Alfa Romeo's former world champion Kimi Raikkonen is to bring his 19-season F1 career to an end by retiring at the end of this season.
The 41-year-old Finn, who won the 2007 title with Ferrari, said on Instagram: "It was not an easy decision but after this season it is time for new things." He wrote he made the call last winter, adding: "F1 might come to an end for me but there is a lot more in life that I want to experience and enjoy." Raikkonen has won 21 Grands Prix and has made a record 341 starts. Since starting his F1 career in 2001, he has raced for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus and current team Alfa Romeo and has finished on the podium more than 100 times.
Raikkonen has become an iconic figure in the sport, as much for his taciturn and blunt personality as his driving. He cemented his place in F1 folklore on his way to victory for Lotus in the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when he replied to a radio message from his engineer Simon Rennie by saying: "Just leave me alone, I know what to do." Later in the same race, when he was keeping his tyres warm during a safety car period, he replied: "Yes, yes, yes, yes, I'm doing all the time. You don't have to remind me every 10 seconds." F1 president Stefano Domenicali, who was Ferrari team principal from 2007-14, said: "Kimi is an incredible part of our sport, a personal friend and a true champion. "I had the privilege of working with him at Ferrari and know the fantastic person he is. We will all miss him and his unique style."
Frédéric Vasseur - boss of the Alfa Romeo team, which is operated by Sauber - added: "There isn't any driver out there like Kimi Raikkonen. His presence, his charisma and his unique attitude, matched with the innate skill that made this team (Sauber) 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. Kimi has written some indelible pages of our team's, and our sport's, history."