Kimi Räikkönen
Encyclopedia
Kimi Matias Räikkönen (ˈkimi ˈmɑtiɑs ˈræikːønen; born 17 October 1979 in Espoo
), nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racing driver, who will drive in Formula One
for Lotus
in . After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship
from 2009-2011.
Räikkönen entered Formula One as a regular driver for Sauber
-Petronas
in . 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 by his team boss, Peter Sauber
. He joined McLaren Mercedes
in , and became a title contender by finishing runner-up in the and championships to Michael Schumacher
and Fernando Alonso
, respectively. Räikkönen's 2003 and 2005 seasons were plagued by severe unreliability from his McLaren cars, resulting in many pundits speculating that without the problems, he would have already been World Champion.
Räikkönen switched to Ferrari
in 2007, he became the highest paid driver in motor sport with an estimated wage of $51 million per year. In turn his move to Ferrari saw him secure his first Formula One World Drivers' Championship, beating McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton
and Fernando Alonso
by one point, as well as becoming one of the very few drivers to win in their first season at Ferrari. In 2008, he equalled the record for fastest laps in a season for the second time. After one more year in the sport, he left the Ferrari F1 team to drive a Citroën C4 WRC
for the Citroën Junior Team
in the World Rally Championship for 2010. Along with rallying, Räikkönen has turned his attention towards NASCAR
, and made his debut for Kyle Busch Motorsports
in the Camping World Truck Series.
Räikkönen is known to be very relaxed, calm, cool, and calculating in his everyday life as well as in his racing career—prompting the nickname "Iceman", which Räikkönen has tattooed on the underside of his left forearm and which is also subtly written on the side of his current helmet design.
In , Räikkönen was among the two Formula One drivers who made it into the Forbes magazine's The Celebrity 100 list, the other being Fernando Alonso
. He is 36th on Forbes magazine's The Celebrity 100 list of 2008, and 41st on the previous year. On the same list, as of 2008, he is listed as the 26th highest paid celebrity overall and the 5th highest paid sportsman behind Tiger Woods
, David Beckham
, Michael Jordan
and Phil Mickelson
. In , Räikkönen was listed as the equal 2nd highest paid athlete in the world, behind Woods. Räikkönen has signed a 2 year deal with Lotus for the 2012 Formula One season, marking his first return to the Formula since his 2009 departure.
from the age of ten. His first race outside Finland was in Monaco
when he was 15 years old. During the race, the steering wheel broke, but he continued, informing his mechanic by frantically waving the steering wheel in the air on the home straight. Räikkönen's next Monaco race was also memorable; he was thrown on the wrong side of the safety fence in a first lap collision, but continued driving until running out of road. Undeterred, he lifted his kart back on to the track and continued to race. His mechanic thought Räikkönen had retired, but he eventually caught up with the other competitors and finished third. In 1998 he was 1st in Nordic (karting) Championship at Varna in Norway. In 1999, Räikkönen was placed second in the European Formula Super A championship. In the same year, he also competed in the Formula Ford Euro Cup. By the age of twenty, he had won the British Formula Renault
winter series, winning the first four races of the year. In 2000, he won seven out of ten events in the Formula Renault UK Championship
. Over two series of Formula Renault (1999, 2000), he won 13 out of 23 events - a 56% win rate.
gave the Finn a test with the Sauber
Formula One team in September 2000 at the Mugello Circuit
. After further tests in Jerez
and Barcelona
, Sauber signed Räikkönen for the season. However, some critics (including FIA
president Max Mosley
) voiced concerns over granting an F1 Super Licence
to such an inexperienced driver; Räikkönen had only 23 car races to his credit. He was nevertheless granted his license and scored a championship point in his debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix
. Räikkönen was asleep 30 minutes before the race.
Räikkönen had a solid debut year, achieving four points-scoring finishes and eight finishes in the top eight. Completing the year with 9 points, Räikkönen, along with teammate Nick Heidfeld
, helped Sauber to what was then its best result of fourth place in the constructors' championship.
's team for , taking the seat left vacant by double-world champion, mentor (and fellow Finn) Mika Häkkinen
's sabbatical.
Räikkönen scored a third-place podium finish in his first race with McLaren, the 2002 Australian Grand Prix
. Although McLaren suffered many Mercedes engine failures in 2002, Räikkönen scored 24 points and four podiums, and held his own against teammate David Coulthard
. Räikkönen came close to winning his first Grand Prix in France
, but went off track at the Adelaide hairpin with a handful of laps to go, because of oil from the blown engine of Allan McNish
's Toyota
on the circuit. He finished the race second. He finished the season in sixth place, one place behind his team mate; together they achieved a solid third place for McLaren in the constructors' championship.
At the opening , Räikkönen qualified 15th in the spare car. In the race he took the lead before being caught speeding in the pitlane, after a software glitch in the car's electronic system. Räikkönen held off Michael Schumacher
to finish 3rd. In Malaysia
, Räikkönen won his first race after starting from 7th on the grid. During the next round in Brazil
, Räikkönen was declared the winner after the race was stopped on lap 55. According to the rules the winner is decided by the race order as of two laps before the race stopped, i.e. lap 53. However a week later, evidence emerged that Giancarlo Fisichella
was on lap 56 when the race stopped, therefore the winner was decided by the order at lap 54. This granted the win to Fisichella, with Räikkönen 2nd.
As other teams improved their cars, McLaren, who were still using the 2002 chassis, began to falter in terms of race speed. However, Räikkönen finished 2nd at Imola
. At the , Räikkönen made a mistake in qualifying and had to start from the back of the grid, and at the start, he collided with Antônio Pizzonia
, who was stuck on his grid position owing to a launch control problem, causing Räikkönen to retire from the race.
The next few races came down more to strategy rather than speed. While having engine problems, Räikkönen successfully defended his 2nd position from Rubens Barrichello
in Austria. He came extremely close to winning in Monaco, but lost by less than a second to Juan Pablo Montoya
. Starting from the pitlane in Canada after he went off track during qualifying with understeer, Räikkönen finished 6th, more than a minute adrift of race winner Michael Schumacher.
At the , Räikkönen took pole, and controlled the race from the start until his engine failed on lap 25. Title rival Michael Schumacher finished 5th taking 4 points advantage from Räikkönen. Räikkönen finished 4th in France
behind Schumacher but finished one point ahead of him with a 3rd place finish at the . Räikkönen failed to finish the after being involved in an accident at the first corner with Ralf Schumacher
and Rubens Barrichello. Räikkönen finished 2nd at the next race, the .
Before the , the FIA were tipped-off by rivals Ferrari about a tyre-illegality in the Michelin
tread width. Michelin were forced to bring in narrower tyres and it seemed as if they had lost the advantage they had been enjoying over Bridgestone all season. McLaren also announced that they would see out the season with old the MP4-17D chassis and would not bring out the MP4-18 as had been planned. Räikkönen eventually finished 4th in the race, losing five championship points to race winner Michael Schumacher.
Räikkönen took pole at the , but Michael Schumacher won the race with Räikkönen finishing 2nd. With one race to go, Schumacher only needed one point to win the championship. Räikkönen would need to win the next race with Schumacher not scoring any points. After qualifying 8th in Japan
, Räikkönen finished 2nd while Michael Schumacher just slipped into the points to win his 6th World Championship. Montoya's retirement during the race also meant that Räikkönen finished 2nd in the championship, just two points behind Schumacher. The team also narrowly lost second place in the constructors' championship, finishing third, two points behind runners-up Williams
, and 12 points behind Ferrari. Mathematically, Williams or McLaren could have won the championship at the very last race. The 2003 season was one of the closest in recent years.
The 2004 season
began with Räikkönen only claiming a single point in the first seven races. His McLaren, especially the Mercedes engine, suffered repeated breakdowns, allowing him to complete just two of the first seven events. After seven rounds Räikkönen had only one point to Michael Schumacher's 60. In Canada
, Räikkönen made 5 pit-stops but was classified 5th since the Williams-BMWs and the two Toyotas were disqualified. At the , Räikkönen finished 6th.
At the , McLaren rolled out the new MP4-19B. Räikkönen finished 7th behind his team-mate, David Coulthard. At Silverstone
, Räikkönen took pole and went on to finish second behind Michael Schumacher. Following on from this encouraging display, the McLarens qualified on the 2nd row of the grid in Germany. Both cars got off to a good start, however Räikkönen lost his rear wing on lap 13 of the race while following race leader Michael Schumacher. He retired again from the after starting from 10th place on the grid, again on lap 13. At the , Räikkönen qualified 10th, but took the lead on lap 11 and held on to it to take McLaren's only win of the season. He also took the fastest lap. The next weekend at Monza, Räikkönen again retired on lap 13, this time owing to electrical problems. At the next race in China
, he finished 3rd, only 1.4 seconds behind race winner Rubens Barrichello.
At the , Räikkönen was shunted by Felipe Massa
on the first lap of the race, which caused him handling problems. He later managed to make up some ground: he finished 6th, 2.5 seconds behind Alonso. At the last race of the season, the , he overtook pole sitter Barrichello, even before they had reached Curva De Sol. Räikkönen later battled Montoya for the lead and finished 1 second behind him in 2nd. Räikkönen ended the year seventh, with 45 points, only one behind sixth placed Jarno Trulli
, and four podiums.
Despite the disappointment of the 2004 season, Räikkönen was still seen as one of the rising stars of the sport, along with BAR's Button, Renault's Alonso and 2005 McLaren teammate Montoya. Many pundits predicted 2005 to be filled with great on-track battles from a resurgent team. He was also referred to by Ross Brawn
and Jean Todt
as a driver whom Ferrari might consider in the future. In early November 2004, Räikkönen announced his intention to create a racing team with his manager Steve Robertson
, to be entitled Räikkönen Robertson Racing (otherwise known as "Double R"), which would compete in Formula Three
in 2005.
Räikkönen's start to the 2005 season
season was less than perfect. The car was reported to be too soft on its Michelin tyres, with the result that it was not generating enough heat to post competitive qualifying times. The best qualifying position that a McLaren driver could manage in the first 3 races was 6th. Räikkönen compounded this by stalling on the grid of the first race of the season, the , and ending the race with just a point. He looked set for a podium in Malaysia until a faulty tyre valve failed and dropped him out of the points. Bahrain
saw him achieve his first podium of the season with a third place behind Renault's Alonso
and the Toyota of Jarno Trulli
.
Räikkönen then achieved three consecutive poles in San Marino
, Spain
, and a win after a safety car
strategy call by Neil Martin
at Monaco
. An almost certain win was denied at Imola after a driveshaft failure, but he won the other two races, putting him within 22 points of leader Alonso. He registered strong, comfortable wins at Barcelona, beating local boy Alonso and at Monte Carlo, never dropping his lead in both races. At the , Räikkönen flat-spotted his right front tyre while lapping Jacques Villeneuve
(some commentators put a share of the blame on Villeneuve, as he did not give Räikkönen the racing line). The resultant vibrations caused his suspension to fail while he led on the final lap, sending him into the tyre wall and handing a further ten points to his rival Alonso. Changing a tyre would have given him a relatively safe third place. However, tyre changes were only allowed in 2005 in cases where a "punctured or damaged tyre" could be changed for "clear and genuine safety reasons" and there was no precedent for whether the stewards would consider a flat-spotted tyre dangerous enough. This incident, in part, resulted in a rules clarification allowing teams to change a flat-spotted tyre without punishment.
Alonso's first major mistake of the 2005 season handed the to Räikkönen. The following weekend saw all the Michelin teams, including McLaren, withdraw from the for safety reasons. At the , Räikkönen suffered a ten-place grid-penalty following the replacement of his new specification Mercedes Benz engine which failed in Friday practice. Räikkönen, putting in what Ron Dennis called his best ever qualifying lap, qualified 3rd (demoted to 13th) with a significant fuel load. He finished 2nd behind Fernando Alonso. A week later at the , Räikkönen suffered another Mercedes engine failure due to an oil leak; his 2nd place qualifying place became 12th. He claimed 3rd place in the race.
In Germany, Räikkönen was comfortably in the lead having dominated all weekend, but suffered a hydraulics failure, handing victory and a further 10 points to Alonso. It was his third retirement while leading a race during the season. On all three occasions, it was championship rival Alonso who took advantage to win. Significantly, at the opening of the , though saying he was very comfortable at McLaren, Räikkönen raised the possibility that he might leave McLaren when his contract expired in 2006 if reliability issues were not solved. He told a news conference, "We need to work in a better way just to make sure that the car is very reliable." However he went on to take the chequered flag with a convincing victory over Michael Schumacher, albeit after McLaren teammate Montoya
retired with driveshaft failure while leading.
Räikkönen won the Hungarian Grand Prix from the most handicapped qualifying position, having had to do his qualifying run first on the notoriously dusty and dirty track because of his early retirement a week earlier at Hockenheim. No other driver had previously managed this feat. Räikkönen then became the first ever winner of the . Two weeks later at the , Räikkönen's pole position was taken from him as he received another 10-position grid penalty for an engine change. It would emerge that he had 5 laps of fuel more than teammate Montoya and 6 more than Alonso during qualifying – and still managed to outpace them. During the race, Räikkönen was forced to take an extra stop when his left-rear tyre delaminated, which dropped him down to 12th. He recovered, but spun his car after pushing too hard while chasing Giancarlo Fisichella
. He eventually finished fourth.
He went on to win, for the second year in a row, in Belgium
at Spa-Francorchamps. The following race, the , saw Alonso clinch the Drivers' Championship, after finishing third behind Montoya and Räikkönen. In the penultimate race of the year
, at the Suzuka Circuit
in Japan, Räikkönen took his 7th victory of the season after starting 17th on the grid (as rain, and an engine failure for Räikkönen, had mixed up the qualifying grid). The win was secured when he overtook Renault driver Fisichella (who had started third on the grid, and had led most of the race) on the final lap – which Formula One journalist Peter Windsor
thought the most impressive move of the race.
Räikkönen received the F1 Racing
"Driver of the Year" accolade, and the Autosport
"International Racing Driver of the Year" award.
In Bahrain
, Räikkönen suffered electronic problems during Friday practice and a spectacular rear suspension breakage during the first qualifying session, which forced him back to 22nd place on the grid. Nevertheless he drove through the field, ending third behind Alonso and Michael Schumacher. In Malaysia, Räikkönen was hit from behind by Red Bull Racing
's Christian Klien
on the first lap. The impact caused a left rear suspension failure resulting in Räikkönen retiring from the race.
Having started the year clearly behind Renault, McLaren improved in Australia
, where Räikkönen finished second after flat spotting a tyre and losing a wing end-plate, which caused him to fall off the pace somewhat around the midpoint of the race. Chasing down Alonso during the final stages of the race, he set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap, finishing only 1.8 seconds behind the Spaniard. At the , a bad choice of strategy and a mistake from Räikkönen in qualifying (8th) saw the McLarens get caught in traffic in the early part of the race allowing Michael Schumacher and Alonso to get away at the front. Räikkönen eventually finished 5th, with team mate Montoya ahead in 3rd place. McLaren team boss Ron Dennis blamed what he deemed to be Räikkönen's poor performance for the team's failure to finish in the top two in the race.
At the , Räikkönen qualified 9th. However, he managed to get up to 5th place on the first lap of the race. He retained this position for most of the race, finishing in 5th place. A few days after the Spanish Grand Prix, he admitted that he had no chance of winning the 2006 Championship. In Monaco
, Räikkönen qualified third. During the race he got up to 2nd and kept pace with Alonso, however he retired during a safety car period after a failed heat shield led to a wiring loom inside the car catching fire. After the retirement he was seen on live TV walking along the Monaco sidewalks with his helmet still on to the harbour and climbing aboard a yacht.
The at Silverstone saw Räikkönen qualify second behind Alonso and in front of Michael Schumacher. The running order was Alonso, Räikkönen, Schumacher until the second set of pitstops where Räikkönen was demoted to third by Schumacher, a position he held until the end of the race. In Canada
, Räikkönen achieved another podium. In the , his teammate punted him out in an expensive seven car accident. The saw Räikkönen qualify his car in sixth. His teammate was now former test driver Pedro de la Rosa
in place of Montoya. Räikkönen ended the race in fifth. In Germany
, Räikkönen qualified on pole. After a battle with Jenson Button
, he finished the race for the first time in his career, ending in third place. Another pole came in Hungary
, but he collided with Vitantonio Liuzzi
after 25 laps, causing his fourth retirement of the season.
A first turn incident with Scott Speed
at the led to an exploded tyre and suspension damage. After a tyre change, Räikkönen's race ended half way into the next lap when he crashed into the barrier at turn 4 because of a loss of rear grip. Räikkönen qualified on pole for the by 2 thousandths of a second from Michael Schumacher. He led the early part of the race until the first pitstops where he was passed by Schumacher. He stayed in second place for the rest of the race. After the race, Schumacher announced that he would retire at the end of the season. Later, Ferrari announced that he would be replaced in the 2007 season by Räikkönen.
The saw another retirement for Räikkönen due to throttle problems. His last two Grands Prix, in Japan
and Brazil
, did lead to 2 finishes, but he missed the podium on both occasions. Räikkönen ended his time at McLaren-Mercedes with a fifth place in the World Drivers' Championship, with McLaren placing third in the World Constructors' Championship at the end of a winless year.
Räikkönen's British Formula Three Championship
team Räikkönen Robertson Racing claimed their first major success, with British driver Mike Conway
winning the 2006 British F3 International Series
title and the prestigious Macau Grand Prix
.
, Ferrari announced that Räikkönen had signed a three-year contract with Scuderia Ferrari for the 2007–2009 seasons. Räikkönen said after the move that he was very happy with this change of events but wished McLaren the best of luck in the future. He became the team mate to Brazilian Felipe Massa
, who had been driving for Ferrari since 2006. Following the retirement of Michael Schumacher and his new deal with Ferrari, Räikkönen was estimated to be the highest paid driver in F1, with a base salary reportedly worth US $51M annually.
Räikkönen started the season in Australia
by taking pole position, setting the fastest lap and becoming the first driver since Nigel Mansell
in 1989
to win his first Grand Prix with Ferrari. This was the first time in his career that he had managed the hat-trick of pole position, fastest lap and race victory.
At the , Räikkönen was passed by Lewis Hamilton at the start and remained behind him for the rest of the race, finishing third. In Bahrain
, Räikkönen started from third but was passed by McLaren driver Fernando Alonso. He eventually regained 3rd position from Alonso and finished the race 3rd. At the , Räikkönen retired after only 10 laps with an electrical problem. This took him down to fourth position in the Championship, behind team-mate Felipe Massa. At the , Räikkönen struck a barrier in qualifying and broke his right front suspension. He started 16th and finished 8th.
In Canada
, Räikkönen qualified fourth and finished fifth, Räikkönen's team-mate Massa was disqualified. At the , Räikkönen qualified fourth, finished fourth and recorded fastest lap of the race. With ten races in the season left, Räikkönen was 26 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers' Championship.
In France
, Räikkönen qualified third, but overtook Hamilton at the first corner of the race. He subsequently ran second, behind team-mate Massa, for much of the Grand Prix, but overtook the Brazilian during the pit-stops
and took his second victory of the season. This was the 11th victory of his Formula One career, as well as Ferrari's first 1–2 win of the 2007 season. At the , Räikkönen qualified in second place, just missing the pole by running wide in the last corner. In the race, again took the lead through pit stops, first overtaking Lewis Hamilton midway through the race and then putting in fast laps as Fernando Alonso pitted for the second time in the closing stages to pass him. Räikkönen led to the end of the race.
At the , Räikkönen captured his second pole position of the season, but retired from the race, run in heavy rain, with a problem with the hydraulics of the car. In Hungary
, Räikkönen qualified his car in fourth place, but started from third after Fernando Alonso
was penalised. In the race he overtook Nick Heidfeld
at the start and pressured Hamilton until the end, but had to settle for second, being 0.7s behind Hamilton. He set the fastest lap time on the last lap of the race, commenting after the race: "I was so bored behind Hamilton, I wanted to see how quick I could have been." In Turkey
, Räikkönen missed pole position after making a mistake in the final sector of his fast lap, which left him third on the grid. On race day, he overtook Hamilton in the first corner and took second place, which he kept to the end of the race.
At Monza
's third practice session, Räikkönen crashed into the tyre wall before entering the Ascari chicane. He qualified in fifth place, and raced in the Ferrari reserve car while suffering from a neck problem. The Ferrari team employed an unusual one-stop strategy, which left him third after Hamilton passed him late in the race on fresh tyres. At Spa-Francorchamps
, Räikkönen's favourite circuit, he secured pole position again and took his fourth victory of the season. Massa finished second, Alonso third and Hamilton fourth. This was also Räikkönen's third consecutive Spa win, which placed him among six other drivers with three or more Spa wins.At the Fuji Speedway
in Japan
, the only new track on the 2007 calendar, Räikkönen qualified in third position, while Hamilton took pole and Alonso second. In an extremely wet race, which saw the first 19 laps run behind the safety car
, both Räikkönen and team-mate Massa were badly affected by having to change to extreme wet tyres during the early stages, because the FIA's tyre-rule notification arrived late at Ferrari. Towards the end of the race, Räikkönen moved through the field to third place, but could not pass his fellow countryman Heikki Kovalainen
for second.
