Kimi Raikkonen to retire from F1 at the end of 2021!

F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen has announced that he will call it a day on his career in Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 season.

The 41-year-old , who will turn 42 next month, made his F1 debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix driving for Sauber, with only 23 prior car starts to his name, and scored a championship point on his first start.

In 2002, the Finn began a five-year stint with McLaren during which he won eight Grands Prix. His move to Ferrari in 2007 yielded a world title in his first season with the Scuderia and nine wins during his three years with the Italian outfit.

A two-year break from the sport followed thereafter, during which he indulged in his love for rallying. But Raikkonen returned to the fray in 2012 with Lotus for which he conquered two wins.

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The Iceman then returned to the House of Maranello for another five-year spell, but during that period Raikkonen delivered only one win, achieved at the 2018 US Grand Prix in Austin 113 races after his previous win in Australia in 2013.

Many believed the F1 veteran would retire from the sport at the end of that season, but Raikkonen extended his lease as a Grand Prix driver when he signed up for Sauber-Alfa Romeo, a move that brought the Finn's career in F1 full circle.

Although his pace appeared to have wound down in the past two years, Raikkonen's popularity with F1's fan base remained intact while his aura undeniably brought value and exposure to the Alfa Romeo team.

"This is it," the popular Finn wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. "This will be my last season in Formula 1. This is a decision I did during last winter. It was not an easy decision but after this season it is time for new things.

"Even though the season is still on, I want to thank my family, all my teams, everyone involved in my racing career and especially all of you great fans that have been rooting for me all this time.

"Formula 1 might come to an end for me but there is a lot more in life that I want to experience and enjoy. See you around after all of this."

Alfa Romeo Racing team boss Frederic Vasseur paid tribute to Raikkonen's tenure in the sport and his contribution to its history.

"There isn’t any driver out there like Kimi Räikkönen," said Vasseur. "His presence, his charisma and his unique attitude, matched with the innate skill that made this team give him a chance back in 2001, have made him a legend of our sport in a way which numbers and statistics struggle to convey.

"It was a pleasure to work with him in these years and I believe I speak on behalf of everyone at Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN, from the shop floor in Hinwil to the garage here in Zandvoort, when I say a driver like Kimi has written some indelible pages of our team’s, and our sport’s, history."

Alfa Romeo has yet to confirm its line-up for 2022, but the Swiss outfit will likely to retain a Finnish flavor with current Mercedes driver strongly expected to move to the team.

Rumors in the paddock at Spa last weekend suggested that Antonio Giovinazzi could be replaced by works Mercedes Formula E champion Nyck de Vries.

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