Formula 1 news - Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen to retire at end of 2021 season after winning one world title

Updated 01/09/2021 at 18:03 GMT

"This it is...It was not an easy decision but after this season it is time for new things." Alfa Romeo driver Kimi Raikkonen will retire from Formula One at the conclusion of the 2021 season. Raikkonen won the World Championship with Ferrari in 2007. He announced the decision ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix.

Kimi Raikkonen

Image credit: Getty Images

Kimi Raikkonen has announced he will be retiring from Formula One at the end of the season.

The 41-year-old won the World Championship with Ferrari in 2007 and has been racing with Alfa Romeo since 2019.

He also finished second overall in 2003 and 2005, and is one of only five drivers to have secured over 100 podium places. Last year the Finn broke the record for most F1 starts and has since extended it to 341 since his debut in Australia in 2001.

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"This is it,” he wrote on Instragram ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix.

“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! Sincerely Kimi.”

Raikkonen left Formula One to compete in the World Rally Championship in 2010 and 2011, but returned in 2012 with Lotus.

He then went back to Ferrari before signing for Alfa Romeo. It has been reported that Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas will replace Raikkonen next season.

Raikkonen has only managed to secure two points this season after 10th-place finishes in Azerbaijan and Hungary.

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