At the in Shanghai
, Räikkönen dominated the whole weekend with fastest laps in the free-practice sessions. In qualifying, Hamilton took pole position with a lighter fuel load, while Räikkönen qualified second and Massa third. There was light rainfall at the beginning of the race which prompted the cars to start on intermediate tyres. After the first round of pit stops Hamilton lost grip as his tyres suffered graining, and Räikkönen overtook him. Hamilton retired after sliding into a gravel trap in the pit lane. Räikkönen took his fifth win of the season, that revived his title hopes before the last race of the season. This was also the 200th race win and 600th podium in Ferrari's Formula One history. Räikkönen moved to seven and three points behind Hamilton and Alonso in the Drivers' Championship, respectively, going into the last race in Brazil, the first three-way title battle in the final race of the season since .
Räikkönen took the 2007 Formula One Drivers' title with victory in the at Interlagos
, in an incident-packed race. Massa had taken pole, followed by Hamilton, Räikkönen, and Alonso. At the start of the race Räikkönen passed Hamilton on the outside and lined up behind Massa. Alonso shortly afterwards passed Hamilton, who fell progressively down the order. Räikkönen eventually overtook Massa, who was already eliminated from contention for the Driver's Championship in the Japanese Grand Prix. Massa's strategy for the second round of pit stops ensured Räikkönen kept the lead. Räikkönen went on to take the chequered flag, which handed him the crown by a single point from Hamilton and Alonso. Championship leader Hamilton eventually finished the race in seventh place, while defending champion Alonso managed third.
While Räikkönen had only one point more than Alonso and Hamilton at the end of the season, he had the most victories (six compared to four by each McLaren driver).
Räikkönen's Drivers' championship was briefly put into doubt when race stewards began an investigation after identifying possible fuel irregularities in the cars of Nico Rosberg
, Robert Kubica
and Nick Heidfeld
following post-race inspection. Their disqualification and a race reclassification would have seen Hamilton lifted from seventh to fourth in the race result. However the race stewards decided that no sanctions would be given, meaning the results would stand. McLaren appealed against the decision, however the FIA Court of Appeal rejected their appeal on 16 November 2007 thus confirming Räikkönen as the champion.
After a disappointing first race for Ferrari in Australia
where Räikkönen eventually finished eighth after starting 15th on the grid owing to a mechanical problem in qualifying, he won his first race of the 2008 season
at the , finishing ahead of Robert Kubica
and Heikki Kovalainen
. His victory in Kuala Lumpur came on the fifth anniversary of his maiden victory at the same track. In Bahrain
, Räikkönen qualified in fourth on the grid. He moved up to second place by the third lap and finished in that position, behind his team-mate Felipe Massa
. He also secured the lead in the championship.
In Spain
, Räikkönen took the 15th pole of his career and his first of the 2008 season. He managed to take his second race win of the season and the fastest lap of the race. Räikkönen overtook Mika Häkkinen
in the list of total number of fastest laps and also in terms of podium finishes, making him the highest ranked Finnish driver in these statistics.
At the , Räikkönen qualified in fourth place. Despite damaging his front wing in the early stages after a collision with fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen, Räikkönen was still able to set the fastest lap and finish in third place.
In Monaco
, Räikkönen qualified in second behind teammate Felipe Massa. Räikkönen stayed second behind Massa until he was given a drive-through penalty for an infringement by the team on his car and dropped down to sixth. He was set for fifth until an incident with Adrian Sutil
, when Räikkönen lost control on the damp track after exiting the tunnel, and hit Sutil's car in the rear. Räikkönen's car was not badly damaged and he was able to finish in ninth after replacing his front wing, also setting the fastest lap in the process. After the race, Mike Gascoyne
, the Chief Technology Officer of Force India announced they were filing official protests with the stewards over the incident, demanding a ban for Räikkönen. However, the stewards decided not to penalise him.
In Canada
, Räikkönen qualified third. In the race, he set the fastest lap during the first stint while catching up with Robert Kubica who was in second place. The safety car was deployed when Adrian Sutil's car broke down in a dangerous position. Both he and Kubica jumped ahead of race leader Lewis Hamilton
when they pitted during the safety car period. As there was a red light at the end of the pitlane, Räikkönen and Kubica stopped alongside each other and waited for the signal to allow them back on to the circuit. Hamilton failed to notice the red light and hit the rear of Räikkönen's Ferrari, eliminating both cars.
Räikkönen went on to take his 16th pole position in France
, which was the 200th pole for Scuderia Ferrari. Räikkönen dominated the race as he set the fastest lap and had a six second lead until a bank exhaust failure some half way through the race reduced his engine's power. He gave up the lead to his teammate Massa, but was far enough ahead of Toyota's
Jarno Trulli
, to secure second place and eight points.
Räikkönen qualified third at the . Before the race, Räikkönen pushed noted photographer Paul-Henri Cahier to the ground as he lined up a close-up shot. Raikkönen's manager Steve Robertson claimed the driver was provoked by Cahier touching him with his lens and standing on his belongings, but Cahier disputed this version of events. The race was in wet conditions and Räikkönen stayed third at the first corner behind Hamilton and Kovalainen. He kept pace and got up to second when Kovalainen spun. He then chased after Hamilton, and set the fastest lap as he drew up directly behind the McLaren. During the first pitstop, Ferrari did not change the intermediates on his car in the hope that the track would become dry. However, the track was hit by another shower, and Räikkönen rapidly lost pace, and dropped down to sixth before finally pitting for new tyres. He finished fourth, a lap down.
At the , Räikkönen qualified sixth and dropped down a place at the first corner. He was running fifth when the safety car came out after a crash involving Timo Glock
. His teammate Felipe Massa was ahead of him on the track, and as a result, Räikkönen was forced to wait behind Massa when the pitlane opened. This dropped him down to 12th, but he eventually finished in sixth.
At the , Räikkönen again qualified sixth. He lost a position to Alonso at the beginning of the race but managed to finish third owing to Hamilton's tyre puncture, passing Alonso during the pitstops and Massa's retirement after an engine failure.
During the , Räikkönen qualified fourth and lost a place at the start to Kovalainen. He stayed fifth until the second round of pitstops when he exited before the fuel hose was properly disengaged from his car and left one of the mechanics with a fractured toe. Two laps later, he suffered a similar engine failure to Massa in the previous race; a connecting rod in his engine broke and he was forced to retire.
At the , Räikkönen again qualified fourth. He passed Kovalainen and Massa at the start to be second, and took the lead from Hamilton on the second lap. He pulled away, setting the fastest lap of the race and built a five second gap. He looked set to win but owing to a late-race rain shower, Hamilton closed right up to him and tried to pass him at the final chicane with two laps to go. Hamilton cut the chicane and rejoined ahead of Räikkönen. He let Räikkönen take the place back. Hamilton then repassed him for the lead. The two battled on for the rest of the lap, with Räikkönen retaking the lead when the two stumbled upon spinning backmarker Nico Rosberg
, forcing Hamilton onto the grass. Räikkönen spun at the next corner and fell behind Hamilton again. While trying to catch up, he lost control of the car, smashed into a wall and retired.
At the , which was held in extremely wet conditions, Räikkönen qualified 14th. He stayed in 14th position for the first two stints. He climbed to ninth position in the third and last stint in which he also set the fastest lap of the race.
In Singapore
, the first night-time event in Formula One history, Räikkönen qualified third behind Massa and Hamilton. He remained in this position for most of the early laps. On lap 14, Nelson Piquet, Jr.'s Renault
hit the wall at turn 17 and the safety car was deployed. Both Ferrari drivers pitted during the safety car period, with Räikkönen queued behind Massa in a busy pitlane. Ferrari released Massa before the fuel hose was disconnected from the car, which compromised Räikkönen who rejoined in 16th. Räikkönen managed to climb to fifth place, but on lap 57, while attacking Timo Glock
, he hit the wall after pushing too hard at turn 10 and retired. He set the fastest lap of the race as his tenth of the season. This equalled Michael Schumacher's 2004 record of ten fastest laps in a Formula One season.
At the at the Fuji Speedway
circuit, Räikkönen qualified second on the grid, behind Hamilton, and took the lead at the start. Closing up to turn 1, Hamilton attempted to pass on the inside, braked late and went wide, forcing Räikkönen to also go wide. Räikkönen lost out heavily and went down to seventh position. He gained places after a collision between Hamilton and Massa, Kovalainen's hydraulic failure and an overtaking manoeuvre on Jarno Trulli. He eventually finished third, behind Renault's Fernando Alonso and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica. This result meant that it was impossible for Räikkönen to retain his Drivers' Championship title for the second year.
In China
, Räikkönen qualified second behind Hamilton. At the start he stayed second with his teammate and now Ferrari's world championship contender, Massa, behind him in third place. However, with Räikkönen out of the running for the world championship he let Massa through into second place on lap 49, to help the latter gain two additional points in his pursuit of Hamilton in the world championship race.
At the , Räikkönen qualified third and finished third, behind Massa and Alonso. As Kubica failed to score, he finished third in the championship.
Räikkönen also won the DHL Fastest Lap Award
for the second year in a row. He set 10 fastest laps throughout the season.
At the start of the 2009 season
in the , Räikkönen qualified in ninth place. The pace of the Ferraris and McLarens in particular was significantly slower than the likes of the Brawn
, Red Bull and other outfits who were struggling to keep up with them in 2008. In the race, both Ferraris were running well before Räikkönen hit a barrier. He was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop on lap 43 and subsequently retired with differential failure.
In Malaysia
, Räikkönen topped the time sheet in the second practice session. Räikkönen was ninth in qualifying. Sebastian Vettel
and Rubens Barrichello
's ten and five-place penalties respectively meant that he was promoted to 7th. During the race, rain was predicted and the team took a gamble to change Räikkönen to full wet tyres while the track was still dry. The gamble did not pay off, and Räikkönen fell down the field. By the time the race was stopped on the 33rd lap due to torrential rain, Räikkönen was classified 14th.
Räikkönen's season did not get any better in Round 3 in China
where he qualified in 8th place. In the wet race, he and Lewis Hamilton had duels early on, with Hamilton having to overtake Räikkönen three times to get the job done. Räikkönen complained about power loss from the engine from near the start and of a lack of grip after his one and only pit-stop. This meant that he could only finish 10th. In Bahrain
, Räikkönen secured 6th place and Ferrari's first points of the year, but was disappointed by the team's performance. He retired from the due to a hydraulics failure after qualifying from the back of the grid.
At the , Räikkönen secured 2nd place in qualifying, Ferrari and Räikkönen's best qualifying of the year so far. He admitted that he was still disappointed because he missed out on pole narrowly to the Brawn of Jenson Button
. Räikkönen lost out to Rubens Barrichello at the start of the race, dropping back to 3rd. He maintained this position until the chequered flag.
At the , Räikkönen qualified sixth, but damaged his front wing on the first lap. He could only finish ninth, out of the points. At the , Räikkönen qualified ninth but a good start saw him move up to fifth. However, he dropped to eighth during the pit stops because of traffic and remained until the finish.
At the , Räikkönen qualified ninth after a damp session. In the race however he collided with the Force India
of Adrian Sutil
like in the previous year in Monte Carlo
, as the German was emerging from a pitstop. While Sutil managed to recover back to the pits to replace a nosecone, Raikkonen was forced to retire a few laps later with radiator damage as a result of the incident.
At the , Räikkönen took his and Ferrari's best finish of the season in 2nd, after making a great start from 7th. After the first corner Räikkönen was in 4th place, but when Fernando Alonso retired after his early first stop, Räikkönen moved up to 3rd. Räikkönen overtook Webber for 2nd place at the first round of pit stops when Räikkönen and Webber pitted on the same lap. Räikkönen had a clean pit-stop, whereas Webber had a problem and was released into the path of the Ferrari. Räikkönen and Webber avoided collision, and Webber had to slot in behind Räikkönen. On his second pit stop, Räikkönen had a problem with an exhaust pipe. However, having built quite a gap between him and Webber, he held on to take 2nd place.
At the , he qualified 6th. He jumped to 4th at the start of the race. He then moved up to 3rd after the second pit stops jumping Heikki Kovalainen
for the last podium place, and stayed in that position until the end of the race, claiming his second straight podium.
At the , he qualified 6th, jumping to 2nd at the start of the race. After the safety car was removed, he passed Giancarlo Fisichella
to take the race lead and led all the way to the chequered flag for his first race win in 25 races, and the first and only one for Ferrari in 2009. It was Räikkönen's fourth victory in the last five Belgian Grands Prix, bolstering his reputation as "The King of Spa".
Räikkönen continued his good form at the , qualifying and finishing 3rd, after Lewis Hamilton's last-lap crash. It was his 4th consecutive podium finish.
Singapore
saw the end of a great run for Räikkönen where he only finished 10th after qualifying 12th.
In Japan
, Räikkönen came very close to another podium, finishing fourth. He had qualified fifth and was not able to gain a place at the start of the race, as he was on hard tyres. He put on softs for his second stint and was able to close in on Nick Heidfeld
at about three quarters of a second every lap. He overtook the German after the BMW Sauber came out of the pits. However, an accident involving Toro Rosso
's Jaime Alguersuari
brought out the safety car on lap 44, which kept the field stationary for a further five laps. Despite Lewis Hamilton suffering a KERS failure, Räikkönen's car did not have the grip necessary and was not able to overtake the third-placed McLaren at the restart. He went wide in an attempt to overtake Hamilton but recovered without losing a further place to Nico Rosberg
.
In Brazil
, Räikkönen qualified 5th and finished 6th. His race was already ruined when Mark Webber
swerved into his path, damaging the Ferrari's front wing. At the pit stop while having the wing changed, fuel dripping from the fuel rig stuck on Kovalainen's car caused the Ferrari to briefly burst in flames as the two cars were exiting their pit stops. For the rest of the race even with his eyes burning from fuel, Räikkönen used his strategy to move up the order and eventually finished in sixth place.
In Abu Dhabi
, the last race of the season, Räikkönen qualified 11th with an uncompetitive car. He lost a place at the start of the race to Kamui Kobayashi
. For the rest of the race, Räikkönen struggled and finished 12th, out of the points.
but negotiations with the team failed. Räikkönen was linked to Mercedes GP
but the team eventually signed Michael Schumacher
and Nico Rosberg
. Toyota F1
, before it pulled out of Formula One, offered Räikkönen a driving contract to replace Timo Glock
in 2010. The BBC
reported that he refused the contract owing to wanting to drive a race-winning car, not to mention Toyota not offering a large enough salary.
On 17 November 2009, his manager Steve Robertson confirmed that Räikkönen would not drive in Formula One in the 2010 season. But during 2010 itself, rumours emerged once again about another possible Räikkönen comeback this time with the Renault
team in 2011
. This followed a resurgence in Renault's form, and the fact that the Russian Vitaly Petrov
had yet to be re-signed like team-mate Robert Kubica
. Team principal Éric Boullier
claimed he had been contacted by Räikkönen in connection with a possible return, but said that although he was flattered by Räikkönen's alleged display of interest:
However Räikkönen angrily shot down the suggestion that he would race, claiming that Renault had simply used his name for "their own marketing purposes".
Racing-prepared Abarth Grande Punto S2000. He finished in 13th place. Räikkönen made his WRC debut in the 2009 Rally Finland
, which took place between 30 July and 2 August, starting just four days after his 2nd place finish in the Hungarian Grand Prix
. He was running third in group N and 15th overall before crashing out in Väärinmaja, last stage of Saturday.
On 4 December 2009, it was announced that Räikkönen would shift from Formula 1 to the World Rally Championship
for the 2010 season
as a full-time driver for the Citroën Junior Team
, and that he would be driving a Red Bull
-sponsored Citroën C4 WRC
with his co-driver, Kaj Lindström. As members of the team, the pair were scheduled to participate in 12 of 13 rallies in the 2010 WRC calendar, the exception being Rally New Zealand.
On 3 April 2010, Räikkönen scored his first WRC points when he finished eighth in the Jordan Rally
. Consequently, he became the second driver after Carlos Reutemann
to score championship points in both Formula One and the World Rally Championship. In the next WRC event, the Rally of Turkey
, Räikkönen improved his best result with a fifth place finish, 6m 44.3s off the winner, Sébastien Loeb
. This result saw him beat established and more experienced drivers in the field.
In the 2010 Rally Finland
, the retired four-time World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen
entered the race and said that if Räikkönen cannot beat him then he might as well go back to Formula One. Kankkunen finished eighth and Räikkönen 25th due to car trouble. He finished seventh in the Rallye Deutschland
, his second ever asphalt rally, while notching up his first ever career stage win, the last stage of the rally.
On 18 September 2010, Räikkönen achieved his first rally win when he participated in the Rallye Vosgien 2010 in France. He won all six stages in the asphalt rally. Räikkönen could not start in the Rally Catalunya
because he crashed during the shakedown, leaving the roll cage damaged, and the team did not have enough time to repair it. Subsequently Räikkönen decided to not take part in the rally at all, even when he could by super rally rules. The reason was stated to be saving the car.
Räikkönen entered the 2011 World Rally Championship season
under his own team, ICE 1 Racing
. He drives a Citroën DS3 WRC
. He finished eighth in the opening round, Rally Sweden
. Skipping the Mexico event, he next competed in Rally Portugal
and finished seventh.
starting in the Camping World Truck Series sometime in the summer of 2011 with an eye on also running in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series.
On 2 April Räikkönen signed a deal with Toyota team Kyle Busch Motorsports
to run a limited schedule in the Camping World Truck Series. Earlier report claimed that Räikkönen's entry was related with Foster Gillett, however, Kyle Busch
rejected the claim. Räikkönen will debut in North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
, North Carolina on May 20, 2011. SpeedTV reported that Räikkönen was expected to race in Martinsville Speedway
and Homestead-Miami Speedway
in 2011 as well. The Charlotte entry list has Räikkönen driving the #15 Toyota for KBM.
On May 20, Räikkönen debuted at Charlotte Motor Speedway
with a strong finish of No. 15, though started the day with tough practice sessions and qualified only at 31 out of 37 cars. His race craft was well received by team crew chief Rick Ren and his teammate Kyle Busch
. Räikkönen went on to race in the Nationwide Series at the same track on May 28 driving for Joe Nemechek
. He finished 27th after having debris stuck under his car and getting a penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
, several news sources reported that Räikkönen was eyeing a return to Formula One for the 2012 season
with Williams F1 after he was spotted at the team's headquarters in Grove, Oxfordshire
. Several reports went so far as to suggest that Räikkönen had entered preliminary negotiations with the team. However, the team refused to comment on the reports, with driver Rubens Barrichello
dismissing them as rumour and speculation. On 29 November 2011, it was announced that Räikkönen will be returning to Formula 1 in 2012, signing a two-year contract with Lotus
.
, a Finnish model and former Miss Scandinavia
, on 31 July 2004. They currently live in Switzerland. His older brother, Rami Räikkönen, is a rally driver and a national junior-class champion, who also competes in the Finnish Formula 3 Championship; their father Matti was a road builder.
Räikkönen's hobbies include snowboarding
and ice hockey
. During his spare time he can often be seen watching his hometown ice hockey team Espoo Blues
play. He has also competed in several different kinds of motorsport events. In March 2007, while his Formula One rivals were in Australia preparing for the season opener, Räikkönen competed in a snowmobile
race in Finland under the pseudonym "James Hunt
", referring to the 1976 world champion whose "playboy" lifestyle has been compared with Räikkönen's own. Räikkönen won the Enduro Sprint race by over 20 seconds with his Lynx
. Later in the year, he and two friends entered a powerboat race in the Finnish harbour city of Hanko while wearing gorilla suits. Again, he raced under the name "James Hunt". They then won a prize for the best-dressed crew.
In August 2008, it was announced that 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".
In 2011, Räikkönen founded his own Motocross World Championship team; Ice 1 Racing
. The team consists of MX1 rider Toni Eriksson and MX2 rider Ludde Söderberg and is managed by seven-time enduro world champion Kari Tiainen
. The Ice 1 Racing team also supports six junior riders competing in the Finnish national championship.
In WRC and NASCAR he used a blue Stilo helmet with Red Bull's logo, silver accents (to resemble Red Bull's can design and Raikkonen's Sauber helmet lines), the rune symbol and the M insignia (in white and red) and with the inscription "Iceman".
Espoo
Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....
), nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racing driver, who will drive in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
for Lotus
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
in . After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
from 2009-2011.
Räikkönen entered Formula One as a regular driver for Sauber
Sauber
Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993....
-Petronas
Petronas
PETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and...
in . Having previously only raced in very junior open-wheel categories, he was given his Super Licence
FIA Super Licence
The FIA Super Licence is a qualification allowing the licence holder to take part in Formula One Grands Prix as a driver. The licence is issued by the FIA upon request....
from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
(FIA) after a performance delivery promise by his team boss, Peter Sauber
Peter Sauber
Peter Sauber is the team principal and owner of various motorsports teams, most visibly the eponymous Sauber Formula One team.- Motorsport career :...
. He joined McLaren Mercedes
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup...
in , and became a title contender by finishing runner-up in the and championships to Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
and Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
, respectively. Räikkönen's 2003 and 2005 seasons were plagued by severe unreliability from his McLaren cars, resulting in many pundits speculating that without the problems, he would have already been World Champion.
Räikkönen switched to Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
in 2007, he became the highest paid driver in motor sport with an estimated wage of $51 million per year. In turn his move to Ferrari saw him secure his first Formula One World Drivers' Championship, beating McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
and Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
by one point, as well as becoming one of the very few drivers to win in their first season at Ferrari. In 2008, he equalled the record for fastest laps in a season for the second time. After one more year in the sport, he left the Ferrari F1 team to drive a Citroën C4 WRC
Citroën C4 WRC
The Citroën C4 WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing to compete in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Citroën C4 road car and replaced the Citroën Xsara WRC...
for the Citroën Junior Team
Citroën Junior Team
The Citroën Junior Team was a World Rally Championship team, which competed in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. It was set up and run as Citroën's secondary team in the World Rally Championship, pitched against the existing Stobart Ford World Rally Team....
in the World Rally Championship for 2010. Along with rallying, Räikkönen has turned his attention towards NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
, and made his debut for Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch Motorsports is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and late model team that is owned and operated by Kyle Busch, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Truck Series driver...
in the Camping World Truck Series.
