Assessing Kimi Raikkonen's legacy ahead of his retirement
By Oli Dickson Jefford
At today’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix all eyes will largely focus on whether Lewis Hamilton wins a record eighth world title or if Max Verstappen can win his first.
Yet, while Verstappen looks to become a F1 world champion, one man who has been there and done that will say a final goodbye to the sport.
At the age of 42, Kimi Raikkonen will hang up his racing helmet for the final time following a career that has seen him compete at over 350 race weekends.
Ahead of his final race, we take a look at ‘The Ice Man’s’ legacy.
Longevity
Midway through the 2020 season Raikkonen broke the record for the most Grand Prix starts, a testament to a hugely successful career over an extended period.
Raikkonen first entered the sport as a 21-year-old back in 2001 and has raced in F1 every year since barring 2010 and 2011, showing a longevity that very few athletes can dream of.
Other drivers - notably Fernando Alonso, who also entered the sport in 2001 - have embarked on long careers within F1, but to do so and maintain such a high level throughout that time requires and incredible amount of dedication and toughness.
Raikkonen is widely seen as one of the fittest drivers of his generation, and there is no way he would have embarked on such a long career if he wasn’t both physically and mentally tough.
The focus on all-around fitness brought to F1 by people such as Raikkonen has transformed the sport, and several more drivers will likely follow in his footsteps and embark on lengthy careers.
Continued success across several teams
In a sport that has seen hundreds compete over the years, only 14 drivers can say they’ve beaten Raikkonen’s career total of 21 wins.
And only four of the all-time greats - Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost - have more podiums than the Finn, who amassed 103 in total during his career.
The highlight of Raikkonen’s success undoubtedly came when at Ferrari in 2007, where back-to-back wins in the final races saw him pip McLaren rivals Hamilton and Alonso to the title.
He finished third in the drivers' standings for Ferrari in 2008 and also in 2018, the year of his final race for the Italian outfit, but they were not the only team he performed well for.
After his two-year absence from the F1 track, during which he competed in the World Rally Championship, he returned and anchored a now-defunct Lotus to third in the driver standings in 2012.
While at McLaren earlier on in his career he finished second in the driver standings in both 2003 and 2005, pushing Schumacher like very few had done in years in the former year and finishing behind Alonso in the latter.
In total Raikkonen competed for five teams - Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus and Alfa Romeo - and can be proud of his achievements at all of them.
Refreshing honesty
Throughout his career Raikkonen has forged a reputation as one of racing’s most enigmatic - yet popular - figures with fans.
In an age where athletes across sports often go through lengthy media training and often given what could be accused as ‘staged’ answers, the Finn rather bucks that trend.
Raikkonen has never mixed with competitors as much as others and often gives short, deadpan, and unflinchingly honest answers when asked questions by the press and when talking to his team mid race.
That has made him one of the most popular personalities on the circuit, with that ‘Ice Man’ persona resonating to many in a way that other perhaps more traditional personalities in F1 don’t.
He has always managed to stand out on and off the race track and though he might not have the global fame of the likes of Hamilton, Verstappen and Vettel, his retirement is undoubtedly a big loss for the sport.
Photo Credit: Getty Images