Kimi Räikkönen

Verified Timeline

Lore & 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.

In Their Own Story

It lists him in a roster of champions including Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris. It strictly records that he is one of the drivers who brought a championship title to the team, contributing to McLaren's total of 13 Drivers' Championships and its standing as the second-most successful team after Ferrari.

Reader's Guide

Räikkönen achieved the third-most fastest laps (46), seventh-most podium finishes (103), and third-most race starts (349)—all records for a Finnish driver, alongside his 21 victories—in Formula One history, where he still holds several records. Since his retirement, he has made one-off appearances in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022 and 2023, and has served as team principal of Kawasaki in the Motocross World Championship since 2022.

Did You Know?

• Räikkönen won the 2007 World Drivers' Championship with Ferrari, not with McLaren.
• He finished runner-up in the championship with McLaren in 2003 and 2005.
• His final career win came at the 2018 United States Grand Prix with Ferrari.
• Räikkönen holds the record for the most race starts by a Finnish driver (349).