Räikkönen is known to be very relaxed, calm, cool, and calculating in his everyday life as well as in his racing career—prompting the nickname "Iceman", which Räikkönen has tattooed on the underside of his left forearm and which is also subtly written on the side of his current helmet design.
In , Räikkönen was among the two Formula One drivers who made it into the Forbes magazine's The Celebrity 100 list, the other being Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
. He is 36th on Forbes magazine's The Celebrity 100 list of 2008, and 41st on the previous year. On the same list, as of 2008, he is listed as the 26th highest paid celebrity overall and the 5th highest paid sportsman behind Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
, David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
, Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
and Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
. In , Räikkönen was listed as the equal 2nd highest paid athlete in the world, behind Woods. Räikkönen has signed a 2 year deal with Lotus for the 2012 Formula One season, marking his first return to the Formula since his 2009 departure.
Early career (until 2000)
Räikkönen had a long line of success in kartingKart racing
Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits...
from the age of ten. His first race outside Finland was in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
when he was 15 years old. During the race, the steering wheel broke, but he continued, informing his mechanic by frantically waving the steering wheel in the air on the home straight. Räikkönen's next Monaco race was also memorable; he was thrown on the wrong side of the safety fence in a first lap collision, but continued driving until running out of road. Undeterred, he lifted his kart back on to the track and continued to race. His mechanic thought Räikkönen had retired, but he eventually caught up with the other competitors and finished third. In 1998 he was 1st in Nordic (karting) Championship at Varna in Norway. In 1999, Räikkönen was placed second in the European Formula Super A championship. In the same year, he also competed in the Formula Ford Euro Cup. By the age of twenty, he had won the British Formula Renault
British Formula Renault Championship
The United Kingdom has two Formula Renault championships: Renault Sport UK's Formula Renault UK championship and the British Automobile Racing Club's BARC Formula Renault championship. Generally, the UK series is recognized as the British Formula Renault.-History:The "British Formula Renault...
winter series, winning the first four races of the year. In 2000, he won seven out of ten events in the Formula Renault UK Championship
British Formula Renault Championship
The United Kingdom has two Formula Renault championships: Renault Sport UK's Formula Renault UK championship and the British Automobile Racing Club's BARC Formula Renault championship. Generally, the UK series is recognized as the British Formula Renault.-History:The "British Formula Renault...
. Over two series of Formula Renault (1999, 2000), he won 13 out of 23 events - a 56% win rate.
Sauber (2001)
On the basis of these results, Peter SauberPeter Sauber
Peter Sauber is the team principal and owner of various motorsports teams, most visibly the eponymous Sauber Formula One team.- Motorsport career :...
gave the Finn a test with the Sauber
Sauber
Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993....
Formula One team in September 2000 at the Mugello Circuit
Mugello Circuit
Mugello Circuit is a race track in the Mugello region of Italy near Florence. Its length is . It has 15 turns and a long straight.Grand Prix motorcycle racing host an annual event here . Also, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters hold an annual event. The track is property of Scuderia Ferrari which...
. After further tests in Jerez
Circuito Permanente de Jerez
Circuito de Jerez , formerly known as Circuito Permanente de Jerez, is a 4,428 m racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, deep within the sherry-producing south of Spain...
and Barcelona
Circuit de Catalunya
The Circuit de Catalunya is a racetrack in Montmeló, to the north of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit.-History:...
, Sauber signed Räikkönen for the season. However, some critics (including FIA
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
president Max Mosley
Max Mosley
Max Rufus Mosley is the former president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile , a non-profit association that represents the interests of motoring organisations and car users worldwide...
) voiced concerns over granting an F1 Super Licence
FIA Super Licence
The FIA Super Licence is a qualification allowing the licence holder to take part in Formula One Grands Prix as a driver. The licence is issued by the FIA upon request....
to such an inexperienced driver; Räikkönen had only 23 car races to his credit. He was nevertheless granted his license and scored a championship point in his debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix
2001 Australian Grand Prix
The 2001 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 4 March 2001 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. It was the 66th running of the Australian Grand Prix and the first race of the 2001 Formula One season...
. Räikkönen was asleep 30 minutes before the race.
Räikkönen had a solid debut year, achieving four points-scoring finishes and eight finishes in the top eight. Completing the year with 9 points, Räikkönen, along with teammate Nick Heidfeld
Nick Heidfeld
Nick Lars Heidfeld is a German racing driver.Despite scoring regular podium finishes in and , Heidfeld has yet to win a race since entering Formula One in . This means that amongst the current drivers, he has had the most GP starts without standing at the top spot on the podium...
, helped Sauber to what was then its best result of fourth place in the constructors' championship.
McLaren (2002–2006)
Räikkönen, long linked to Sauber's engine supplier Ferrari, instead sufficiently impressed McLaren to earn a race seat in Ron DennisRon Dennis
Ronald "Ron" Dennis CBE is the executive chairman of McLaren Automotive and McLaren Group, and is also a significant shareholder in both companies...
's team for , taking the seat left vacant by double-world champion, mentor (and fellow Finn) Mika Häkkinen
Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...
's sabbatical.
2002
Räikkönen scored a third-place podium finish in his first race with McLaren, the 2002 Australian Grand Prix
2002 Australian Grand Prix
The 2002 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 3 March 2002 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. It was the first race of the 2002 Formula One season....
. Although McLaren suffered many Mercedes engine failures in 2002, Räikkönen scored 24 points and four podiums, and held his own against teammate David Coulthard
David Coulthard
David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...
. Räikkönen came close to winning his first Grand Prix in France
2002 French Grand Prix
The 2002 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Magny-Cours on July 21, 2002. It was the 11th race of the 2002 Formula One season and the race in which Michael Schumacher secured his 5th World Drivers' Championship title in record time, equalling Juan Manuel Fangio's record set over...
, but went off track at the Adelaide hairpin with a handful of laps to go, because of oil from the blown engine of Allan McNish
Allan McNish
Allan McNish is a Scottish racing driver. He is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, most recently in 2008, and two-time American Le Mans Series champion.- Early life :...
's Toyota
Toyota F1
Panasonic Toyota Racing was a Formula One team owned by Japanese car manufacturer Toyota and based in Cologne, Germany. Toyota announced their plans to participate in F1 in 1999, and after extensive testing with their initial car, dubbed the TF101, the team made their debut in 2002...
on the circuit. He finished the race second. He finished the season in sixth place, one place behind his team mate; together they achieved a solid third place for McLaren in the constructors' championship.
2003
At the opening , Räikkönen qualified 15th in the spare car. In the race he took the lead before being caught speeding in the pitlane, after a software glitch in the car's electronic system. Räikkönen held off Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
to finish 3rd. In Malaysia
2003 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2003 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on March 23, 2003 at the Sepang International Circuit. It was the second race of the 2003 Formula One season, and it was won by Kimi Räikkönen driving the MP4-17 for McLaren-Mercedes. This was Räikkönen's first Formula One Grand...
, Räikkönen won his first race after starting from 7th on the grid. During the next round in Brazil
2003 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 6, 2003 at Autódromo José Carlos Pace . This was the 700th World Championship event....
, Räikkönen was declared the winner after the race was stopped on lap 55. According to the rules the winner is decided by the race order as of two laps before the race stopped, i.e. lap 53. However a week later, evidence emerged that Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo Fisichella , also known as Fisico, Giano or Fisi, is an Italian racing driver. He has driven in Formula One for Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and Ferrari. Nowadays, he drives for AF Corse's GT2 Ferrari in various sportscar events...
was on lap 56 when the race stopped, therefore the winner was decided by the order at lap 54. This granted the win to Fisichella, with Räikkönen 2nd.
As other teams improved their cars, McLaren, who were still using the 2002 chassis, began to falter in terms of race speed. However, Räikkönen finished 2nd at Imola
2003 San Marino Grand Prix
The 2003 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 20, 2003 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.__FORCETOC__- Saturday Qualifying :- Race Result :- Notes :...
. At the , Räikkönen made a mistake in qualifying and had to start from the back of the grid, and at the start, he collided with Antônio Pizzonia
Antônio Pizzonia
Antônio Reginaldo Pizzonia Júnior is a Brazilian racing driver who has raced in Formula One and the Champ Car World Series.He is nicknamed "Jungle Boy", a reference to his native Amazonas...
, who was stuck on his grid position owing to a launch control problem, causing Räikkönen to retire from the race.
The next few races came down more to strategy rather than speed. While having engine problems, Räikkönen successfully defended his 2nd position from Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Gonçalves "Rubinho" Barrichello is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He is currently racing for Williams F1.Barrichello has scored the seventh highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from to , as Michael Schumacher's teammate, enjoying considerable...
in Austria. He came extremely close to winning in Monaco, but lost by less than a second to Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint...
. Starting from the pitlane in Canada after he went off track during qualifying with understeer, Räikkönen finished 6th, more than a minute adrift of race winner Michael Schumacher.
At the , Räikkönen took pole, and controlled the race from the start until his engine failed on lap 25. Title rival Michael Schumacher finished 5th taking 4 points advantage from Räikkönen. Räikkönen finished 4th in France
2003 French Grand Prix
The 2003 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 6, 2003 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.__FORCETOC__- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Juan Pablo Montoya 1:15.512...
behind Schumacher but finished one point ahead of him with a 3rd place finish at the . Räikkönen failed to finish the after being involved in an accident at the first corner with Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...
and Rubens Barrichello. Räikkönen finished 2nd at the next race, the .
Before the , the FIA were tipped-off by rivals Ferrari about a tyre-illegality in the Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
tread width. Michelin were forced to bring in narrower tyres and it seemed as if they had lost the advantage they had been enjoying over Bridgestone all season. McLaren also announced that they would see out the season with old the MP4-17D chassis and would not bring out the MP4-18 as had been planned. Räikkönen eventually finished 4th in the race, losing five championship points to race winner Michael Schumacher.
Räikkönen took pole at the , but Michael Schumacher won the race with Räikkönen finishing 2nd. With one race to go, Schumacher only needed one point to win the championship. Räikkönen would need to win the next race with Schumacher not scoring any points. After qualifying 8th in Japan
2003 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2003 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 12, 2003 at the Suzuka Circuit.At this race Michael Schumacher won his 6th World Championship, breaking Juan Manuel Fangio's record set in the 1950s...
, Räikkönen finished 2nd while Michael Schumacher just slipped into the points to win his 6th World Championship. Montoya's retirement during the race also meant that Räikkönen finished 2nd in the championship, just two points behind Schumacher. The team also narrowly lost second place in the constructors' championship, finishing third, two points behind runners-up Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
, and 12 points behind Ferrari. Mathematically, Williams or McLaren could have won the championship at the very last race. The 2003 season was one of the closest in recent years.
2004
The 2004 season
2004 Formula One season
The 2004 Formula One season was the 55th FIA Formula One World Championship season, running from March 7 to October 24, 2004. The season was dominated by Michael Schumacher and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro...
began with Räikkönen only claiming a single point in the first seven races. His McLaren, especially the Mercedes engine, suffered repeated breakdowns, allowing him to complete just two of the first seven events. After seven rounds Räikkönen had only one point to Michael Schumacher's 60. In Canada
2004 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2004 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 13, 2004 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.It was won by Michael Schumacher, with teammate Rubens Barrichello second, making for a 1-2 finish for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro as part of a season where Ferrari took the most wins of the...
, Räikkönen made 5 pit-stops but was classified 5th since the Williams-BMWs and the two Toyotas were disqualified. At the , Räikkönen finished 6th.
At the , McLaren rolled out the new MP4-19B. Räikkönen finished 7th behind his team-mate, David Coulthard. At Silverstone
2004 British Grand Prix
The 2004 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 11 July 2004 at the Silverstone Circuit.__FORCETOC__- Qualifying :-Race:- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Kimi Räikkönen 11 and Michael Schumacher 49...
, Räikkönen took pole and went on to finish second behind Michael Schumacher. Following on from this encouraging display, the McLarens qualified on the 2nd row of the grid in Germany. Both cars got off to a good start, however Räikkönen lost his rear wing on lap 13 of the race while following race leader Michael Schumacher. He retired again from the after starting from 10th place on the grid, again on lap 13. At the , Räikkönen qualified 10th, but took the lead on lap 11 and held on to it to take McLaren's only win of the season. He also took the fastest lap. The next weekend at Monza, Räikkönen again retired on lap 13, this time owing to electrical problems. At the next race in China
2004 Chinese Grand Prix
The 2004 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 26 September 2004 at the Shanghai International Circuit. It was the first Formula One race to be held in China.__FORCETOC__-Friday Drivers:- Qualifying :-Race:-Notes:...
, he finished 3rd, only 1.4 seconds behind race winner Rubens Barrichello.
At the , Räikkönen was shunted by Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He finished second in the Drivers' World Championship, and is under contract to race for Scuderia Ferrari until the end of the season.-Early years:...
on the first lap of the race, which caused him handling problems. He later managed to make up some ground: he finished 6th, 2.5 seconds behind Alonso. At the last race of the season, the , he overtook pole sitter Barrichello, even before they had reached Curva De Sol. Räikkönen later battled Montoya for the lead and finished 1 second behind him in 2nd. Räikkönen ended the year seventh, with 45 points, only one behind sixth placed Jarno Trulli
Jarno Trulli
Jarno Trulli is an Italian Formula One racing driver. He has been a regular in Formula One since 1997, driving for Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault and Toyota. He won the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix for Renault, his only Grand Prix victory to date. He is known for being a qualification expert...
, and four podiums.
Despite the disappointment of the 2004 season, Räikkönen was still seen as one of the rising stars of the sport, along with BAR's Button, Renault's Alonso and 2005 McLaren teammate Montoya. Many pundits predicted 2005 to be filled with great on-track battles from a resurgent team. He was also referred to by Ross Brawn
Ross Brawn
Ross James Brawn OBE is an English motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal. He has worked for a number of Formula One teams, serving as the technical director of the championship-winning Benetton and Ferrari teams. He took a sabbatical from the sport in 2007 but returned to F1 for the...
and Jean Todt
Jean Todt
Jean Todt was born on February 25, 1946, in Pierrefort, Cantal, France. After a successful career as a rally co-driver he made his reputation in motor sport management, first with Peugeot Talbot Sport, then with Scuderia Ferrari, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari from 2004...
as a driver whom Ferrari might consider in the future. In early November 2004, Räikkönen announced his intention to create a racing team with his manager Steve Robertson
Steve Robertson
Steve Robertson is a race car driver from Hackney, England.After spending three years in British Formula Three and competing in a full season of International Formula 3000 in 1992 in which he failed to score points, he won the 1993 Indy Lights Rookie of the Year award...
, to be entitled Räikkönen Robertson Racing (otherwise known as "Double R"), which would compete in Formula Three
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers...
in 2005.
2005
Räikkönen's start to the 2005 season
2005 Formula One season
The 2005 Formula One season was the 56th FIA Formula One World Championship season, contested over a record 19 Grands Prix. It commenced on March 6, 2005, and ended October 16....
season was less than perfect. The car was reported to be too soft on its Michelin tyres, with the result that it was not generating enough heat to post competitive qualifying times. The best qualifying position that a McLaren driver could manage in the first 3 races was 6th. Räikkönen compounded this by stalling on the grid of the first race of the season, the , and ending the race with just a point. He looked set for a podium in Malaysia until a faulty tyre valve failed and dropped him out of the points. Bahrain
2005 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One race held from April 1 to April 3, 2005 at Bahrain International Circuit.__FORCETOC__- Summary :...
saw him achieve his first podium of the season with a third place behind Renault's Alonso
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
and the Toyota of Jarno Trulli
Jarno Trulli
Jarno Trulli is an Italian Formula One racing driver. He has been a regular in Formula One since 1997, driving for Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault and Toyota. He won the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix for Renault, his only Grand Prix victory to date. He is known for being a qualification expert...
.
Räikkönen then achieved three consecutive poles in San Marino
2005 San Marino Grand Prix
The 2005 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held from April 22 to April 24, 2005 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.-Pre-race:Vitantonio Liuzzi replaced Christian Klien in the second Red Bull car, for this and the next two races; after unanimous agreement between the teams, Klien was...
, Spain
2005 Spanish Grand Prix
The 2005 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held from May 6 to May 8, 2005, at Circuit de Catalunya.Kimi Räikkönen started on pole position ahead of Mark Webber, who set a blistering lap during the second qualifying session to claim the front row, leaving championship leader Fernando Alonso...
, and a win after a safety car
Safety car
In motorsport, a safety car or pace car is a car which limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of a caution period such as an obstruction on the track. During a caution period the safety car enters the track ahead of the leader...
strategy call by Neil Martin
Neil Martin (motorsport)
Neil Martin is an English Formula One strategist, the current head of the Operations Research department at Scuderia Ferrari.After studying mathematics at the University of Southampton, he wrote his MSc paper on risk assessment...
at Monaco
2005 Monaco Grand Prix
The 2005 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 19– May 22, 2005 at the Circuit de Monaco. This was the first Monaco Grand Prix held after the death of Prince Rainier III...
. An almost certain win was denied at Imola after a driveshaft failure, but he won the other two races, putting him within 22 points of leader Alonso. He registered strong, comfortable wins at Barcelona, beating local boy Alonso and at Monte Carlo, never dropping his lead in both races. At the , Räikkönen flat-spotted his right front tyre while lapping Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...
(some commentators put a share of the blame on Villeneuve, as he did not give Räikkönen the racing line). The resultant vibrations caused his suspension to fail while he led on the final lap, sending him into the tyre wall and handing a further ten points to his rival Alonso. Changing a tyre would have given him a relatively safe third place. However, tyre changes were only allowed in 2005 in cases where a "punctured or damaged tyre" could be changed for "clear and genuine safety reasons" and there was no precedent for whether the stewards would consider a flat-spotted tyre dangerous enough. This incident, in part, resulted in a rules clarification allowing teams to change a flat-spotted tyre without punishment.
Alonso's first major mistake of the 2005 season handed the to Räikkönen. The following weekend saw all the Michelin teams, including McLaren, withdraw from the for safety reasons. At the , Räikkönen suffered a ten-place grid-penalty following the replacement of his new specification Mercedes Benz engine which failed in Friday practice. Räikkönen, putting in what Ron Dennis called his best ever qualifying lap, qualified 3rd (demoted to 13th) with a significant fuel load. He finished 2nd behind Fernando Alonso. A week later at the , Räikkönen suffered another Mercedes engine failure due to an oil leak; his 2nd place qualifying place became 12th. He claimed 3rd place in the race.
In Germany, Räikkönen was comfortably in the lead having dominated all weekend, but suffered a hydraulics failure, handing victory and a further 10 points to Alonso. It was his third retirement while leading a race during the season. On all three occasions, it was championship rival Alonso who took advantage to win. Significantly, at the opening of the , though saying he was very comfortable at McLaren, Räikkönen raised the possibility that he might leave McLaren when his contract expired in 2006 if reliability issues were not solved. He told a news conference, "We need to work in a better way just to make sure that the car is very reliable." However he went on to take the chequered flag with a convincing victory over Michael Schumacher, albeit after McLaren teammate Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint...
retired with driveshaft failure while leading.
Räikkönen won the Hungarian Grand Prix from the most handicapped qualifying position, having had to do his qualifying run first on the notoriously dusty and dirty track because of his early retirement a week earlier at Hockenheim. No other driver had previously managed this feat. Räikkönen then became the first ever winner of the . Two weeks later at the , Räikkönen's pole position was taken from him as he received another 10-position grid penalty for an engine change. It would emerge that he had 5 laps of fuel more than teammate Montoya and 6 more than Alonso during qualifying – and still managed to outpace them. During the race, Räikkönen was forced to take an extra stop when his left-rear tyre delaminated, which dropped him down to 12th. He recovered, but spun his car after pushing too hard while chasing Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo Fisichella , also known as Fisico, Giano or Fisi, is an Italian racing driver. He has driven in Formula One for Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and Ferrari. Nowadays, he drives for AF Corse's GT2 Ferrari in various sportscar events...
. He eventually finished fourth.
He went on to win, for the second year in a row, in Belgium
2005 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2005 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held on September 11, 2005 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium.Giancarlo Fisichella started the race from 13th place– the result of a ten-place grid penalty given for an engine change between final practice and qualifying on the...
at Spa-Francorchamps. The following race, the , saw Alonso clinch the Drivers' Championship, after finishing third behind Montoya and Räikkönen. In the penultimate race of the year
2005 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2005 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 9, 2005 at the Suzuka Circuit. McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen won the race after starting from 17th place and overtaking race leader Giancarlo Fisichella on the final lap...
, at the Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka Circuit
, Suzuka Circuit for short, is a motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Mobilityland Corporation, the subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..-Introduction:...
in Japan, Räikkönen took his 7th victory of the season after starting 17th on the grid (as rain, and an engine failure for Räikkönen, had mixed up the qualifying grid). The win was secured when he overtook Renault driver Fisichella (who had started third on the grid, and had led most of the race) on the final lap – which Formula One journalist Peter Windsor
Peter Windsor
Peter David Windsor is the former Sporting Director of the US F1 Team and a Formula One journalist reporter. He was brought up in Australia, but now has residences in London and Sydney....
thought the most impressive move of the race.
