Kimi Räikkönen

The Iceman: 2007 World Champion and 21-time Grand Prix winner

via Wikipedia: McLaren · see source

Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkimi ˈmɑtiɑs ˈræi̯kːønen]; born 17 October 1979) is a Finnish racing and rally driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021, and the World Rally Championship from 2009 to 2011. Nicknamed "the Iceman", Räikkönen won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2007 with Ferrari, and won 21 Grands Prix across 19 seasons.

Quick Facts

Affiliation: McLaren Racing
Notable achievement: Finished runner-up in the Drivers' Championship with McLaren in 2003 and 2005

Facts from the source article.

Background

Born in Espoo, Räikkönen began competitive kart racing aged 10, winning several national titles before graduating to junior formulae in 1999. He dominated the 2000 British Formula Renault Championship with Manor, prompting Sauber to sign him in Formula One for 2001. Following several points finishes across his rookie season, he joined McLaren in 2002, achieving his maiden podium on debut. He achieved his maiden victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2003, as he finished runner-up to Michael Schumacher.

Reliability issues with the MP4-19 saw him drop to seventh the following year, taking a sole victory in Belgium. He won seven Grands Prix as he finished runner-up to Fernando Alonso in 2005. After a winless 2006 campaign, Räikkönen moved to Ferrari; he took six victories as he beat Alonso and Lewis Hamilton to the 2007 World Drivers' Championship by a single point. He finished third in 2008, with victories in Malaysia and Spain.

Replaced by Alonso for 2010, Räikkönen left Formula One at the end of his 2009 campaign, where he won the Belgian Grand Prix.