McLaren duo of Alonso and Lewis Hamilton at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.
The following two seasons were more low-key, finishing third in the standings in 2008, and sixth the following season.Near the end of the 2009 season, Ferrari announced that Räikkönen would be leaving the team, despite having a contract to race for them in 2010. He would be replaced by Fernando Alonso.He was expected to return to McLaren alongside Lewis Hamilton but negotiations with the team failed. Räikkönen was linked to Mercedes GP but the team eventually signed Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg.
The FIA World Rally Championship was the destination for Kimi with the Citroën Junior Team in 2010, with a best finish of fifth in the Rally of Turkey. The following year he drove for ICE 1 Racing, with two sixth places in Jordan and Germany. He combined his rallying with two NASCAR outings.
Year 2012 marked the return of the Iceman with Lotus F1 Team.Despite spending two years away from motorsports’ elite category, the Finn instantly demonstrated the skill and technique by taking seven podiums and a victory in his comeback year to clinch P3 in the Drivers’ Championship.The victory at Abudhabi included the famous radio conversation with his race engineer who informd Kimi of the gap to the pursuing Ferrari of Fernando Alonso. The Finn's reply was blunt and pointed: "Just leave me alone. I know what I'm doing." Late in the race the same voice came through his earpiece, telling him to remember to warm up his new set of tyres and Kimi cameback with a classic reply with "Yes, yes, yes, yes,I'm doing all the tyres. You don't have to remind me every second."
Back in 2009 when the Malaysian Grand Prix was red flagged after heavy downpour of rain, Kimi famously left his car and had an icecream while other drivers sat huddled on the grid.With similar conditions looming in Malaysia, Lotus team delivered a present from Raikkonen to each member of the travelling press corps with icecream just before the 2012 race.
In August 2008, Räikkönen would appear on a set of Finnish postage stamps. The stamps, which were released to commemorate the Finnish postal service's 370th anniversary, feature images of him racing and on the podium, with the words "F1 World Champion '07 Kimi Räikkönen".
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