Räikkönen received the F1 Racing
F1 Racing
F1 Racing is a monthly magazine focused on Formula One racing which launched in March, 1996.The previous Editor, Matt Bishop, also used to write a fortnightly column for the website of the weekly magazine Autosport...
"Driver of the Year" accolade, and the Autosport
Autosport
Autosport is a weekly magazine covering motorsport, published in the United Kingdom every Thursday by Haymarket Consumer Media. It was first published on 25 August 1950 by Gregor Grant, immediately prior to the Silverstone International Trophy meeting of that year...
"International Racing Driver of the Year" award.
2006
In Bahrain
2006 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix was the first round of the 2006 Formula One World Championship, held on 12 March 2006 at the Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain.-Qualifying:...
, Räikkönen suffered electronic problems during Friday practice and a spectacular rear suspension breakage during the first qualifying session, which forced him back to 22nd place on the grid. Nevertheless he drove through the field, ending third behind Alonso and Michael Schumacher. In Malaysia, Räikkönen was hit from behind by Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing is a Formula One racing team based in Milton Keynes, England which currently holds an Austrian licence. It is, along with Scuderia Toro Rosso, one of two teams owned by beverage company Red Bull GmbH. The team have won two Constructors' Championship titles, in and , becoming the...
's Christian Klien
Christian Klien
Christian Klien is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver. In total he has scored 14 points in Formula One.Klien currently drives for Aston Martin Racing in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup-Racing career:...
on the first lap. The impact caused a left rear suspension failure resulting in Räikkönen retiring from the race.
Having started the year clearly behind Renault, McLaren improved in Australia
2006 Australian Grand Prix
The 2006 Australian Grand Prix was the third race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It was held on the weekend of 31 March–2 April 2006 at Albert Park, Melbourne...
, where Räikkönen finished second after flat spotting a tyre and losing a wing end-plate, which caused him to fall off the pace somewhat around the midpoint of the race. Chasing down Alonso during the final stages of the race, he set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap, finishing only 1.8 seconds behind the Spaniard. At the , a bad choice of strategy and a mistake from Räikkönen in qualifying (8th) saw the McLarens get caught in traffic in the early part of the race allowing Michael Schumacher and Alonso to get away at the front. Räikkönen eventually finished 5th, with team mate Montoya ahead in 3rd place. McLaren team boss Ron Dennis blamed what he deemed to be Räikkönen's poor performance for the team's failure to finish in the top two in the race.
At the , Räikkönen qualified 9th. However, he managed to get up to 5th place on the first lap of the race. He retained this position for most of the race, finishing in 5th place. A few days after the Spanish Grand Prix, he admitted that he had no chance of winning the 2006 Championship. In Monaco
2006 Monaco Grand Prix
The 2006 Monaco Grand Prix was the seventh race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It took place on the weekend of May 25–28th 2006 at the Circuit de Monaco. Prior to the race, Renault's Fernando Alonso had finished on the podium in all of the previous six Grands Prix, winning three of...
, Räikkönen qualified third. During the race he got up to 2nd and kept pace with Alonso, however he retired during a safety car period after a failed heat shield led to a wiring loom inside the car catching fire. After the retirement he was seen on live TV walking along the Monaco sidewalks with his helmet still on to the harbour and climbing aboard a yacht.
The at Silverstone saw Räikkönen qualify second behind Alonso and in front of Michael Schumacher. The running order was Alonso, Räikkönen, Schumacher until the second set of pitstops where Räikkönen was demoted to third by Schumacher, a position he held until the end of the race. In Canada
2006 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2006 Canadian Grand Prix was the ninth race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It took place on the weekend of June 23–25th 2006 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada....
, Räikkönen achieved another podium. In the , his teammate punted him out in an expensive seven car accident. The saw Räikkönen qualify his car in sixth. His teammate was now former test driver Pedro de la Rosa
Pedro de la Rosa
Pedro Martínez de la Rosa is a Formula One driver who has participated in 87 Grands Prix for the Arrows, Jaguar, McLaren and Sauber teams, debuting on 7 March 1999, becoming one of very few drivers to score a point at his first race...
in place of Montoya. Räikkönen ended the race in fifth. In Germany
2006 German Grand Prix
The Großer Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland was the twelfth race of the 2006 Formula One season. It was held on 28 July–30 at the Hockenheimring. The Grand Prix weekend got off to a controversial start when the mass damper system fitted by Renault was deemed legal by the FIA appointed stewards,...
, Räikkönen qualified on pole. After a battle with Jenson Button
Jenson Button
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion.Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British...
, he finished the race for the first time in his career, ending in third place. Another pole came in Hungary
2006 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 6, 2006 at the Hungaroring, Budapest. It was the 13th race of the 2006 Formula One season...
, but he collided with Vitantonio Liuzzi
Vitantonio Liuzzi
Vitantonio "Tonio" Liuzzi is an Italian race driver who is currently racing in Formula One for the HRT F1 Team. He has homes in Lugano, Switzerland and Pescara, Italy.-Karting:...
after 25 laps, causing his fourth retirement of the season.
A first turn incident with Scott Speed
Scott Speed
Scott Andrew Speed is an American race car driver. Formerly a driver for the Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 team, he made his Formula One race debut at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix; becoming the first American to race in F1 since Michael Andretti in 1993...
at the led to an exploded tyre and suspension damage. After a tyre change, Räikkönen's race ended half way into the next lap when he crashed into the barrier at turn 4 because of a loss of rear grip. Räikkönen qualified on pole for the by 2 thousandths of a second from Michael Schumacher. He led the early part of the race until the first pitstops where he was passed by Schumacher. He stayed in second place for the rest of the race. After the race, Schumacher announced that he would retire at the end of the season. Later, Ferrari announced that he would be replaced in the 2007 season by Räikkönen.
The saw another retirement for Räikkönen due to throttle problems. His last two Grands Prix, in Japan
2006 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2006 Japanese Grand Prix was the seventeenth race of the 2006 Formula One season. It was held between 6–8 October at Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka. It was won by Fernando Alonso, his last win for the Renault team before he moved to McLaren the following season...
and Brazil
2006 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 22, 2006 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo. It was the 18th and final race of the 2006 Formula One season...
, did lead to 2 finishes, but he missed the podium on both occasions. Räikkönen ended his time at McLaren-Mercedes with a fifth place in the World Drivers' Championship, with McLaren placing third in the World Constructors' Championship at the end of a winless year.
Räikkönen's British Formula Three Championship
British Formula Three Championship
The British Formula Three Championship is an international motor racing series that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. Its current official title is...
team Räikkönen Robertson Racing claimed their first major success, with British driver Mike Conway
Mike Conway
Mike Conway, born 19 August 1983, is a British racing driver. He lives in Sevenoaks, Kent and is currently competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series.- Biography :Conway who was born in Bromley, Kent, England attended Sevenoaks Prep School from 1986 to 1996....
winning the 2006 British F3 International Series
2006 British Formula Three season
The 2006 British Formula Three season was the 56th British Formula Three Championship season. It commenced on April 17, 2006 and ended on October 1 after twenty two races.-Drivers and teams:...
title and the prestigious Macau Grand Prix
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix is a motor-racing event held annually in Macau, one of China's Special Administrative Regions. It is known for being the only street circuit racing event in which both car and motorcycle races are held...
.
Ferrari (2007–2009)
After the 2006 Italian Grand Prix2006 Italian Grand Prix
The 2006 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 September 2006 at Autodromo Nazionale Monza. It was the fifteenth round of the 2006 Formula One season, and was won by Michael Schumacher driving a Ferrari car....
, Ferrari announced that Räikkönen had signed a three-year contract with Scuderia Ferrari for the 2007–2009 seasons. Räikkönen said after the move that he was very happy with this change of events but wished McLaren the best of luck in the future. He became the team mate to Brazilian Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He finished second in the Drivers' World Championship, and is under contract to race for Scuderia Ferrari until the end of the season.-Early years:...
, who had been driving for Ferrari since 2006. Following the retirement of Michael Schumacher and his new deal with Ferrari, Räikkönen was estimated to be the highest paid driver in F1, with a base salary reportedly worth US $51M annually.
2007
Räikkönen started the season in Australia
2007 Australian Grand Prix
The 2007 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 18 March 2007 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia. It was the first race of the 2007 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after...
by taking pole position, setting the fastest lap and becoming the first driver since Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
in 1989
1989 Formula One season
The 1989 Formula One season was the 40th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 26, 1989 and ended on November 5 after sixteen races...
to win his first Grand Prix with Ferrari. This was the first time in his career that he had managed the hat-trick of pole position, fastest lap and race victory.
At the , Räikkönen was passed by Lewis Hamilton at the start and remained behind him for the rest of the race, finishing third. In Bahrain
2007 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2007 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix is a Formula One motor race and is the third round of the 2007 Formula One season. It took place on the weekend of the 13–15 April at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain....
, Räikkönen started from third but was passed by McLaren driver Fernando Alonso. He eventually regained 3rd position from Alonso and finished the race 3rd. At the , Räikkönen retired after only 10 laps with an electrical problem. This took him down to fourth position in the Championship, behind team-mate Felipe Massa. At the , Räikkönen struck a barrier in qualifying and broke his right front suspension. He started 16th and finished 8th.
In Canada
2007 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2007 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 June 2007, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. It was the sixth race of the 2007 Formula One season...
, Räikkönen qualified fourth and finished fifth, Räikkönen's team-mate Massa was disqualified. At the , Räikkönen qualified fourth, finished fourth and recorded fastest lap of the race. With ten races in the season left, Räikkönen was 26 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers' Championship.
In France
2007 French Grand Prix
The 2007 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 1, 2007 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours, France. It was the eighth race of the 2007 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from...
, Räikkönen qualified third, but overtook Hamilton at the first corner of the race. He subsequently ran second, behind team-mate Massa, for much of the Grand Prix, but overtook the Brazilian during the pit-stops
Pit stop
In motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above...
and took his second victory of the season. This was the 11th victory of his Formula One career, as well as Ferrari's first 1–2 win of the 2007 season. At the , Räikkönen qualified in second place, just missing the pole by running wide in the last corner. In the race, again took the lead through pit stops, first overtaking Lewis Hamilton midway through the race and then putting in fast laps as Fernando Alonso pitted for the second time in the closing stages to pass him. Räikkönen led to the end of the race.
At the , Räikkönen captured his second pole position of the season, but retired from the race, run in heavy rain, with a problem with the hydraulics of the car. In Hungary
2007 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix was the eleventh race of the 2007 Formula One season, held between 3 to 5 August at the Hungaroring racing track in Budapest...
, Räikkönen qualified his car in fourth place, but started from third after Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
was penalised. In the race he overtook Nick Heidfeld
Nick Heidfeld
Nick Lars Heidfeld is a German racing driver.Despite scoring regular podium finishes in and , Heidfeld has yet to win a race since entering Formula One in . This means that amongst the current drivers, he has had the most GP starts without standing at the top spot on the podium...
at the start and pressured Hamilton until the end, but had to settle for second, being 0.7s behind Hamilton. He set the fastest lap time on the last lap of the race, commenting after the race: "I was so bored behind Hamilton, I wanted to see how quick I could have been." In Turkey
2007 Turkish Grand Prix
The 2007 Turkish Grand Prix was the twelfth race of the 2007 Formula One season. Won by Felipe Massa, it was held from 24 to August 26 at the Istanbul Park in Istanbul. It was the third time a Formula One race had been held here...
, Räikkönen missed pole position after making a mistake in the final sector of his fast lap, which left him third on the grid. On race day, he overtook Hamilton in the first corner and took second place, which he kept to the end of the race.
At Monza
2007 Italian Grand Prix
The 2007 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held from 7 to 9 September 2007 at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy. It was the thirteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season....
's third practice session, Räikkönen crashed into the tyre wall before entering the Ascari chicane. He qualified in fifth place, and raced in the Ferrari reserve car while suffering from a neck problem. The Ferrari team employed an unusual one-stop strategy, which left him third after Hamilton passed him late in the race on fresh tyres. At Spa-Francorchamps
2007 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2007 Belgian Grand Prix was the fourteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season, returning to the F1 calendar after a year's absence. It was held on 16 September at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium....
, Räikkönen's favourite circuit, he secured pole position again and took his fourth victory of the season. Massa finished second, Alonso third and Hamilton fourth. This was also Räikkönen's third consecutive Spa win, which placed him among six other drivers with three or more Spa wins.At the Fuji Speedway
Fuji Speedway
is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s and hosted the first Formula One race in Japan in 1976. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing...
in Japan
2007 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2007 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 30 September, 2007 at the Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Shizuoka. The race, contested over 67 laps, was the fifteenth round of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held at the recently revised track in very heavy rain and misty conditions...
, the only new track on the 2007 calendar, Räikkönen qualified in third position, while Hamilton took pole and Alonso second. In an extremely wet race, which saw the first 19 laps run behind the safety car
Safety car
In motorsport, a safety car or pace car is a car which limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of a caution period such as an obstruction on the track. During a caution period the safety car enters the track ahead of the leader...
, both Räikkönen and team-mate Massa were badly affected by having to change to extreme wet tyres during the early stages, because the FIA's tyre-rule notification arrived late at Ferrari. Towards the end of the race, Räikkönen moved through the field to third place, but could not pass his fellow countryman Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen is a Finnish Formula One racing driver who spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons with British based team McLaren and the 2010 and 2011 seasons with Team Lotus....
for second.
At the in Shanghai
Shanghai International Circuit
The Shanghai International Circuit is a motor racing circuit, situated in the Jiading District of Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The circuit is best known as the venue for the annual Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, which was first hosted in 2004....
, Räikkönen dominated the whole weekend with fastest laps in the free-practice sessions. In qualifying, Hamilton took pole position with a lighter fuel load, while Räikkönen qualified second and Massa third. There was light rainfall at the beginning of the race which prompted the cars to start on intermediate tyres. After the first round of pit stops Hamilton lost grip as his tyres suffered graining, and Räikkönen overtook him. Hamilton retired after sliding into a gravel trap in the pit lane. Räikkönen took his fifth win of the season, that revived his title hopes before the last race of the season. This was also the 200th race win and 600th podium in Ferrari's Formula One history. Räikkönen moved to seven and three points behind Hamilton and Alonso in the Drivers' Championship, respectively, going into the last race in Brazil, the first three-way title battle in the final race of the season since .
Räikkönen took the 2007 Formula One Drivers' title with victory in the at Interlagos
Autódromo José Carlos Pace
Autódromo José Carlos Pace, also known by its former name Interlagos, is a motor racing circuit located in the city of São Paulo, and named after Carlos Pace, a Brazilian Formula One driver, who had died prior to its naming...
, in an incident-packed race. Massa had taken pole, followed by Hamilton, Räikkönen, and Alonso. At the start of the race Räikkönen passed Hamilton on the outside and lined up behind Massa. Alonso shortly afterwards passed Hamilton, who fell progressively down the order. Räikkönen eventually overtook Massa, who was already eliminated from contention for the Driver's Championship in the Japanese Grand Prix. Massa's strategy for the second round of pit stops ensured Räikkönen kept the lead. Räikkönen went on to take the chequered flag, which handed him the crown by a single point from Hamilton and Alonso. Championship leader Hamilton eventually finished the race in seventh place, while defending champion Alonso managed third.
While Räikkönen had only one point more than Alonso and Hamilton at the end of the season, he had the most victories (six compared to four by each McLaren driver).
Räikkönen's Drivers' championship was briefly put into doubt when race stewards began an investigation after identifying possible fuel irregularities in the cars of Nico Rosberg
Nico Rosberg
Nico Erik Rosberg is a racing driver for the Mercedes GP Formula One team. He races under the German flag in Formula One, although he competed for Finland earlier in his career...
, Robert Kubica
Robert Kubica
Robert Józef Kubica is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006...
and Nick Heidfeld
Nick Heidfeld
Nick Lars Heidfeld is a German racing driver.Despite scoring regular podium finishes in and , Heidfeld has yet to win a race since entering Formula One in . This means that amongst the current drivers, he has had the most GP starts without standing at the top spot on the podium...
following post-race inspection. Their disqualification and a race reclassification would have seen Hamilton lifted from seventh to fourth in the race result. However the race stewards decided that no sanctions would be given, meaning the results would stand. McLaren appealed against the decision, however the FIA Court of Appeal rejected their appeal on 16 November 2007 thus confirming Räikkönen as the champion.
2008
After a disappointing first race for Ferrari in Australia
2008 Australian Grand Prix
The 2008 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 16 March 2008 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia. It was the first race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after...
where Räikkönen eventually finished eighth after starting 15th on the grid owing to a mechanical problem in qualifying, he won his first race of the 2008 season
2008 Formula One season
The 2008 Formula One season was the 59th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It began on 16 March and ended on 2 November with eighteen Grand Prix races....
at the , finishing ahead of Robert Kubica
Robert Kubica
Robert Józef Kubica is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006...
and Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen is a Finnish Formula One racing driver who spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons with British based team McLaren and the 2010 and 2011 seasons with Team Lotus....
. His victory in Kuala Lumpur came on the fifth anniversary of his maiden victory at the same track. In Bahrain
2008 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 6, 2008 at the Bahrain International Circuit, in Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the third race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team...
, Räikkönen qualified in fourth on the grid. He moved up to second place by the third lap and finished in that position, behind his team-mate Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He finished second in the Drivers' World Championship, and is under contract to race for Scuderia Ferrari until the end of the season.-Early years:...
. He also secured the lead in the championship.
In Spain
2008 Spanish Grand Prix
The 2008 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 27, 2008 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Spain. It was the fourth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 66 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from pole position...
, Räikkönen took the 15th pole of his career and his first of the 2008 season. He managed to take his second race win of the season and the fastest lap of the race. Räikkönen overtook Mika Häkkinen
Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...
in the list of total number of fastest laps and also in terms of podium finishes, making him the highest ranked Finnish driver in these statistics.
At the , Räikkönen qualified in fourth place. Despite damaging his front wing in the early stages after a collision with fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen, Räikkönen was still able to set the fastest lap and finish in third place.
In Monaco
2008 Monaco Grand Prix
The 2008 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 25, 2008, at the Circuit de Monaco; contested over 76 laps, it was the sixth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race was won by the season's eventual Drivers' Champion, Lewis Hamilton, for the McLaren team...
, Räikkönen qualified in second behind teammate Felipe Massa. Räikkönen stayed second behind Massa until he was given a drive-through penalty for an infringement by the team on his car and dropped down to sixth. He was set for fifth until an incident with Adrian Sutil
Adrian Sutil
-Biography:Sutil is the son of professional musicians Monika, a German, and Jorge, a Uruguayan. He has two brothers named Daniel and Raphael. He weighs 165 pounds and is 6 feet tall. A talented pianist, Sutil started karting at 14 before moving up to Swiss Formula Ford 1800 in 2002...
, when Räikkönen lost control on the damp track after exiting the tunnel, and hit Sutil's car in the rear. Räikkönen's car was not badly damaged and he was able to finish in ninth after replacing his front wing, also setting the fastest lap in the process. After the race, Mike Gascoyne
Mike Gascoyne
Michael "Mike" Gascoyne is a designer of Formula One cars. He is currently the Chief Technical Officer of Team Lotus....
, the Chief Technology Officer of Force India announced they were filing official protests with the stewards over the incident, demanding a ban for Räikkönen. However, the stewards decided not to penalise him.
In Canada
2008 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2008 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 8, 2008 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada. It was the 7th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by Robert Kubica for the BMW Sauber team after starting from...
, Räikkönen qualified third. In the race, he set the fastest lap during the first stint while catching up with Robert Kubica who was in second place. The safety car was deployed when Adrian Sutil's car broke down in a dangerous position. Both he and Kubica jumped ahead of race leader Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
when they pitted during the safety car period. As there was a red light at the end of the pitlane, Räikkönen and Kubica stopped alongside each other and waited for the signal to allow them back on to the circuit. Hamilton failed to notice the red light and hit the rear of Räikkönen's Ferrari, eliminating both cars.
Räikkönen went on to take his 16th pole position in France
2008 French Grand Prix
The 2008 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 22, 2008 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France. This race is the last French Grand Prix. It was the eighth race of the 2008 Formula One season...
, which was the 200th pole for Scuderia Ferrari. Räikkönen dominated the race as he set the fastest lap and had a six second lead until a bank exhaust failure some half way through the race reduced his engine's power. He gave up the lead to his teammate Massa, but was far enough ahead of Toyota's
Toyota F1
Panasonic Toyota Racing was a Formula One team owned by Japanese car manufacturer Toyota and based in Cologne, Germany. Toyota announced their plans to participate in F1 in 1999, and after extensive testing with their initial car, dubbed the TF101, the team made their debut in 2002...
Jarno Trulli
Jarno Trulli
Jarno Trulli is an Italian Formula One racing driver. He has been a regular in Formula One since 1997, driving for Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault and Toyota. He won the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix for Renault, his only Grand Prix victory to date. He is known for being a qualification expert...
, to secure second place and eight points.
Räikkönen qualified third at the . Before the race, Räikkönen pushed noted photographer Paul-Henri Cahier to the ground as he lined up a close-up shot. Raikkönen's manager Steve Robertson claimed the driver was provoked by Cahier touching him with his lens and standing on his belongings, but Cahier disputed this version of events. The race was in wet conditions and Räikkönen stayed third at the first corner behind Hamilton and Kovalainen. He kept pace and got up to second when Kovalainen spun. He then chased after Hamilton, and set the fastest lap as he drew up directly behind the McLaren. During the first pitstop, Ferrari did not change the intermediates on his car in the hope that the track would become dry. However, the track was hit by another shower, and Räikkönen rapidly lost pace, and dropped down to sixth before finally pitting for new tyres. He finished fourth, a lap down.
