Kimi Raikkonen, former Formula 1 prodigy strikes again - Formula 1

Impossible not to love Kimi Raikkonen.

Despite the nature of the Finnish driver Lotus (winner last Sunday in Australia) is particularly cold (no wonder he was nicknamed Climber) one cannot fail to appreciate - in addition to his driving style - his naturalness and his desire for solitude in a world like the world F1, "Fake" and heavily based on public relations.

The latest in a long list of winning Finnish racing drivers, Kimi was a circus prodigy, he didn't get lost on the road and did manage to win the world championship (the last Ferrari drivers' title), he refused. The circus for two years and - unlike Michael Schumacher - again managed to climb to the top step of the podium. Let's get to know it together story.

Kimi Raikkonen: biography

Kimi Raikkonen He was born in Espoo (Finland) October 17, 1979 and, like all his colleagues, began his career in the world motorsport с kart.

At the age of 20, he made his debut in single cars and won the British Winter Championship for the first time. Renault formula... Unhappy, in 2000 he won the absolute title of the champion of Great Britain.

Debut in Formula 1

Peter Sauber sees talent in him and - despite the fact that Kimi has only raced 23 races in apparently smaller categories (no presence in the F3000 and F3, so to speak) and achieved 13 successes - he decides in 2001 to call him on his team to race . F1.

The International Automobile Federation - given the exceptional nature of the event - awards Raikkonen one super license preliminary for six Grand Prix, which will be final after the first race in Australia, when Kimi takes sixth place in his debut.

The first season in the Circus is good, although I must say that the satellite Nick Heidfeld gets the best results.

Arrival at McLaren

in 2002 Kimi Raikkonen selected McLaren replace compatriot Mika Hekkinen: in the first race with a new team, also in Australia, he got the first podium of his career (third), but at the end of the season, mainly due to breakdowns, he again found himself behind his teammate, in this case David Coulthard.

2003 is the year of dedication: he wins his first race (in Malaysia), humiliates coéquipier Coulthard and, above all, loses the world championship only in the last race against a certain Michael Schumacher.

In the following season, he was even faster than his teammate, but due to a less productive machine, he managed to bring home only one success.

in 2005 Kimi Raikkonen again ranks second in the world against Michael Schumacher and proves too strong for his teammates (Juan Pablo Montoya and, after a couple of doctors, Pedro de la Rosa e Alexander Wurts) while in 2006 - despite being the best of the McLaren drivers - he failed to win a single race because of a car that was clearly inferior to Renault and Ferrari.

Years at Ferrari

In 2007, it took a little time to get into the hearts of fans of his new team. Ferrari: in the first race of the season in Australia, he got pole, victory and best lap (a feat that previously only succeeded in Juan Manuel Fangio и Nigel Mansell) and won the world title.

After winning the world championship Kimi Raikkonen he loses motivation and plays below expectations in the 2008 season, as a result slower than his teammate. Felipe Massaas well as in 2009 when he left F1 to move to World Rally.

Goodbye and return to Formula 1

The entire first season in WRC с Citroën this is in 2010 when he finished 10th. The result is repeated in 2011, when he also tries his hand at an American TV series. NASCAR.

In 2012, when he returned to the Circus, Lotus he immediately achieved brilliant results: he won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and finished third in the world championship.

This year he already made his debut with a victory: is a new season of success just around the corner?