Monza, Italy: Kimi Raikkonen was on Sunday named to replace the retiring Michael Schumacher at Ferrari next season.
The 26-year-old Finnish driver moves over from McLaren-Mercedes, where he is finishing his fifth season.
Ferrari made the announcement after Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, in which Schumacher and Raikkonen finished 1-2. Raikkonen signed a three-year contract. Raikkonen has won nine Formula One races in his career and captured 11 pole positions.
Raikkonen is expected to become Ferrari’s top driver alongside Felipe Massa, the Brazilian who is completing his first season with the outfit. Raikkonen will become the first Finnish driver for Ferrari.
Peter Sauber gave Raikkonen a Formula One license in September 2000, when the Finn was 20. Critics, including FIA president Max Mosley, voiced concerns over granting a license to such an inexperienced driver -- he had only raced 23 events at that point in his career. But Raikkonen finished 10th in the standings with Sauber-Petronas in 2001 and scored a point in his debut at the Australian GP.
Raikkonen moved to McLaren for the 2002 season, when another former world champion retired -- Mika Hakkinen.
Raikkonen had his best seasons in 2003 and 2005 and earned the ‘iceman’ nickname for his laidback demeanor and calculating race strategy.
In 2003, Raikkonen finished only two points behind Schumacher in the final standings and last year he finished second again, behind Renault’ Fernando Alonso.
Comments
0 comment