At the , Räikkönen qualified sixth and dropped down a place at the first corner. He was running fifth when the safety car came out after a crash involving Timo Glock
Timo Glock
Timo Glock is a German motor racing driver, currently driving in Formula One for the Virgin Racing team. At the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix, standing in for Giorgio Pantano who had a contract dispute with Jordan Grand Prix, he joined a select group of drivers who have scored a World Championship...
. His teammate Felipe Massa was ahead of him on the track, and as a result, Räikkönen was forced to wait behind Massa when the pitlane opened. This dropped him down to 12th, but he eventually finished in sixth.
At the , Räikkönen again qualified sixth. He lost a position to Alonso at the beginning of the race but managed to finish third owing to Hamilton's tyre puncture, passing Alonso during the pitstops and Massa's retirement after an engine failure.
During the , Räikkönen qualified fourth and lost a place at the start to Kovalainen. He stayed fifth until the second round of pitstops when he exited before the fuel hose was properly disengaged from his car and left one of the mechanics with a fractured toe. Two laps later, he suffered a similar engine failure to Massa in the previous race; a connecting rod in his engine broke and he was forced to retire.
At the , Räikkönen again qualified fourth. He passed Kovalainen and Massa at the start to be second, and took the lead from Hamilton on the second lap. He pulled away, setting the fastest lap of the race and built a five second gap. He looked set to win but owing to a late-race rain shower, Hamilton closed right up to him and tried to pass him at the final chicane with two laps to go. Hamilton cut the chicane and rejoined ahead of Räikkönen. He let Räikkönen take the place back. Hamilton then repassed him for the lead. The two battled on for the rest of the lap, with Räikkönen retaking the lead when the two stumbled upon spinning backmarker Nico Rosberg
Nico Rosberg
Nico Erik Rosberg is a racing driver for the Mercedes GP Formula One team. He races under the German flag in Formula One, although he competed for Finland earlier in his career...
, forcing Hamilton onto the grass. Räikkönen spun at the next corner and fell behind Hamilton again. While trying to catch up, he lost control of the car, smashed into a wall and retired.
At the , which was held in extremely wet conditions, Räikkönen qualified 14th. He stayed in 14th position for the first two stints. He climbed to ninth position in the third and last stint in which he also set the fastest lap of the race.
In Singapore
2008 Singapore Grand Prix
The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, formally known as the 2008 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, was a Formula One race held on 28 September 2008 at the newly built Marina Bay Street Circuit in Marina Bay, Singapore...
, the first night-time event in Formula One history, Räikkönen qualified third behind Massa and Hamilton. He remained in this position for most of the early laps. On lap 14, Nelson Piquet, Jr.'s Renault
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
hit the wall at turn 17 and the safety car was deployed. Both Ferrari drivers pitted during the safety car period, with Räikkönen queued behind Massa in a busy pitlane. Ferrari released Massa before the fuel hose was disconnected from the car, which compromised Räikkönen who rejoined in 16th. Räikkönen managed to climb to fifth place, but on lap 57, while attacking Timo Glock
Timo Glock
Timo Glock is a German motor racing driver, currently driving in Formula One for the Virgin Racing team. At the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix, standing in for Giorgio Pantano who had a contract dispute with Jordan Grand Prix, he joined a select group of drivers who have scored a World Championship...
, he hit the wall after pushing too hard at turn 10 and retired. He set the fastest lap of the race as his tenth of the season. This equalled Michael Schumacher's 2004 record of ten fastest laps in a Formula One season.
At the at the Fuji Speedway
Fuji Speedway
is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s and hosted the first Formula One race in Japan in 1976. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing...
circuit, Räikkönen qualified second on the grid, behind Hamilton, and took the lead at the start. Closing up to turn 1, Hamilton attempted to pass on the inside, braked late and went wide, forcing Räikkönen to also go wide. Räikkönen lost out heavily and went down to seventh position. He gained places after a collision between Hamilton and Massa, Kovalainen's hydraulic failure and an overtaking manoeuvre on Jarno Trulli. He eventually finished third, behind Renault's Fernando Alonso and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica. This result meant that it was impossible for Räikkönen to retain his Drivers' Championship title for the second year.
In China
2008 Chinese Grand Prix
The 2008 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 19, 2008 at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China. It was the 17th and penultimate race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 56 laps, was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after...
, Räikkönen qualified second behind Hamilton. At the start he stayed second with his teammate and now Ferrari's world championship contender, Massa, behind him in third place. However, with Räikkönen out of the running for the world championship he let Massa through into second place on lap 49, to help the latter gain two additional points in his pursuit of Hamilton in the world championship race.
At the , Räikkönen qualified third and finished third, behind Massa and Alonso. As Kubica failed to score, he finished third in the championship.
Räikkönen also won the DHL Fastest Lap Award
DHL Fastest Lap Award
The DHL Fastest Lap Award is awarded to the driver with the most fastest laps in a Formula One season. The trophy is the first such award to honour drivers with the most fastest laps. According to Bernie Ecclestone, the award, "recognises the very things that make Formula 1: speed and...
for the second year in a row. He set 10 fastest laps throughout the season.
2009
At the start of the 2009 season
2009 Formula One season
The 2009 Formula One season was the 60th FIA Formula One World Championship season. The season took place over 17 rounds, and started with the on 29 March 2009. It ended on 1 November 2009 with the inaugural ....
in the , Räikkönen qualified in ninth place. The pace of the Ferraris and McLarens in particular was significantly slower than the likes of the Brawn
Brawn GP
Brawn GP Formula One Team, the trading name of Brawn GP Limited, was a Formula One motor racing team and constructor, created by a management buyout of Honda Racing F1 Team. It only competed in the 2009 Formula One World Championship, with drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. The team...
, Red Bull and other outfits who were struggling to keep up with them in 2008. In the race, both Ferraris were running well before Räikkönen hit a barrier. He was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop on lap 43 and subsequently retired with differential failure.
In Malaysia
2009 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 5, 2009 at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia. It was the second race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race was due to be contested over 56 laps, but due to torrential rain, the race was stopped after...
, Räikkönen topped the time sheet in the second practice session. Räikkönen was ninth in qualifying. Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel is a German Formula One racing driver, currently driving for Red Bull Racing. He is the current World Champion, having won the championship in and ....
and Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Gonçalves "Rubinho" Barrichello is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He is currently racing for Williams F1.Barrichello has scored the seventh highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from to , as Michael Schumacher's teammate, enjoying considerable...
's ten and five-place penalties respectively meant that he was promoted to 7th. During the race, rain was predicted and the team took a gamble to change Räikkönen to full wet tyres while the track was still dry. The gamble did not pay off, and Räikkönen fell down the field. By the time the race was stopped on the 33rd lap due to torrential rain, Räikkönen was classified 14th.
Räikkönen's season did not get any better in Round 3 in China
2009 Chinese Grand Prix
The 2009 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 19, 2009 at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. It was the third race of the 2009 Formula One season, a change from previous years, when it took place towards the end of the season.Sebastian...
where he qualified in 8th place. In the wet race, he and Lewis Hamilton had duels early on, with Hamilton having to overtake Räikkönen three times to get the job done. Räikkönen complained about power loss from the engine from near the start and of a lack of grip after his one and only pit-stop. This meant that he could only finish 10th. In Bahrain
2009 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 26, 2009, at the Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the sixth Bahrain Grand Prix and fourth race of the 2009 Formula One season....
, Räikkönen secured 6th place and Ferrari's first points of the year, but was disappointed by the team's performance. He retired from the due to a hydraulics failure after qualifying from the back of the grid.
At the , Räikkönen secured 2nd place in qualifying, Ferrari and Räikkönen's best qualifying of the year so far. He admitted that he was still disappointed because he missed out on pole narrowly to the Brawn of Jenson Button
Jenson Button
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion.Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British...
. Räikkönen lost out to Rubens Barrichello at the start of the race, dropping back to 3rd. He maintained this position until the chequered flag.
At the , Räikkönen qualified sixth, but damaged his front wing on the first lap. He could only finish ninth, out of the points. At the , Räikkönen qualified ninth but a good start saw him move up to fifth. However, he dropped to eighth during the pit stops because of traffic and remained until the finish.
At the , Räikkönen qualified ninth after a damp session. In the race however he collided with the Force India
Force India
Sahara Force India Formula One Team, the trading name of Force India Formula One Team Limited, is a Formula One racing team based in Silverstone, United Kingdom which currently holds an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 2007 when a consortium led by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and...
of Adrian Sutil
Adrian Sutil
-Biography:Sutil is the son of professional musicians Monika, a German, and Jorge, a Uruguayan. He has two brothers named Daniel and Raphael. He weighs 165 pounds and is 6 feet tall. A talented pianist, Sutil started karting at 14 before moving up to Swiss Formula Ford 1800 in 2002...
like in the previous year in Monte Carlo
2008 Monaco Grand Prix
The 2008 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 25, 2008, at the Circuit de Monaco; contested over 76 laps, it was the sixth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race was won by the season's eventual Drivers' Champion, Lewis Hamilton, for the McLaren team...
, as the German was emerging from a pitstop. While Sutil managed to recover back to the pits to replace a nosecone, Raikkonen was forced to retire a few laps later with radiator damage as a result of the incident.
At the , Räikkönen took his and Ferrari's best finish of the season in 2nd, after making a great start from 7th. After the first corner Räikkönen was in 4th place, but when Fernando Alonso retired after his early first stop, Räikkönen moved up to 3rd. Räikkönen overtook Webber for 2nd place at the first round of pit stops when Räikkönen and Webber pitted on the same lap. Räikkönen had a clean pit-stop, whereas Webber had a problem and was released into the path of the Ferrari. Räikkönen and Webber avoided collision, and Webber had to slot in behind Räikkönen. On his second pit stop, Räikkönen had a problem with an exhaust pipe. However, having built quite a gap between him and Webber, he held on to take 2nd place.
At the , he qualified 6th. He jumped to 4th at the start of the race. He then moved up to 3rd after the second pit stops jumping Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen is a Finnish Formula One racing driver who spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons with British based team McLaren and the 2010 and 2011 seasons with Team Lotus....
for the last podium place, and stayed in that position until the end of the race, claiming his second straight podium.
At the , he qualified 6th, jumping to 2nd at the start of the race. After the safety car was removed, he passed Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo Fisichella , also known as Fisico, Giano or Fisi, is an Italian racing driver. He has driven in Formula One for Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and Ferrari. Nowadays, he drives for AF Corse's GT2 Ferrari in various sportscar events...
to take the race lead and led all the way to the chequered flag for his first race win in 25 races, and the first and only one for Ferrari in 2009. It was Räikkönen's fourth victory in the last five Belgian Grands Prix, bolstering his reputation as "The King of Spa".
Räikkönen continued his good form at the , qualifying and finishing 3rd, after Lewis Hamilton's last-lap crash. It was his 4th consecutive podium finish.
Singapore
2009 Singapore Grand Prix
The 2009 Singapore Grand Prix was the fourteenth race of the 2009 Formula One season. It was the second Singapore Grand Prix to be part of a Formula One Championship and the tenth Singapore Grand Prix overall. It was also the second Formula One race to be held at night...
saw the end of a great run for Räikkönen where he only finished 10th after qualifying 12th.
In Japan
2009 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2009 Japanese Grand Prix was the fifteenth round of the 2009 Formula One season...
, Räikkönen came very close to another podium, finishing fourth. He had qualified fifth and was not able to gain a place at the start of the race, as he was on hard tyres. He put on softs for his second stint and was able to close in on Nick Heidfeld
Nick Heidfeld
Nick Lars Heidfeld is a German racing driver.Despite scoring regular podium finishes in and , Heidfeld has yet to win a race since entering Formula One in . This means that amongst the current drivers, he has had the most GP starts without standing at the top spot on the podium...
at about three quarters of a second every lap. He overtook the German after the BMW Sauber came out of the pits. However, an accident involving Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso , also known simply as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, is an Italian Formula One racing team...
's Jaime Alguersuari
Jaime Alguersuari
Jaime Víctor Alguersuari Escudero , is a Spanish racing driver who became the youngest Formula One driver to start a Grand Prix in history at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. Alguersuari is the first driver to be born in the 1990s to compete in Formula One....
brought out the safety car on lap 44, which kept the field stationary for a further five laps. Despite Lewis Hamilton suffering a KERS failure, Räikkönen's car did not have the grip necessary and was not able to overtake the third-placed McLaren at the restart. He went wide in an attempt to overtake Hamilton but recovered without losing a further place to Nico Rosberg
Nico Rosberg
Nico Erik Rosberg is a racing driver for the Mercedes GP Formula One team. He races under the German flag in Formula One, although he competed for Finland earlier in his career...
.
In Brazil
2009 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race which was held on October 18, 2009 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil. It was the sixteenth race of the 2009 Formula One season...
, Räikkönen qualified 5th and finished 6th. His race was already ruined when Mark Webber
Mark Webber
Mark Alan Webber is an Australian Formula One driver.After some racing success in Australia, Webber moved to the United Kingdom in 1995 to further his motorsport career...
swerved into his path, damaging the Ferrari's front wing. At the pit stop while having the wing changed, fuel dripping from the fuel rig stuck on Kovalainen's car caused the Ferrari to briefly burst in flames as the two cars were exiting their pit stops. For the rest of the race even with his eyes burning from fuel, Räikkönen used his strategy to move up the order and eventually finished in sixth place.
In Abu Dhabi
2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the seventeenth and last race of the 2009 Formula One season. It took place on November 1, 2009 at the 3.45-mile Hermann Tilke-designed Yas Marina Circuit. It was the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and also the first ever day-night Grand Prix...
, the last race of the season, Räikkönen qualified 11th with an uncompetitive car. He lost a place at the start of the race to Kamui Kobayashi
Kamui Kobayashi
is a Japanese racing driver. He has competed in the GP2 Series, won the GP2 Asia Series, and made his Formula One debut with Toyota in the final two races of when he replaced Timo Glock after the German was injured in a crash during qualifying for the...
. For the rest of the race, Räikkönen struggled and finished 12th, out of the points.
Leaving Formula One
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 . He would be replaced by Fernando Alonso. He was expected to return to McLaren alongside Lewis HamiltonLewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
but negotiations with the team failed. Räikkönen was linked to Mercedes GP
Mercedes GP
Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team, the trading name of Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited, is a British-based Formula One racing team and constructor, owned by Mercedes-Benz and racing under a German licence since the 2010 season....
but the team eventually signed Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
and Nico Rosberg
Nico Rosberg
Nico Erik Rosberg is a racing driver for the Mercedes GP Formula One team. He races under the German flag in Formula One, although he competed for Finland earlier in his career...
. Toyota F1
Toyota F1
Panasonic Toyota Racing was a Formula One team owned by Japanese car manufacturer Toyota and based in Cologne, Germany. Toyota announced their plans to participate in F1 in 1999, and after extensive testing with their initial car, dubbed the TF101, the team made their debut in 2002...
, before it pulled out of Formula One, offered Räikkönen a driving contract to replace Timo Glock
Timo Glock
Timo Glock is a German motor racing driver, currently driving in Formula One for the Virgin Racing team. At the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix, standing in for Giorgio Pantano who had a contract dispute with Jordan Grand Prix, he joined a select group of drivers who have scored a World Championship...
in 2010. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reported that he refused the contract owing to wanting to drive a race-winning car, not to mention Toyota not offering a large enough salary.
On 17 November 2009, his manager Steve Robertson confirmed that Räikkönen would not drive in Formula One in the 2010 season. But during 2010 itself, rumours emerged once again about another possible Räikkönen comeback this time with the Renault
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
team in 2011
2011 Formula One season
The 2011 Formula One season was the 62nd FIA Formula One season. The original calendar consisted of twenty rounds, including the inaugural running of the Indian Grand Prix before the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Pirelli returned to the sport as tyre supplier for all teams, taking over...
. This followed a resurgence in Renault's form, and the fact that the Russian Vitaly Petrov
Vitaly Petrov
Vitaly Alexandrovich Petrov is a Russian Formula One racing driver, currently driving for the Lotus Renault GP team. He is known as "Vyborg Rocket" in Russia. He is, to date, the only Russian to have competed in the Formula One World Championship....
had yet to be re-signed like team-mate Robert Kubica
Robert Kubica
Robert Józef Kubica is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006...
. Team principal Éric Boullier
Éric Boullier
Éric René Boullier is a French motor racing engineer and manager, currently the team principal of the Lotus Renault GP Formula One team and vice chairman of FOTA.-Career:...
claimed he had been contacted by Räikkönen in connection with a possible return, but said that although he was flattered by Räikkönen's alleged display of interest:
However Räikkönen angrily shot down the suggestion that he would race, claiming that Renault had simply used his name for "their own marketing purposes".
Rallying
Räikkönen made his rally debut at the Arctic Lapland Rally, which ran from 23 to 24 January 2009, driving a Tommi MäkinenTommi Mäkinen
"Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen , tied with Juha Kankkunen and behind Sébastien Loeb , and fifth in wins .He is a four-time World Rally Champion, a series he first won, and then successfully defended, continuously throughout 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999, on all occasions driving the Ralliart Mitsubishi...
Racing-prepared Abarth Grande Punto S2000. He finished in 13th place. Räikkönen made his WRC debut in the 2009 Rally Finland
2009 Rally Finland
The 2009 Neste Oil Rally Finland was the 59th running of the Rally Finland and the ninth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 23 special stages and was won by Ford's Mikko Hirvonen. This marked his third victory in a row and his first in his home event...
, which took place between 30 July and 2 August, starting just four days after his 2nd place finish in the Hungarian Grand Prix
2009 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 26, 2009 at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, north of Budapest, Hungary. It was the tenth race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by world champion Lewis Hamilton for McLaren-Mercedes,...
. He was running third in group N and 15th overall before crashing out in Väärinmaja, last stage of Saturday.
On 4 December 2009, it was announced that Räikkönen would shift from Formula 1 to the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
for the 2010 season
2010 World Rally Championship season
The 2010 World Rally Championship season was the 38th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 13 rallies, beginning with Rally Sweden on 11 February and ended Wales Rally GB on 14 November....
as a full-time driver for the Citroën Junior Team
Citroën Junior Team
The Citroën Junior Team was a World Rally Championship team, which competed in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. It was set up and run as Citroën's secondary team in the World Rally Championship, pitched against the existing Stobart Ford World Rally Team....
, and that he would be driving a Red Bull
Red Bull
Red Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year. Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already...
-sponsored Citroën C4 WRC
Citroën C4 WRC
The Citroën C4 WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing to compete in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Citroën C4 road car and replaced the Citroën Xsara WRC...
with his co-driver, Kaj Lindström. As members of the team, the pair were scheduled to participate in 12 of 13 rallies in the 2010 WRC calendar, the exception being Rally New Zealand.
On 3 April 2010, Räikkönen scored his first WRC points when he finished eighth in the Jordan Rally
2010 Jordan Rally
The 2010 Jordan Rally was the third round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over April 1–3, and was based beside the Dead Sea, some from the country's capital, Amman. The rally was also the third round of both the Production Car World Rally Championship, and the...
. Consequently, he became the second driver after Carlos Reutemann
Carlos Reutemann
Carlos Alberto Reutemann , nicknamed "Lole", is an Argentine former racing driver , and later a politician in his native province of Santa Fe, for the Justicialist Party....
to score championship points in both Formula One and the World Rally Championship. In the next WRC event, the Rally of Turkey
2010 Rally of Turkey
The 2010 Rally of Turkey was the fourth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over April 16–18, and was based in the country's largest city, Istanbul...
, Räikkönen improved his best result with a fifth place finish, 6m 44.3s off the winner, Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
. This result saw him beat established and more experienced drivers in the field.
In the 2010 Rally Finland
2010 Rally Finland
The 2010 Neste Oil Rally Finland was the 60th Rally Finland and the eighth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over July 29–31, and is based in Jyväskylä, the capital of the Central Finland region...
, the retired four-time World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen
Juha Kankkunen
Juha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
entered the race and said that if Räikkönen cannot beat him then he might as well go back to Formula One. Kankkunen finished eighth and Räikkönen 25th due to car trouble. He finished seventh in the Rallye Deutschland
2010 Rallye Deutschland
The 2010 ADAC Rallye Deutschland was the 28th Rallye Deutschland and the ninth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over August 20–22, and is based in Trier. It was the first of two WRC rounds where all WRC support series competed in the same round...
, his second ever asphalt rally, while notching up his first ever career stage win, the last stage of the rally.
On 18 September 2010, Räikkönen achieved his first rally win when he participated in the Rallye Vosgien 2010 in France. He won all six stages in the asphalt rally. Räikkönen could not start in the Rally Catalunya
2010 Rally Catalunya
The 2010 Rally Catalunya was the twelfth and penultimate round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 22–24 October 2010, and was based in Salou, the second biggest city in the Province of Tarragona in Catalonia...
because he crashed during the shakedown, leaving the roll cage damaged, and the team did not have enough time to repair it. Subsequently Räikkönen decided to not take part in the rally at all, even when he could by super rally rules. The reason was stated to be saving the car.
Räikkönen entered the 2011 World Rally Championship season
2011 World Rally Championship season
The 2011 World Rally Championship season was the 39th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season has 13 rallies, beginning with Rally Sweden on 10 February...
under his own team, ICE 1 Racing
Ice 1 Racing
ICE 1 Racing is a team competing in the World Rally Championship with Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen. The team is based at Citroën Racing's headquarters in Versailles, France....
