Kimi Räikkönen makes a race return to Formula 1 after two seasons contesting the FIA World Rally Championship as well as selected NASCAR outings. He has nine years’ experience in F1, with the 2007 Drivers’ Championship, 18 race wins, 62 podiums, 16 pole positions and 35 fastest laps from his 156 race starts. He entered the sport in 2002 despite having only 23 races in junior categories under his belt. Kimi finished as runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship to Michael Schumacher in 2003 and Fernando Alonso in 2005; and won the title in 2007, in his first year driving for Ferrari.

Key Details

Date of birth: 17 October 1979
Place of birth: Espoo, Finland
Nationality: Finnish
Visit Kimi’s official website

Key dates

Pre 2000 – Karting, Formula Ford and Formula Renault

After an impressive karting career, including placing second in the1999 European Formula A championship, Kimi competed in the Formula Ford Euro Cup before graduating to the British Formula Renault winter series which he won, winning the Championship the following year, with seven wins from ten starts.

2001: Formula 1 debut with Sauber

Kimi scored a point in his debut race, with Sauber at the Australian Grand Prix. He completed the year having achieved four points scoring finishes and eight in the top eight..

2002 – 2006: The Mclaren Years

Such was Kimi’s debut that he moved to McLaren for the 2002 season as a replacement for two-time champion, Mika Häkkinen. He finished third in his debut race with the team and came close to winning the French Grand Prix. The following year Kimi won his first race, 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. Kimi took McLaren’s only win that year at the Belgian Grand Prix. The following year he finished second to Fernando Alonso in the title race, with seven wins to his name. 2006 was to prove Kimi’s final year at McLaren and the momentum did not continue from the year before, with Kimi finishing fifth in the standings.

2007 – 2009: Ferrari and Drivers’ title

Kimi’s debut for the prancing horse was a fairytale, with pole position, fastest lap and he became 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.

2010 – 2011: Rallying and NASCAR

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.

The 2007 Formula 1 World champion talks of his return to the sport with the lotus F1 Team after two years away in the forests and stages of the World Rally championship

Why F1?

Formula 1 is something very special in my racing career, and you always want to race at the toughest level, so Formula 1 is where you want to race if you have a choice.

What do you think of the team now you’ve completed two days testing?

I’m happy with the team, they are very nice people, very easy going and it was nice to work with them for the two days I did in the R30. I think we’ll have a lot of fun in the season ahead and hopefully we will get some good results. I want a strong enough car to challenge for good results.

When did you decide to finish rallying and to go back to Formula 1?

When I did the NASCAR races, I enjoyed the racing and I want to do more racing. I still want to do rally and if I could I’d do them both at the same time – but this isn’t possible. For sure I will do rallying again in the future. I want to do racing as I had a really good time in NASCAR racing against other people and I realised that I was missing this – that’s when I decided that if there was a good chance to return properly that I would do it.

What are your thoughts on how F1 has changed since you last competed?

In 2010 I didn’t really follow Formula 1 but I saw more races last year. It doesn’t really look different, but there is overtaking in some different places where people can just drive past by opening the rear wing and the driver in front has no chance to defend himself – so is this really overtaking? I don’t think it counts all the time. But for sure the show is better. The tyres make a difference too, as there is a big speed difference between when the tyres are new and when the tyres are old. In the old Formula 1, you had to be so much faster than the guy in front of you to have any chance to overtake, but now with the tyres and the DRS, it’s different.

Do you have anything to prove with your return?

I think people expect things from me, but as long as I know that I’m giving 100% and I’m happy with my driving then I’m happy. If those aspects are true and it’s not enough, then it’s not enough.

How well do you know your new team-mate, Romain Grosjean?

I think we will have a good relationship. I met him before Christmas and I raced against him in 2009. He seems a very nice and normal guy, so I don’t see any problems there.

Animated:

A word that has not frequently been used to describe Kimi’s appearances in press conferences, interviews, etc.

Belgium:

The Finn has won the Belgian Grand Prix more than any other race – with a total of four victories from his last five visits to the ultimate driver’s circuit, Spa.

Champion:

Kimi made his F1 bow testing a Sauber in 2000 at Italy’s Mugello circuit. The only other driver on track, Michael Schumacher, saw enough to correctly declare him a future champion (see O).

Dahlman:

On 31 July 2004 Kimi Matias Raikkonen married Jenni Dahlman, a Finnish model and former Miss Scandinavia.

Eighteen:

Kimi has a total of 18 grand prix victories from his Formula 1 career so far. The first came at Sepang in 2003, the most recent at Spa in 2009 (see L).

Fastest laps:

Kimi has an enviable total of 35 fastest laps, which places him third on the all-time list behind only Michael Schumacher (76) and Alain Prost (41).

G Forces:

after two seasons in the WRC, Kimi’s going to need to work on his neck to withstand F1’s cornering forces.

Hinwil:

Home of Kimi’s first Formula 1 team, Sauber.

Iceman:

The Finn has the word Iceman emblazoned on his crash helmet. He’s cool, you see...

James Hunt:

Another F1 world champion who has apparently offered Kimi both inspiration and a pseudonym for races in both snowmobiles and powerboats.

Karting:

Kimi owned his first kart when he was eight years old. He started competing in 1988 and went on to take the Nordic Championship a decade later.

Last lap:

The Finn produced perhaps his greatest victory at Suzuka in 2005 from 17th on the grid, storming through the field to pass Giancarlo Fisichella on lap 53 of 53.

Motocross:

Kimi founded his own Motocross World Championship team, Ice 1 Racing.

NASCAR:

Kimi has also ventured into racing in the United States, making his debut in the Camping World Truck Series last year (see X).

One point:

This was the margin by which Kimi took the 2007 F1 world championship ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Pole:

Kimi has taken a total of 16 F1 pole positions, the latest at Magny-Cours in 2008.

Queen:

Anything HRH can do... In 2008 Kimi appeared on a set of Finnish postage stamps.

Renault:

Most of Kimi’s pre-F1 experience came in Formula Renault. He won the 2000 title with seven wins and ten podiums from ten races.

Snow:

The Iceman is fond of anything freezing and white – with snowmobiles, snowboards and ice hockey among his favourite pastimes.

Twenty-three:

Kimi famously only had a total of 23 car races in his life before he made his F1. He won 13 of them...

Unique style:

No-one else dresses quite like Kimi in F1.

Victory:

Winning the 2007 World Championship.

WRC:

Kimi has a total of 59 points from his time in the World Rally Championship. He also has a stage victory to his name from the 2010 Rallye Deutschland.

X-rated:

We learned from Kimi’s NASCAR pit-to-car radio conversations that we should make sure he has enough in his drinks bottle...

Yacht:

Kimi is a big fan of yachting.

Zzzzzzzz:

At his first F1 race at Melbourne in 2001, Kimi surprised all by being cool enough to have a nap half an hour before going to the grid. He went on to score a point for 6th place and the Iceman was born.