. He drives a Citroën DS3 WRC
Citroën DS3 WRC
The Citroën DS3 WRC is the World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing for use from the 2011 World Rally Championship season. It is based upon the Citroën DS3 road car, and replaces the highly successful Citroën C4 WRC...
. He finished eighth in the opening round, Rally Sweden
2010 Rally Sweden
The 2010 Rally Sweden was the opening round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. It was the season's first and only event held on snow- and ice-covered gravel roads. The rally was held over February 11–14, beginning with a Super Special Stage in the event's base town of Karlstad...
. Skipping the Mexico event, he next competed in Rally Portugal
2010 Rally de Portugal
The 2010 Rally de Portugal was the 44th Rally de Portugal and the sixth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over May 27–30, and was based in Faro, the capital city of the Algarve region...
and finished seventh.
NASCAR
It was reported on 29 March 2011 that Räikkönen will try his hand at NASCARNASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
starting in the Camping World Truck Series sometime in the summer of 2011 with an eye on also running in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series.
On 2 April Räikkönen signed a deal with Toyota team Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch Motorsports is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and late model team that is owned and operated by Kyle Busch, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Truck Series driver...
to run a limited schedule in the Camping World Truck Series. Earlier report claimed that Räikkönen's entry was related with Foster Gillett, however, Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch, is an American NASCAR driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No...
rejected the claim. Räikkönen will debut in North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
, North Carolina on May 20, 2011. SpeedTV reported that Räikkönen was expected to race in Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
and Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
in 2011 as well. The Charlotte entry list has Räikkönen driving the #15 Toyota for KBM.
On May 20, Räikkönen debuted at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
with a strong finish of No. 15, though started the day with tough practice sessions and qualified only at 31 out of 37 cars. His race craft was well received by team crew chief Rick Ren and his teammate Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch, is an American NASCAR driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No...
. Räikkönen went on to race in the Nationwide Series at the same track on May 28 driving for Joe Nemechek
Joe Nemechek
Joseph Frank Nemechek III is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and owner of NEMCO Motorsports. He won the 1992 Busch Series championship...
. He finished 27th after having debris stuck under his car and getting a penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
Returning to F1
In the week before the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix2011 Singapore Grand Prix
The 2011 Singapore Grand Prix, formally the 2011 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 25 September 2011 at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. It was the fourteenth round of the 2011 Formula One season, and the twelfth time the Singapore...
, several news sources reported that Räikkönen was eyeing a return to Formula One for the 2012 season
2012 Formula One season
The 2012 Formula One season will be the 63rd FIA Formula One season. 2012 will be the penultimate year of the current 2.4 litre V8 engine configuration, before being replaced by more environmentally friendly 1.6 litre V6 turbo engines in 2014...
with Williams F1 after he was spotted at the team's headquarters in Grove, Oxfordshire
Grove, Oxfordshire
Grove is a village and civil parish on Letcombe Brook about north of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Parish churches:...
. Several reports went so far as to suggest that Räikkönen had entered preliminary negotiations with the team. However, the team refused to comment on the reports, with driver Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Gonçalves "Rubinho" Barrichello is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He is currently racing for Williams F1.Barrichello has scored the seventh highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from to , as Michael Schumacher's teammate, enjoying considerable...
dismissing them as rumour and speculation. On 29 November 2011, it was announced that Räikkönen will be returning to Formula 1 in 2012, signing a two-year contract with Lotus
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
.
Personal life
Räikkönen married Jenni DahlmanJenni Dahlman
Jenni Dahlman-Räikkönen is a former Finnish model and Miss Scandinavia 2001. She is the daughter of Hannu and Alice, and her older brother is Kalle. She started modeling at the age of fourteen, and she was chosen the first runner-up to Miss Finland 2000. One year later, she became Miss Scandinavia...
, a Finnish model and former Miss Scandinavia
Miss Scandinavia
Miss Scandinavia was a beauty pageant for Nordic females. The contest was merged with the Miss Baltic Sea pageant for the years 2007 and 2008 and after that the merged pageant was also discontinued.It was sponsored by MTV3.- Titleholders :...
, on 31 July 2004. They currently live in Switzerland. His older brother, Rami Räikkönen, is a rally driver and a national junior-class champion, who also competes in the Finnish Formula 3 Championship; their father Matti was a road builder.
Räikkönen's hobbies include snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
and ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
. During his spare time he can often be seen watching his hometown ice hockey team Espoo Blues
Espoo Blues
The Blues are an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Espoo, Finland at the Barona Areena.-Team history:The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984-1985 in the Finnish Second Division...
play. He has also competed in several different kinds of motorsport events. In March 2007, while his Formula One rivals were in Australia preparing for the season opener, Räikkönen competed in a snowmobile
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
race in Finland under the pseudonym "James Hunt
James Hunt
James Simon Wallis Hunt was a British racing driver from England who won the Formula One World Championship in . Hunt's often action packed exploits on track earned him the nickname "Hunt the Shunt." After retiring from driving, Hunt became a media commentator and businessman...
", referring to the 1976 world champion whose "playboy" lifestyle has been compared with Räikkönen's own. Räikkönen won the Enduro Sprint race by over 20 seconds with his Lynx
Lynx (snowmobile)
Lynx is originally a Finnish brand of snowmobiles, currently owned by the Canadian company Bombardier Recreational Products.Lynx is a snowmobile brand in Europe and has made many unique inventions in snowmobile technology....
. Later in the year, he and two friends entered a powerboat race in the Finnish harbour city of Hanko while wearing gorilla suits. Again, he raced under the name "James Hunt". They then won a prize for the best-dressed crew.
In August 2008, it was announced that 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".
In 2011, Räikkönen founded his own Motocross World Championship team; Ice 1 Racing
Ice 1 Racing
ICE 1 Racing is a team competing in the World Rally Championship with Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen. The team is based at Citroën Racing's headquarters in Versailles, France....
. The team consists of MX1 rider Toni Eriksson and MX2 rider Ludde Söderberg and is managed by seven-time enduro world champion Kari Tiainen
Kari Tiainen
Kari Tiainen is a Finnish enduro rider. He is a seven-time World Enduro Champion and held the record for most wins in the world championship , until the record was broken by compatriot Juha Salminen during the 2008 season...
. The Ice 1 Racing team also supports six junior riders competing in the Finnish national championship.
Helmet
Räikkönen's helmet, designed by UffeDesigns, almost never changed from team to team (letting only some elements like the insignia on top, that shaped after the rune that means "protection". The insignia was painted in white during his time racing for Sauber and Mclaren until 2005, and red from 2006 with McLaren and during his time with Ferrari. His helmet has also always featured a V design running on the circle top -representing a bird flying - and the inscription "Iceman"). In his debut race, his helmet was predominantly blue with white and silver details. When he joined McLaren in 2002 the design was left intact, only making the top circle all blue (rather than blue and silver) and with some black details on the chin area. In 2003-2005 his helmet was blue and white with some red and silver parts, red details were added on the rune symbol that was added to the M design. In 2006 his helmet was the same, only changing the blue to black with red and white lines on it. When racing for Ferrari Raikkonen's helmet changed radically: it was white with the middle part black and red with tribals and a black circle with the rune design in the top, in 2008 black paisley motifs were added in the red areas. He retained this design in some rallies, although the helmet style was significantly different for this discipline.In WRC and NASCAR he used a blue Stilo helmet with Red Bull's logo, silver accents (to resemble Red Bull's can design and Raikkonen's Sauber helmet lines), the rune symbol and the M insignia (in white and red) and with the inscription "Iceman".
Career summary
Season | Series | Team Name | Races | Poles | Wins | Points | Final Placing |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | European Formula Ford Formula Ford Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing.... |
? | 2 | ? | ? | ? | 5th |
Formula Ford Festival Formula Ford Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing.... |
Continental Racing Van Diemen | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | |
Formula Renault 2000 UK Winter Championship British Formula Renault Championship The United Kingdom has two Formula Renault championships: Renault Sport UK's Formula Renault UK championship and the British Automobile Racing Club's BARC Formula Renault championship. Generally, the UK series is recognized as the British Formula Renault.-History:The "British Formula Renault... |
Manor Motorsport Manor Motorsport Manor Motorsport is a British motor racing team that was formed in 1990 by former single-seater champion John Booth.Throughout its history the team primarily competed in Formula Renault, with past drivers including 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen, 2008 F1 World Championship winner... |
4 | 4 | 4 | 40 | 1st | |
Formula Renault 2000 UK British Formula Renault Championship The United Kingdom has two Formula Renault championships: Renault Sport UK's Formula Renault UK championship and the British Automobile Racing Club's BARC Formula Renault championship. Generally, the UK series is recognized as the British Formula Renault.-History:The "British Formula Renault... |
Haywood Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | ? | ? | |
2000 | Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 is a Formula Renault 2.0 championship with a presence of many Formula Renault championships drivers. It serves as a support series to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series as part of the World Series by Renault.... |
? | 2 | 2 | 2 | 62 | 7th |
Formula Renault 2000 UK British Formula Renault Championship The United Kingdom has two Formula Renault championships: Renault Sport UK's Formula Renault UK championship and the British Automobile Racing Club's BARC Formula Renault championship. Generally, the UK series is recognized as the British Formula Renault.-History:The "British Formula Renault... |
Manor Motorsport Manor Motorsport Manor Motorsport is a British motor racing team that was formed in 1990 by former single-seater champion John Booth.Throughout its history the team primarily competed in Formula Renault, with past drivers including 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen, 2008 F1 World Championship winner... |
10 | 6 | 7 | 316 | 1st | |
2001 | Formula One 2001 Formula One season The 2001 Formula One season was the 52nd season of FIA Formula One racing. It featured the FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 4, 2001 and ended on October 14 after seventeen races. Michael Schumacher won the Drivers title with a record margin of 58 points, after achieving... |
Sauber Sauber Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993.... |
17 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10th |
2002 | Formula One 2002 Formula One season The 2002 Formula One season was the 53rd FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 3, 2002, and ended on October 13 after seventeen races.... |
McLaren | 17 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 6th |
2003 | Formula One 2003 Formula One season The 2003 Formula One season was the 54th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 9, 2003 and ended on October 12 after sixteen races... |
McLaren | 16 | 2 | 1 | 91 | 2nd |
2004 | Formula One 2004 Formula One season The 2004 Formula One season was the 55th FIA Formula One World Championship season, running from March 7 to October 24, 2004. The season was dominated by Michael Schumacher and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro... |
McLaren | 18 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 7th |
2005 | Formula One 2005 Formula One season The 2005 Formula One season was the 56th FIA Formula One World Championship season, contested over a record 19 Grands Prix. It commenced on March 6, 2005, and ended October 16.... |
McLaren | 19 | 5 | 7 | 112 | 2nd |
2006 | Formula One 2006 Formula One season The 2006 Formula One season was the 57th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship which began on March 12 and ended on October 22 after eighteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Fernando Alonso of Renault F1 for the second year in a... |
McLaren | 18 | 3 | 0 | 65 | 5th |
2007 | Formula One 2007 Formula One season The 2007 Formula One season was the 58th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, which began on 18 March and ended on 21 October after seventeen events. The Drivers' Championship was won by Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen by one point at the... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... |
17 | 3 | 6 | 110 | 1st |
2008 | Formula One 2008 Formula One season The 2008 Formula One season was the 59th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It began on 16 March and ended on 2 November with eighteen Grand Prix races.... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... |
18 | 2 | 2 | 75 | 3rd |
2009 | Formula One 2009 Formula One season The 2009 Formula One season was the 60th FIA Formula One World Championship season. The season took place over 17 rounds, and started with the on 29 March 2009. It ended on 1 November 2009 with the inaugural .... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... |
17 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 6th |
World Rally Championship 2009 World Rally Championship season The 2009 World Rally Championship season was the 37th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of twelve rallies and began on 30 January, with Rally Ireland and ended with Rally GB on 25 October. Sébastien Loeb won the World Drivers' championship at Rally GB by one point... |
Tommi Mäkinen Racing Tommi Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen , tied with Juha Kankkunen and behind Sébastien Loeb , and fifth in wins .He is a four-time World Rally Champion, a series he first won, and then successfully defended, continuously throughout 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999, on all occasions driving the Ralliart Mitsubishi... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
2010 | World Rally Championship 2010 World Rally Championship season The 2010 World Rally Championship season was the 38th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 13 rallies, beginning with Rally Sweden on 11 February and ended Wales Rally GB on 14 November.... |
Citroën Junior Team Citroën Junior Team The Citroën Junior Team was a World Rally Championship team, which competed in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. It was set up and run as Citroën's secondary team in the World Rally Championship, pitched against the existing Stobart Ford World Rally Team.... |
11 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 10th |
2011 | World Rally Championship 2011 World Rally Championship season The 2011 World Rally Championship season was the 39th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season has 13 rallies, beginning with Rally Sweden on 10 February... |
Ice 1 Racing Ice 1 Racing ICE 1 Racing is a team competing in the World Rally Championship with Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen. The team is based at Citroën Racing's headquarters in Versailles, France.... |
9 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 10th |
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series The 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season was the sixteenth season of the third highest stock car racing in the United States. The season included twenty-five races, beginning with the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 200 at... |
Vision Aviation Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | |
NASCAR Nationwide Series 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series The 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season was the thirtieth season of semi-professional stock car racing in the United States. The season included thirty-four races, beginning with the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway... |
NEMCO Motorsports NEMCO Motorsports NEMCO Motorsports is a NASCAR team that is owned by driver Joe Nemechek and his family. After a two-year hiatus, NEMCO Motorsports fielded full time entries in both the Cup and Nationwide Series in 2009 with driver Joe Nemechek. It carried the number 87 in both Cup and Nationwide. The team ran... |
1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC |
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | WDC | Points |
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2001 2001 Formula One season The 2001 Formula One season was the 52nd season of FIA Formula One racing. It featured the FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 4, 2001 and ended on October 14 after seventeen races. Michael Schumacher won the Drivers title with a record margin of 58 points, after achieving... |
Sauber Sauber Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993.... Petronas Petronas PETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and... |
Sauber Sauber Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993.... C20 Sauber C20 The Sauber C20 was the car with which the Sauber Formula One team competed in the 2001 Formula One season. It was powered by a Petronas-branded '01A' 3.0-litre V10 , supplied by Scuderia Ferrari... |
Petronas Petronas PETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and... 01A 3.0 V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion... |
AUS 2001 Australian Grand Prix The 2001 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 4 March 2001 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. It was the 66th running of the Australian Grand Prix and the first race of the 2001 Formula One season... 6 |
MAL 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix The 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at theSepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia on March 18, 2001. The race, contested over 55 laps, was won by Ferrari's Michael Schumacher... Ret |
BRA 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Interlagos Circuit on April 1, 2001.This exciting Grand Prix had three notable incidents, two of them being overtaking moves, both on Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher, and both taking place at the "Senna S" corner of the track.The... Ret |
SMR Ret |
ESP 8 |
AUT 4 |
MON 2001 Monaco Grand Prix The 2001 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 27, 2001.- Classification :- Notes :*David Coulthard started this race at the back of the grid, having stalled on pole.*This race gave the Jaguar team their first podium finish.... 10 |
CAN 2001 Canadian Grand Prix The 2001 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 10, 2001. It was the 8th round of the 2001 Formula One season.-Race:... 4 |
EUR 2001 European Grand Prix The 2001 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on June 24, 2001.After an exciting qualifying session, it was Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari who grabbed pole position from brother Ralf Schumacher and Juan-Pablo Montoya in the Williams-BMWs. This proved to be an... 10 |
FRA 2001 French Grand Prix The 2001 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Magny-Cours on July 1, 2001.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap leaders: Ralf Schumacher 23 , Michael Schumacher 39 , David Coulthard 1 , Juan Pablo Montoya 9 *Fastest Lap: David Coulthard 1m 16.088s*Pole Position: Ralf Schumacher 1m... 7 |
GBR 2001 British Grand Prix The 2001 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 15, 2001 at Silverstone in Northamptonshire, England. It was the eleventh race of the 2001 Formula One season... 5 |
GER Ret |
HUN 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hungaroring on August 19, 2001. This race saw Michael Schumacher win his fourth World Championship and equal Alain Prost's record of 51 Grand Prix victories.- Classification :- Notes :... 7 |
BEL Ret |
ITA 2001 Italian Grand Prix The 2001 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 16, 2001.This was the first F1 race held after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. As a mark of respect, several teams altered their cars' liveries. The Ferraris ran without any sponsorship livery and... 7 |
USA 2001 United States Grand Prix The 2001 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 30, 2001 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was the first international sport/race event held in USA after the September 11, 2001 attacks.__FORCETOC__... Ret |
JPN 2001 Japanese Grand Prix The 2001 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 14, 2001 at the Suzuka Circuit. The race was won by Michael Schumacher who started from pole position.... Ret |
10th | 9 | ||
2002 2002 Formula One season The 2002 Formula One season was the 53rd FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 3, 2002, and ended on October 13 after seventeen races.... |
West West (cigarette) West is a German tobacco brand owned by the British company Imperial Tobacco.The cigarettes are available in most European Union countries except the UK and Ireland. The brand is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.-History:... McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... Mercedes |
McLaren MP4-17 McLaren MP4-17 The McLaren MP4-17 was the car with which the McLaren team competed in the and Formula One seasons. It was driven by David Coulthard and Kimi Räikkönen in both seasons.... |
Mercedes FO 110M 3.0 V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion... |
AUS 2002 Australian Grand Prix The 2002 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 3 March 2002 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. It was the first race of the 2002 Formula One season.... 3 |
MAL 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix The 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on March 17, 2002 at the Sepang International Circuit and was the second race of the 2002 Formula One season. The Grand Prix is notable for the first lap collision between Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya and Ferrari's Michael Schumacher,... Ret |
BRA 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on March 31, 2002 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.__FORCETOC__-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Juan Pablo Montoya 1m 16.079s... 12 |
SMR 2002 San Marino Grand Prix The 2002 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 14, 2002 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.__FORCETOC__-Qualifying:- Race :- Standings after the race :Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... Ret |
ESP Ret |
AUT 2002 Austrian Grand Prix The 2002 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 12, 2002 at the A1-Ring. It was infamous for the "staged finish", where race leader Rubens Barrichello, who was running first, was ordered to allow Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher to overtake him under "team orders" and win the... Ret |
MON 2002 Monaco Grand Prix The 2002 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 26, 2002 at the Circuit de Monaco.__FORCETOC__-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :*This was the first of four races to be broadcast in the U.S... Ret |
CAN 4 |
EUR 2002 European Grand Prix The 2002 European Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Nürburgring on June 23, 2002.-Qualifying:-Race:- Standings after the race :Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... 3 |
GBR Ret |
FRA 2002 French Grand Prix The 2002 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Magny-Cours on July 21, 2002. It was the 11th race of the 2002 Formula One season and the race in which Michael Schumacher secured his 5th World Drivers' Championship title in record time, equalling Juan Manuel Fangio's record set over... 2 |
GER 2002 German Grand Prix The 2002 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hockenheimring on July 28, 2002. It was the first Grand Prix to be held at Hockenheimring since the track was redesigned, which had seen the forest sections of the track removed and hence the length of the track shortened.- Qualifying... Ret |
HUN 2002 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2002 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hungaroring on August 18, 2002.-Qualifying:-Race:-Notes:*Lap leaders: Rubens Barrichello 76 , Ralf Schumacher 1 *First race: Anthony Davidson... 4 |
BEL Ret |
ITA Ret |
USA 2002 United States Grand Prix The 2002 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 29, 2002 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.-Summary:... Ret |
JPN 2002 Japanese Grand Prix The 2002 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Suzuka on October 13, 2002. It was the seventeenth and final round of the 2002 Formula One season... 3 |
6th | 24 | ||
2003 2003 Formula One season The 2003 Formula One season was the 54th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 9, 2003 and ended on October 12 after sixteen races... |
West West (cigarette) West is a German tobacco brand owned by the British company Imperial Tobacco.The cigarettes are available in most European Union countries except the UK and Ireland. The brand is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.-History:... McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... Mercedes |
McLaren MP4-17D McLaren MP4-17 The McLaren MP4-17 was the car with which the McLaren team competed in the and Formula One seasons. It was driven by David Coulthard and Kimi Räikkönen in both seasons.... |
Mercedes FO 110M/P 3.0 V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion... |
AUS 2003 Australian Grand Prix The 2003 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 9 March 2003 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit.There was a lot of speculation about how the new set of rules that debuted in this race would affect Ferrari, which were the ones to cause the changes after their dominant 2002 season.... 3 |
MAL 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix The 2003 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on March 23, 2003 at the Sepang International Circuit. It was the second race of the 2003 Formula One season, and it was won by Kimi Räikkönen driving the MP4-17 for McLaren-Mercedes. This was Räikkönen's first Formula One Grand... 1 |
BRA 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 6, 2003 at Autódromo José Carlos Pace . This was the 700th World Championship event.... 2 |
SMR 2003 San Marino Grand Prix The 2003 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 20, 2003 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.__FORCETOC__- Saturday Qualifying :- Race Result :- Notes :... 2 |
ESP 2003 Spanish Grand Prix The 2003 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 4 May 2003 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.__FORCETOC__- Saturday Qualifying :- Race Result :- Notes :*This was the first double retirement of the season for McLaren.... Ret |
AUT 2 |
MON 2 |
CAN 6 |
EUR Ret |
FRA 2003 French Grand Prix The 2003 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 6, 2003 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.__FORCETOC__- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Juan Pablo Montoya 1:15.512... 4 |
GBR 2003 British Grand Prix The 2003 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 20 July 2003 at the Silverstone Circuit.It was won by polesitter Rubens Barrichello but is probably most well known for a track invasion by the defrocked priest Neil Horan, who ran along Hangar straight, running opposite to the... 3 |
GER Ret |
HUN 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 24, 2003 at the Hungaroring. It was won by Renault's Fernando Alonso from pole, becoming at the time the youngest ever driver to win a Grand Prix, beating the previous record of Bruce McLaren... 2 |
ITA 2003 Italian Grand Prix The 2003 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 14, 2003 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher 1.21.832... 4 |
USA 2003 United States Grand Prix The 2003 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 28, 2003 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... 2 |
JPN 2003 Japanese Grand Prix The 2003 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 12, 2003 at the Suzuka Circuit.At this race Michael Schumacher won his 6th World Championship, breaking Juan Manuel Fangio's record set in the 1950s... 2 |
2nd | 91 | |||
2004 2004 Formula One season The 2004 Formula One season was the 55th FIA Formula One World Championship season, running from March 7 to October 24, 2004. The season was dominated by Michael Schumacher and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro... |
West West (cigarette) West is a German tobacco brand owned by the British company Imperial Tobacco.The cigarettes are available in most European Union countries except the UK and Ireland. The brand is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.-History:... McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... Mercedes |
McLaren MP4-19 McLaren MP4-19 The McLaren MP4-19 is a Formula One racing car that was built by McLaren. It was designed by Adrian Newey, and introduced at the beginning of the 2004 Formula One season. It was described as a "debugged version of the McLaren MP4-18." It was not a successful car, and the team suffered various... |
Mercedes FO 110Q 3.0 V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion... |
AUS 2004 Australian Grand Prix The 2004 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 7 March 2004 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. Michael Schumacher won the race for Ferrari from pole position in a very dominant fashion, with his team-mate Rubens Barrichello finishing behind him in second. This one-two finish gave... Ret |
MAL Ret |
BHR 2004 Bahrain Grand Prix The 2004 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 4, 2004 at the Bahrain International Circuit. It was the first Formula One race to be held in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Middle East.__FORCETOC__- Qualifying :-Race:-Notes:... Ret |
SMR 2004 San Marino Grand Prix The 2004 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 25, 2004 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola.__FORCETOC__-Report:... 8 |
ESP 2004 Spanish Grand Prix The 2004 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 9, 2004 at the Circuit de Catalunya.__FORCETOC__- Incident :During the warm-up lap of the race, a man calling himself Jimmy Jump ran through the starting grid, only to be apprehended soon by the security... 11 |
MON 2004 Monaco Grand Prix The 2004 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 23, 2004 at the Circuit de Monaco.__FORCETOC__-Summary:One of the most eventful races of the 2004 season, the Monaco Grand Prix saw Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher qualify in fourth place... Ret |
EUR 2004 European Grand Prix The 2004 European Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 30, 2004 at the Nürburgring.__FORCETOC__- Qualifying :-Race:- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Michael Schumacher 53 , Fernando Alonso 1 , Takuma Sato 2 and Rubens Barrichello 4 - Standings after the race :Drivers' Championship... Ret |
CAN 2004 Canadian Grand Prix The 2004 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 13, 2004 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.It was won by Michael Schumacher, with teammate Rubens Barrichello second, making for a 1-2 finish for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro as part of a season where Ferrari took the most wins of the... 5 |
USA 2004 United States Grand Prix The 2004 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 20, 2004 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.... 6 |
7th | 45 | ||||||||||
McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... MP4-19B McLaren MP4-19 The McLaren MP4-19 is a Formula One racing car that was built by McLaren. It was designed by Adrian Newey, and introduced at the beginning of the 2004 Formula One season. It was described as a "debugged version of the McLaren MP4-18." It was not a successful car, and the team suffered various... |
FRA 2004 French Grand Prix The 2004 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 4, 2004 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. This race has become famous for a 4 stop strategy used by Michael Schumacher to beat Fernando Alonso's Renault.__FORCETOC__- Qualifying :-Race:... 7 |
GBR 2004 British Grand Prix The 2004 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 11 July 2004 at the Silverstone Circuit.__FORCETOC__- Qualifying :-Race:- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Kimi Räikkönen 11 and Michael Schumacher 49... 2 |
GER Ret |
HUN 2004 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2004 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 15, 2004 at the Hungaroring.__FORCETOC__- Qualifying :-Race:- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Michael Schumacher 70... Ret |
BEL 2004 Belgian Grand Prix The 2004 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 29, 2004 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was at this race that Michael Schumacher won his seventh world championship despite Kimi Räikkönen taking his and McLaren's only race win of the season from tenth place on the grid... 1 |
ITA Ret |
CHN 2004 Chinese Grand Prix The 2004 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 26 September 2004 at the Shanghai International Circuit. It was the first Formula One race to be held in China.__FORCETOC__-Friday Drivers:- Qualifying :-Race:-Notes:... 3 |
JPN 2004 Japanese Grand Prix The 2004 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 10, 2004 at the Suzuka Circuit. All the running on Saturday was cancelled due to Typhoon Ma-on, meaning that both the qualifying sessions were run on Sunday morning... 6 |
BRA 2 |
|||||||||||||||
2005 2005 Formula One season The 2005 Formula One season was the 56th FIA Formula One World Championship season, contested over a record 19 Grands Prix. It commenced on March 6, 2005, and ended October 16.... |
West McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... Mercedes |
McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... MP4-20 McLaren MP4-20 The McLaren MP4-20 is a Formula One racing car that was built by McLaren. It was designed by Adrian Newey and Mike Coughlan, and introduced at the beginning of the 2005 Formula One season.- New design :... |
Mercedes FO 110R 3.0 V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion... |
AUS 2005 Australian Grand Prix The 2005 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on 6 March 2005.-Practice:The first practice session of the 2005 Australian Grand Prix was dominated by Vitantonio Liuzzi who was appearing at his first grand prix for Red Bull at their first race... 8 |
MAL 9 |
BHR 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix The 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One race held from April 1 to April 3, 2005 at Bahrain International Circuit.__FORCETOC__- Summary :... 3 |
SMR 2005 San Marino Grand Prix The 2005 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held from April 22 to April 24, 2005 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.-Pre-race:Vitantonio Liuzzi replaced Christian Klien in the second Red Bull car, for this and the next two races; after unanimous agreement between the teams, Klien was... Ret |
ESP 2005 Spanish Grand Prix The 2005 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held from May 6 to May 8, 2005, at Circuit de Catalunya.Kimi Räikkönen started on pole position ahead of Mark Webber, who set a blistering lap during the second qualifying session to claim the front row, leaving championship leader Fernando Alonso... 1 |
MON 2005 Monaco Grand Prix The 2005 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 19– May 22, 2005 at the Circuit de Monaco. This was the first Monaco Grand Prix held after the death of Prince Rainier III... 1 |
EUR 2005 European Grand Prix The 2005 European Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 29, 2005 at the Nürburgring.__FORCETOC__-Summary:The 2005 European Grand Prix was the seventh race of the 2005 Formula One season, and was the second of a series of 6 races held within 8 weeks... 11 |
CAN 2005 Canadian Grand Prix The 2005 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 12, 2005 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.__FORCETOC__-Report:The 2005 Canadian Grand Prix was the eighth race of the 2005 Formula One season, and the first of two consecutive North American rounds... 1 |
USA 2005 United States Grand Prix The 2005 United States Grand Prix was one of the most controversial Formula One motor races in modern history. It was held on June 19, 2005 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the ninth race of the 2005 Formula One season. Out of 20 cars entered for the race, only the six cars from the teams... DNS |
FRA 2005 French Grand Prix The 2005 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held on July 1– July 3, 2005, at Magny-Cours.-Report:The 2005 French Grand Prix was the tenth race of the 2005 season and after the Indygate debacle, Formula One returned to Europe for the busiest month in its 56-year history, with Magny-Cours... 2 |
GBR 2005 British Grand Prix The 2005 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held on 8 July – 10 July 2005, at Silverstone. Before the race there was one minute of silence in respect for those affected by the London bombings that occurred a few days earlier.-Report:... 3 |
GER Ret |
HUN 2005 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2005 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held on July 31, 2005 at the Hungaroring circuit.__FORCETOC__-Report:The 2005 Hungarian Grand Prix was the thirteenth race of the 2005 Formula One season, and saw the beginning of the end of tobacco advertising in F1 due to the Europe-wide ban... 1 |
TUR 2005 Turkish Grand Prix The 2005 Turkish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 21 at Istanbul Park in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first Formula One race to take place in Turkey.-Friday Drivers:-Qualifying:... 1 |
ITA 2005 Italian Grand Prix The 2005 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held on September 4, 2005 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit. Fifteenth race of the 2005 Formula One season, it was the event in which Juan Pablo Montoya achieved the fastest ever speed recorded during a F1 race, 372.6 km/h... 4 |
BEL 2005 Belgian Grand Prix The 2005 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held on September 11, 2005 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium.Giancarlo Fisichella started the race from 13th place– the result of a ten-place grid penalty given for an engine change between final practice and qualifying on the... 1 |
BRA 2005 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2005 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 25, 2005, at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo, Brazil.-Qualifying:... 2 |
JPN 2005 Japanese Grand Prix The 2005 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 9, 2005 at the Suzuka Circuit. McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen won the race after starting from 17th place and overtaking race leader Giancarlo Fisichella on the final lap... 1 |
CHN 2 |
2nd | 112 |
2006 2006 Formula One season The 2006 Formula One season was the 57th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship which began on March 12 and ended on October 22 after eighteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Fernando Alonso of Renault F1 for the second year in a... |
Team McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... Mercedes |
McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... MP4-21 McLaren MP4-21 The McLaren MP4-21 is a Formula One car designed by Adrian Newey for the 2006 Formula One season. The car continues the MP4-X naming system and is notable for its striking chrome livery which is designed to maximize the visibility of the teams sponsors.... |
Mercedes FO 108S 2.4 V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
BHR 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix The 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix was the first round of the 2006 Formula One World Championship, held on 12 March 2006 at the Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain.-Qualifying:... 3 |
MAL 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix The 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix was the second Formula One Grand Prix of the 2006 season. The race took place on 19 March 2006.Qualifying on Saturday saw the new rules being put to the test, as David Coulthard, Felipe Massa, Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher were all forced... Ret |
AUS 2006 Australian Grand Prix The 2006 Australian Grand Prix was the third race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It was held on the weekend of 31 March–2 April 2006 at Albert Park, Melbourne... 2 |
SMR 2006 San Marino Grand Prix The 2006 San Marino Grand Prix was the fourth race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It was held on the weekend of April 21–April 23, 2006 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola in Italy.... 5 |
EUR 2006 European Grand Prix The 2006 European Grand Prix was the fifth race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It was held on the weekend of May 5–7, 2006 at the Nürburgring. Franck Montagny made his Formula One debut, becoming the first French F1 driver in 18 months.... 4 |
ESP 5 |
MON 2006 Monaco Grand Prix The 2006 Monaco Grand Prix was the seventh race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It took place on the weekend of May 25–28th 2006 at the Circuit de Monaco. Prior to the race, Renault's Fernando Alonso had finished on the podium in all of the previous six Grands Prix, winning three of... Ret |
GBR 2006 British Grand Prix The 2006 British Grand Prix was the eighth race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It took place on the weekend of 9–11 June 2006 at the Silverstone Circuit.... 3 |
CAN 2006 Canadian Grand Prix The 2006 Canadian Grand Prix was the ninth race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It took place on the weekend of June 23–25th 2006 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada.... 3 |
USA 2006 United States Grand Prix The 2006 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, USA on July 2, 2006 . The race, which was the tenth round of the 2006 Formula One season, was won by Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher.... Ret |
FRA 2006 French Grand Prix The 2006 French Grand Prix was the eleventh race of the 2006 Formula One season. It was held on July 14 – July 16, 2006 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours... 5 |
GER 2006 German Grand Prix The Großer Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland was the twelfth race of the 2006 Formula One season. It was held on 28 July–30 at the Hockenheimring. The Grand Prix weekend got off to a controversial start when the mass damper system fitted by Renault was deemed legal by the FIA appointed stewards,... 3 |
HUN 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 6, 2006 at the Hungaroring, Budapest. It was the 13th race of the 2006 Formula One season... Ret |
TUR 2006 Turkish Grand Prix The 2006 Turkish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 27 August 2006. The race, which was the fourteenth round of the 2006 Formula One season, was held at Istanbul Park in Istanbul, Turkey. The race marked the first race victory, and also the first pole position, for Felipe Massa, who... Ret |
ITA 2006 Italian Grand Prix The 2006 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 September 2006 at Autodromo Nazionale Monza. It was the fifteenth round of the 2006 Formula One season, and was won by Michael Schumacher driving a Ferrari car.... 2 |
CHN 2006 Chinese Grand Prix The 2006 Chinese Grand Prix was the sixteenth race of the 2006 Formula One season. It was held on 1 October 2006 at Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai... Ret |
JPN 2006 Japanese Grand Prix The 2006 Japanese Grand Prix was the seventeenth race of the 2006 Formula One season. It was held between 6–8 October at Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka. It was won by Fernando Alonso, his last win for the Renault team before he moved to McLaren the following season... 5 |
BRA 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 22, 2006 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo. It was the 18th and final race of the 2006 Formula One season... 5 |
5th | 65 | |
2007 2007 Formula One season The 2007 Formula One season was the 58th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, which began on 18 March and ended on 21 October after seventeen events. The Drivers' Championship was won by Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen by one point at the... |
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... Marlboro |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... F2007 Ferrari F2007 The Ferrari F2007 is a Formula One motor racing car, with which Ferrari competed during the 2007 Formula One season, it being the fifty-third single-seater car which the team have built to use in Formula One... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 056 2.4 V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
AUS 2007 Australian Grand Prix The 2007 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 18 March 2007 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia. It was the first race of the 2007 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after... 1 |
MAL 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix The IX Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 8 April 2007 at the Sepang International Circuit and the second race of the 2007 Formula One season. Reigning world champion Fernando Alonso won the race from second on the grid, with McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton... 3 |
BHR 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix The 2007 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix is a Formula One motor race and is the third round of the 2007 Formula One season. It took place on the weekend of the 13–15 April at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain.... 3 |
ESP 2007 Spanish Grand Prix The 2007 Gran Premio de España Telefónica was a Formula One motor race, fourth round of the 2007 Formula One season, won by Felipe Massa. It was held on the weekend of 11–13 May at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.-Background:... Ret |
MON 2007 Monaco Grand Prix The 2007 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race and was the fifth round of the 2007 Formula One season. It took place from 24–27 May at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo. The race itself commenced at 14:00 CET , Sunday, May 27, and lasted about 1 hour and 40 minutes... 8 |
CAN 2007 Canadian Grand Prix The 2007 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 June 2007, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. It was the sixth race of the 2007 Formula One season... 5 |
USA 2007 United States Grand Prix The 2007 United States Grand Prix was the seventh race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was also the last Formula 1 race held in the United States. It was held on 15–17 June at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway... 4 |
FRA 2007 French Grand Prix The 2007 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 1, 2007 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours, France. It was the eighth race of the 2007 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from... 1 |
GBR 2007 British Grand Prix The 2007 British Grand Prix was the ninth race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held from July 6 to July 8 at the Silverstone Circuit. The race was won by Kimi Räikkönen after overtaking pole position driver Lewis Hamilton during the first round of pit stops... 1 |
EUR 2007 European Grand Prix The 2007 European Grand Prix was the tenth race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held from 20 to July 22 at the Nürburgring.... Ret |
HUN 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix was the eleventh race of the 2007 Formula One season, held between 3 to 5 August at the Hungaroring racing track in Budapest... 2 |
TUR 2007 Turkish Grand Prix The 2007 Turkish Grand Prix was the twelfth race of the 2007 Formula One season. Won by Felipe Massa, it was held from 24 to August 26 at the Istanbul Park in Istanbul. It was the third time a Formula One race had been held here... 2 |
ITA 2007 Italian Grand Prix The 2007 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held from 7 to 9 September 2007 at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy. It was the thirteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season.... 3 |
BEL 2007 Belgian Grand Prix The 2007 Belgian Grand Prix was the fourteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season, returning to the F1 calendar after a year's absence. It was held on 16 September at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium.... 1 |
JPN 2007 Japanese Grand Prix The 2007 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 30 September, 2007 at the Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Shizuoka. The race, contested over 67 laps, was the fifteenth round of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held at the recently revised track in very heavy rain and misty conditions... 3 |
CHN 2007 Chinese Grand Prix The 2007 Chinese Grand Prix was the sixteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held on 5–7 October at Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China. The race was won by Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen with Fernando Alonso finishing second and Felipe Massa finishing third... 1 |
BRA 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix was the seventeenth and last race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held from 19 to October 21 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo. The Championship was decided in the race, which was won by Kimi Räikkönen... 1 |
1st | 110 | ||
2008 2008 Formula One season The 2008 Formula One season was the 59th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It began on 16 March and ended on 2 November with eighteen Grand Prix races.... |
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... Marlboro |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... F2008 Ferrari F2008 The Ferrari F2008 is a Formula One motor racing car, which Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro used to compete in the 2008 Formula One season.The car was unveiled to the public on January 6, 2008. It features a new standard Electronic Control Unit , which is the electronic system that controls all the cars,... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 056 2.4 V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
AUS 2008 Australian Grand Prix The 2008 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 16 March 2008 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia. It was the first race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after... 8 |
MAL 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix The 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on March 23, 2008 at the Sepang International Circuit, Sepang, Malaysia. It was the 2nd race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 56 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting... 1 |
BHR 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix The 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 6, 2008 at the Bahrain International Circuit, in Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the third race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team... 2 |
ESP 2008 Spanish Grand Prix The 2008 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 27, 2008 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Spain. It was the fourth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 66 laps, was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from pole position... 1 |
TUR 2008 Turkish Grand Prix The 2008 Turkish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 11, 2008 at the Istanbul Racing Circuit, Istanbul, Turkey. It was the fifth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team after starting from pole... 3 |
MON 2008 Monaco Grand Prix The 2008 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 25, 2008, at the Circuit de Monaco; contested over 76 laps, it was the sixth race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race was won by the season's eventual Drivers' Champion, Lewis Hamilton, for the McLaren team... 9 |
CAN 2008 Canadian Grand Prix The 2008 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 8, 2008 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada. It was the 7th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by Robert Kubica for the BMW Sauber team after starting from... Ret |
FRA 2008 French Grand Prix The 2008 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 22, 2008 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France. This race is the last French Grand Prix. It was the eighth race of the 2008 Formula One season... 2 |
GBR 2008 British Grand Prix The 2008 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 6 July 2008 at the Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, England. It was the 9th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 60 laps, was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after starting from fourth... 4 |
GER 2008 German Grand Prix The 2008 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 20, 2008 at the Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany. It was the 10th race of the 2008 Formula One season and was contested over 67 laps. It was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after starting from pole... 6 |
HUN 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 3, 2008, at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, near Budapest, Hungary. It was the 11th race of the 2008 Formula One season. Contested over 70 laps, the race was won by Heikki Kovalainen for the McLaren team, from a second... 3 |
EUR 2008 European Grand Prix The 2008 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 24, 2008 at the Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia, Spain. It was the 12th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team after starting from pole... Ret |
BEL 2008 Belgian Grand Prix The 2008 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 7, 2008, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps near the town of Spa, Belgium. It was the 13th race of the 2008 Formula One season... 18 |
ITA 2008 Italian Grand Prix The 2008 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 14, 2008 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy. It was the 14th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 53 laps, was won by Sebastian Vettel for the Toro Rosso team after starting... 9 |
SIN 2008 Singapore Grand Prix The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, formally known as the 2008 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, was a Formula One race held on 28 September 2008 at the newly built Marina Bay Street Circuit in Marina Bay, Singapore... 15 |
JPN 2008 Japanese Grand Prix The 2008 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 12, 2008, at the Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Japan. It was the 16th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 67 laps, was won by Fernando Alonso for the Renault team from fourth position on the starting... 3 |
CHN 2008 Chinese Grand Prix The 2008 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 19, 2008 at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China. It was the 17th and penultimate race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 56 laps, was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after... 3 |
BRA 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 2, 2008, at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos, in São Paulo, Brazil. It was the 18th and final race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 71 laps, was won by Ferrari driver Felipe Massa... 3 |
3rd | 75 | |
2009 2009 Formula One season The 2009 Formula One season was the 60th FIA Formula One World Championship season. The season took place over 17 rounds, and started with the on 29 March 2009. It ended on 1 November 2009 with the inaugural .... |
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... Marlboro |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... F60 Ferrari F60 The Ferrari F60 is a Formula One motor racing car, which Scuderia Ferrari used to compete in the 2009 Formula One season. The car was unveiled on 12 January 2009.-Launch:... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 056 2.4 V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
AUS 2009 Australian Grand Prix The 2009 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 29 March 2009 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia. It was the first race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race, contested over 58 laps, was won by Jenson Button for the Brawn GP team after... 15 |
MAL 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 5, 2009 at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia. It was the second race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race was due to be contested over 56 laps, but due to torrential rain, the race was stopped after... 14 |
CHN 2009 Chinese Grand Prix The 2009 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 19, 2009 at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. It was the third race of the 2009 Formula One season, a change from previous years, when it took place towards the end of the season.Sebastian... 10 |
BHR 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix The 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 26, 2009, at the Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the sixth Bahrain Grand Prix and fourth race of the 2009 Formula One season.... 6 |
ESP 2009 Spanish Grand Prix The 2009 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 10, 2009 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, Spain. It was the fifth race of the 2009 Formula One season.... Ret |
MON 2009 Monaco Grand Prix The 2009 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race that was held on the 24 May, 2009 at the Circuit de Monaco, in Monaco. The race, which was contested over 78 laps, was the sixth round of the 2009 Formula One season... 3 |
TUR 2009 Turkish Grand Prix The 2009 Turkish Grand Prix was the seventh race of the 2009 Formula One season. It was held on June 7, 2009 at Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey.Felipe Massa won the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix for Ferrari, in addition to his wins at Istanbul Park in 2006 and 2007... 9 |
GBR 2009 British Grand Prix The 2009 Santander British Grand Prix was the eighth race of the 2009 Formula One season. It was held on 21 June 2009 at Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. This was scheduled to be the last British Grand Prix to be held at Silverstone, before the event moved to Donington Park for the... 8 |
GER 2009 German Grand Prix The 2009 German Grand Prix was the ninth race of the 2009 Formula One season. It was held on July 12, 2009 at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Germany; the earliest German Grand Prix on the calendar, since 1926.... Ret |
HUN 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 26, 2009 at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, north of Budapest, Hungary. It was the tenth race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race, contested over 70 laps, was won by world champion Lewis Hamilton for McLaren-Mercedes,... 2 |
EUR 2009 European Grand Prix The 2009 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on August 23, 2009 at the Valencia Street Circuit in Valencia, Spain. It was the 11th race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race was contested over 57 laps, an overall race distance of 303.9 km... 3 |
BEL 2009 Belgian Grand Prix The 2009 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on August 30, 2009 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps near the town of Spa, Belgium. It was the 12th race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race was contested over 44 laps, with an overall race distance of 308.2 km... 1 |
ITA 2009 Italian Grand Prix The 2009 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 13, 2009 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy. It was the 13th race of the 2009 Formula One season. It was contested over 53 laps.The race was won by Brawn GP's Rubens Barrichello... 3 |
SIN 2009 Singapore Grand Prix The 2009 Singapore Grand Prix was the fourteenth race of the 2009 Formula One season. It was the second Singapore Grand Prix to be part of a Formula One Championship and the tenth Singapore Grand Prix overall. It was also the second Formula One race to be held at night... 10 |
JPN 2009 Japanese Grand Prix The 2009 Japanese Grand Prix was the fifteenth round of the 2009 Formula One season... 4 |
BRA 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race which was held on October 18, 2009 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil. It was the sixteenth race of the 2009 Formula One season... 6 |
ABU 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix The 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the seventeenth and last race of the 2009 Formula One season. It took place on November 1, 2009 at the 3.45-mile Hermann Tilke-designed Yas Marina Circuit. It was the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and also the first ever day-night Grand Prix... 12 |
6th | 48 |
Complete WRC results
Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 2009 World Rally Championship season The 2009 World Rally Championship season was the 37th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of twelve rallies and began on 30 January, with Rally Ireland and ended with Rally GB on 25 October. Sébastien Loeb won the World Drivers' championship at Rally GB by one point... |
Tommi Mäkinen Racing Tommi Mäkinen "Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen , tied with Juha Kankkunen and behind Sébastien Loeb , and fifth in wins .He is a four-time World Rally Champion, a series he first won, and then successfully defended, continuously throughout 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999, on all occasions driving the Ralliart Mitsubishi... |
Fiat Grande Punto S2000 | IRE 2009 Rally Ireland The 2009 Rally Ireland, officially 2nd Rally Ireland, was the first round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season and was held between January 30 and February 1, 2009, it's also the opening round of the Junior World Rally Championship this season... |
NOR 2009 Rally Norway The 2009 Rally Norway, officially 3rd Rally Norway, is the second round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season and the first round of the Production World Rally Championship and is held between February 12 and February 15, 2009... |
CYP 2009 Cyprus Rally The 2009 Cyprus Rally, officially 37th FxPro Cyprus Rally, was the third round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season and was held between March 13 and March 15, 2009 in Limassol, Cyprus... |
POR | ARG 2009 Rally Argentina The 2009 Rally Argentina was the 29th running of the Rally Argentina and the fifth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 23 special stages and was run on 23–26 April. It was won by Citroën's Sébastien Loeb for the fifth consecutive year... |
ITA 2009 Rally d'Italia Sardegna The 2009 Rally d'Italia Sardegna was the sixth running of the Rally d'Italia Sardegna and the sixth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season... |
GRC 2009 Acropolis Rally The 2009 Acropolis Rally of Greece was the 56th running of the Acropolis Rally and the seventh round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 17 special stages. Ford's Mikko Hirvonen took his first win of the season and Citroën Junior Team's Sébastien Ogier his first-ever... |
POL 2009 Rally Poland The 2009 ORLEN Platinum Rally Poland was the 66th running of the Rally Poland and the eighth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. Rally Poland had previously been part of the WRC schedule during the inaugural 1973 season. The rally consisted of 18 special stages and was won by Ford's... |
FIN 2009 Rally Finland The 2009 Neste Oil Rally Finland was the 59th running of the Rally Finland and the ninth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 23 special stages and was won by Ford's Mikko Hirvonen. This marked his third victory in a row and his first in his home event... Ret |
AUS 2009 Rally Australia The 2009 Repco Rally Australia was the 20th Rally Australia and the tenth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 35 special stages and was won on the road by Citroën's Sébastien Loeb... |
ESP 2009 Rally Catalunya The 2009 RACC Rallye de Catalunya was the eleventh round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season and the 45th running of Rally Catalunya. The rally consisted of 18 special stages and took place between October 2-4 2009... |
GBR 2009 Rally GB The 2009 Rally GB was the 12th and last round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season and the 65th running of the Rally of Great Britain. The rally consisted of 16 special stages.... |
NC | 0 | |
2010 2010 World Rally Championship season The 2010 World Rally Championship season was the 38th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 13 rallies, beginning with Rally Sweden on 11 February and ended Wales Rally GB on 14 November.... |
Citroën Junior Team Citroën Junior Team The Citroën Junior Team was a World Rally Championship team, which competed in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. It was set up and run as Citroën's secondary team in the World Rally Championship, pitched against the existing Stobart Ford World Rally Team.... |
Citroën C4 WRC Citroën C4 WRC The Citroën C4 WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing to compete in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Citroën C4 road car and replaced the Citroën Xsara WRC... |
SWE 2010 Rally Sweden The 2010 Rally Sweden was the opening round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. It was the season's first and only event held on snow- and ice-covered gravel roads. The rally was held over February 11–14, beginning with a Super Special Stage in the event's base town of Karlstad... 29 |
MEX 2010 Rally México The 2010 Rally México was the 23rd Rally Mexico and the second round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over March 5–7, and was based in León, in the Guanajuato region of the country. The event was part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Mexican... Ret |
JOR 2010 Jordan Rally The 2010 Jordan Rally was the third round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over April 1–3, and was based beside the Dead Sea, some from the country's capital, Amman. The rally was also the third round of both the Production Car World Rally Championship, and the... 8 |
TUR 2010 Rally of Turkey The 2010 Rally of Turkey was the fourth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over April 16–18, and was based in the country's largest city, Istanbul... 5 |
NZL 2010 Rally New Zealand The 2010 Rally New Zealand was the fifth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 7–9 May and is based in the country's largest city, Auckland... |
POR 2010 Rally de Portugal The 2010 Rally de Portugal was the 44th Rally de Portugal and the sixth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over May 27–30, and was based in Faro, the capital city of the Algarve region... 10 |
BUL 2010 Rally Bulgaria The 2010 Rally Bulgaria was the seventh round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over July 9–11, and was based in Borovets, around outside the capital city, Sofia. The rally was also the third round of the Junior World Rally Championship.Rally Bulgaria made its début... 11 |
FIN 2010 Rally Finland The 2010 Neste Oil Rally Finland was the 60th Rally Finland and the eighth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over July 29–31, and is based in Jyväskylä, the capital of the Central Finland region... 25 |
DEU 2010 Rallye Deutschland The 2010 ADAC Rallye Deutschland was the 28th Rallye Deutschland and the ninth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over August 20–22, and is based in Trier. It was the first of two WRC rounds where all WRC support series competed in the same round... 7 |
JPN 2010 Rally Japan The 2010 Rally Japan, was the 10th round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The 26 stage gravel rally took place on 9 – 12 September 2010 and was based in the city of Sapporo... Ret |
FRA 2010 Rallye de France The 2010 Rallye de France was the first running of the Rallye de France–Alsace and the eleventh round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 1–3 October 2010, and was based in Strasbourg, the capital of the Alsace region... Ret |
ESP 2010 Rally Catalunya The 2010 Rally Catalunya was the twelfth and penultimate round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 22–24 October 2010, and was based in Salou, the second biggest city in the Province of Tarragona in Catalonia... DNS |
GBR 8 |
10th | 25 |
2011 2011 World Rally Championship season The 2011 World Rally Championship season was the 39th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season has 13 rallies, beginning with Rally Sweden on 10 February... |
ICE 1 Racing Ice 1 Racing ICE 1 Racing is a team competing in the World Rally Championship with Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen. The team is based at Citroën Racing's headquarters in Versailles, France.... |
Citroën DS3 WRC Citroën DS3 WRC The Citroën DS3 WRC is the World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing for use from the 2011 World Rally Championship season. It is based upon the Citroën DS3 road car, and replaces the highly successful Citroën C4 WRC... |
SWE 2011 Rally Sweden The 2011 Rally Sweden was the opening round of 2011 World Rally Championship season. It was the season's first and only event held on snow- and ice-covered gravel roads. The rally took place over 10–13 February, beginning with a Super Special Stage in the event's base town of Karlstad... 8 |
MEX 2011 Rally México The 2011 Rally México was the second round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. It was the season's first event held on gravel roads. The rally took place over 3–6 March, beginning with a street stage in Guanajuato... |
POR 2011 Rally de Portugal The 2011 Rally de Portugal was the third round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. It was the season's first European event held on gravel roads. The rally took place over 24–27 March, beginning with a super special stage in the city of Lisbon... 7 |
JOR 2011 Jordan Rally The 2011 Jordan Rally was the fourth round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 14–16 April, and was based beside the Dead Sea, some from the country's capital, Amman... 6 |
ITA 2011 Rally d'Italia Sardegna The 2011 Rally d'Italia Sardegna was the fifth round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 6–8 May, and was based in Olbia, the fourth-largest town on the island of Sardinia. The rally was also the third round of the Super 2000 World Rally Championship and the... |
ARG 2011 Rally Argentina The 2011 Rally Argentina was the sixth round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 26–29 May, and was based in Villa Carlos Paz, in the province of Córdoba. The rally was also the third round of the Production World Rally Championship... |
GRE 2011 Acropolis Rally The 2011 Acropolis Rally was the seventh round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 17–19 June, and was based in Loutraki, outside the country's capital, Athens. The rally was also the fourth round of the Super 2000 World Rally Championship... 7 |
FIN 2011 Rally Finland The 2011 Rally Finland was the eighth round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 28–30 July, and was based in Jyväskylä with a remote service in Lahti... 9 |
DEU 2011 Rallye Deutschland The 2011 Rallye Deutschland was the ninth round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 19–21 August, and was based in Trier, in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany... 6 |
AUS 2011 Rally Australia The 2011 Rally Australia was the 21st Rally Australia and the tenth round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 8–11 September, and was based in Coffs Harbour, a coastal city in the New South Wales state of Australia. The rally was also the fifth round of the... WD |
FRA 2011 Rallye de France The 2011 Rallye de France – Alsace was the eleventh round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 30 September – 2 October, and was based in Strasbourg, the capital city of the Alsace region of France... Ret |
ESP 2011 Rally Catalunya The 2011 Rally Catalunya, formally 47è Rally RACC Catalunya – Costa Daurada and the denoted RACC Rally de España, was the twelfth round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 21–23 October, and was based in Salou, Catalonia... Ret |
GBR Ret |
10th | 34 |
Complete NASCAR results
(key) (Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position earned by points standings. * – Most laps led.)NASCAR Nationwide Series
Year | Team | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | NNWC | Points |
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2011 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series The 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season was the thirtieth season of semi-professional stock car racing in the United States. The season included thirty-four races, beginning with the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway... |
NEMCO Motorsports NEMCO Motorsports NEMCO Motorsports is a NASCAR team that is owned by driver Joe Nemechek and his family. After a two-year hiatus, NEMCO Motorsports fielded full time entries in both the Cup and Nationwide Series in 2009 with driver Joe Nemechek. It carried the number 87 in both Cup and Nationwide. The team ran... |
Toyota | DAY | PHO Bashas' Supermarkets 200 The Bashas' Supermarkets 200 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.Bashas' Supermarkets sponsored the November race from 2002 until 2004... |
LVS Sam's Town 300 The Sam's Town 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series stock car race held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has been scheduled as either the third, fourth, or fifth race of the season for the Nationwide Series since it was first held in 1997.... |
BRI | CAL | TXS O'Reilly 300 The O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place each spring at Texas Motor Speedway, and was first held in 1997. In 2005, TMS was rewarded with a second Nationwide Series event in November, the O'Reilly Challenge... |
TAL Aaron's 312 The Aaron's 312 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Talladega Superspeedway. The race's sponsor, Aaron's, is a lease-to-own retailer. The twelve extra miles are tacked on to what would normally be a race for targeted advertising purposes.... |
NSH | RIC | DAR | DOV | IOW Iowa John Deere Dealers 250 The Iowa John Deere Dealers 250 presented by Pioneer is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.-Past winners:-External links:*... |
CHA 27 |
CHI STP 300 The STP 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. It replaces Gateway International Raceway as a part of the 2011 NASCAR Realignment.-Past winners:... |
MIC | ROA Bucyrus 200 The Bucyrus 200 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at Road America.-History:The track held its first Nationwide event in 2010 after the Milwaukee Mile's race was moved to the track. It had held a Sprint Cup Series race in the 1950s.... |
DY2 | KTY | NHA New England 200 (NASCAR) The New England 200 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. When first held in 1990, the race was 300 laps. It was scaled back to 250 laps, the length of the former fall NHMS race, starting in 1993, and again to its current 200 laps in 1996... |
NS2 Federated Auto Parts 300 The Federated Auto Parts 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at Nashville Superspeedway. The race is one of two races held at the track, which received a second date on the then-Busch Series schedule one year after the track opened... |
LOR | IO2 U.S. Cellular 250 The U.S. Cellular 250 Presented by the Enlist Weed Control System is a 250 lap NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.-Past winners:-References:*... |
GLN | MON NAPA Auto Parts 200 The NAPA Auto Parts 200 Presented by Dodge is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada since 2007. It takes place in August, replacing the Champ Car World Series and Atlantic Championship Grand Prix of Montreal... |
BR2 Food City 250 The Food City 250 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series stock car race that takes place each August under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. It is held the night before the Sprint Cup Series Sharpie 500... |
ATL | RI2 | CH2 | DV2 | KAN | CA2 Dollar General 300 The Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage is a NASCAR Nationwide Series stock car race that takes place at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina... |
TX2 | PH2 | HOM Ford 300 The Ford 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race is part of the NASCAR Ford Championship Weekend, and is the final race of the season for the Nationwide Series.... |
– 1 | – 1 |
- 1 Ineligible for Nationwide championship points.
Formula One records and achievements
- In 20052005 Formula One seasonThe 2005 Formula One season was the 56th FIA Formula One World Championship season, contested over a record 19 Grands Prix. It commenced on March 6, 2005, and ended October 16....
Räikkönen equalled the record of wins in a single season without winning the World Title (7), shared with four time World Champion Alain ProstAlain ProstAlain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...
, who initially set the record in 19841984 Formula One seasonThe 1984 Formula One season was the 35th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1984 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1984 Fomula One World Championship for Manufacturers which were contested concurrently over a sixteen race series which commenced on March 25,...
and matched it in 19881988 Formula One seasonThe 1988 Formula One season was the 39th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1988 FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on April 3, 1988 and ended on November 13 after sixteen races...
, and also with Michael SchumacherMichael SchumacherMichael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
, in 20062006 Formula One seasonThe 2006 Formula One season was the 57th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship which began on March 12 and ended on October 22 after eighteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Fernando Alonso of Renault F1 for the second year in a...
. - In the 2005 and 20082008 Formula One seasonThe 2008 Formula One season was the 59th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It began on 16 March and ended on 2 November with eighteen Grand Prix races....
seasons, he equalled Michael Schumacher's record of 10 fastest race laps in a season, set in 20042004 Formula One seasonThe 2004 Formula One season was the 55th FIA Formula One World Championship season, running from March 7 to October 24, 2004. The season was dominated by Michael Schumacher and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro...
. - He currently holds the third highest record for total fastest laps at 35.
- In 2008, Räikkönen scored six consecutive fastest race laps (in Spain, Turkey, Monaco, Canada, France and Britain), equalling Alberto AscariAlberto AscariAlberto Ascari was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He is one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport, and the only one winning his two championships in a Ferrari....
's record for the most consecutive fastest laps in a single season and placing him one behind Ascari's overall record of seven consecutive fastest laps (which were split across two seasons: six in 1952 and one in 1953). - He was the first driver to win on his Ferrari debut since Nigel MansellNigel MansellNigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
at the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix1989 Brazilian Grand PrixThe 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Jacarepaguá on March 26, 1989.-Report:The FIRST team withdrew before the beginning of the season, as the car had failed a mandatory FIA pre-season crash test...
and the first to win, set the fastest lap and pole position on his Ferrari debut since Juan Manuel FangioJuan Manuel FangioJuan Manuel Fangio , nicknamed El Chueco or El Maestro , was a racing car driver from Argentina, who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing...
at the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix1956 Argentine Grand PrixThe 1956 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 22 January 1956 at Buenos Aires. It was the first round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship....
. His replacement Fernando AlonsoFernando AlonsoFernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
also won on his Ferrari debut at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix2010 Bahrain Grand PrixThe 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 March 2010, at the Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the seventh Bahrain Grand Prix and the opening race of the 2010 Formula One season. It was the first time since 2006 that Bahrain had hosted the opening...
, setting the fastest lap on the way; however AlonsoFernando AlonsoFernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
only qualified 3rd. - Following Michael Schumacher's retirement at the end of 2006, Räikkönen was the highest paid driver in Formula One, with a reputed base salary of $51 m per year.
- The 2007 Chinese Grand Prix2007 Chinese Grand PrixThe 2007 Chinese Grand Prix was the sixteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held on 5–7 October at Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China. The race was won by Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen with Fernando Alonso finishing second and Felipe Massa finishing third...
saw Räikkönen give Scuderia Ferrari their 200th Formula One GP win, as well as their 600th podium (along with team-mate Felipe MassaFelipe MassaFelipe Massa is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He finished second in the Drivers' World Championship, and is under contract to race for Scuderia Ferrari until the end of the season.-Early years:...
who finished in 3rd). - At the 2008 French Grand Prix2008 French Grand PrixThe 2008 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 22, 2008 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France. This race is the last French Grand Prix. It was the eighth race of the 2008 Formula One season...
Räikkönen gave Ferrari their 200th pole position. - Räikkönen is the second driver to win the World Championship after being third in the drivers standings before the final race. Giuseppe FarinaGiuseppe FarinaEmilio Giuseppe "Nino" Farina was an Italian racing driver. He stands out in the history of Grand Prix motor racing for his much copied 'straight-arm' driving style and his status as the first ever Formula One World Champion.-Biography:Born in Turin, Italy and nicknamed "Nino", Farina was a doctor...
, the first F1 World Champion, was the first to do this in , beating Juan Manuel FangioJuan Manuel FangioJuan Manuel Fangio , nicknamed El Chueco or El Maestro , was a racing car driver from Argentina, who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing...
by three points and Luigi FagioliLuigi FagioliLuigi Fagioli , nicknamed "the Abruzzi robber", was an Italian motor racing driver.-Career:Born in the small city of Osimo, Ancona Province in the Marche region of central Italy, as a boy Luigi Fagioli was fascinated by the relatively new invention of the automobile and the ensuing racing...
by six points. Sebastian VettelSebastian VettelSebastian Vettel is a German Formula One racing driver, currently driving for Red Bull Racing. He is the current World Champion, having won the championship in and ....
repeated this feat in 20102010 Formula One seasonThe 2010 Formula One season was the 61st Formula One season of World Championship motor racing competition. Red Bull Racing won its maiden Constructors' Championship with a one-two finish in Brazil, while Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race...
, when he won the championship at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix2010 Abu Dhabi Grand PrixThe 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 November 2010 at the Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island, an island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It was the 19th and last round of the 2010 Formula One season...
. - Räikkönen is the third Ferrari driver after Juan Manuel FangioJuan Manuel FangioJuan Manuel Fangio , nicknamed El Chueco or El Maestro , was a racing car driver from Argentina, who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing...
and Jody ScheckterJody ScheckterJody David Scheckter is a South African former auto racing driver, the Formula One World Drivers Champion.-Career:Scheckter was born in East London, South Africa and educated at Selborne College.-Formula One:...
to win the world title in their first year with the team. - Räikkönen is the third Finnish driver to win the World Championship, after Keke RosbergKeke RosbergKeijo Erik Rosberg , nicknamed "Keke", is a Finnish former racing driver and winner of the Formula One World Championship. He was the first Finnish driver to compete regularly in the series. Rosberg grew up in Oulu and Iisalmi, Finland...
and Mika HäkkinenMika HäkkinenMika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...
. He is also the most successful Finnish Formula One driver in terms of points, podium finishes and fastest laps. - Räikkönen also holds the record for the most wins in a debut year with Ferrari with 6, beating Alain Prost's previous record of 5 from 1990.