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| Kimi Raikkonen |
| Season '02-'04 |
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Kimi Matias Raikkonen was born October 17, 1979 in Espoo, Finland and although still of young age, has an impressive record, having finished runner-up twice in the dispute for Formula 1 Drivers Championship in the course of 3 years. The Finn has become one of the most popular stars in the sport.
Early Career
Raikkonen had a long line of success in karting from the age of 10, including second place in the 1999 European Formula Super A championship. He also competed in the Formula Ford Euro Cup the same year.
By the age of 20, he had won the Formula Renault Winter series, winning the first four races of the year. In 2000, he dominated the British Renault Championship, where he won seven out of ten events. After racing in the Formula Renault series later in 2000, Räikkönen had won an astounding 13 of 23 events -- a 56% win rate.
Entry Into F1
F1 team owner Peter Sauber was sufficiently impressed to give the Finn a test with the Sauber Formula One team in September of 2000. After further tests in Jerez and Barcelona, Sauber signed Raikkonen for the 2001 season. However, some critics (including FIA president Max Mosley) voiced concerns over granting an F1 Super License to such an inexperienced driver, having only 23 racing events to his credit. He was nevertheless granted a super license, and silenced his critics by scoring a championship point in Australia, his maiden grand prix. Räikkönen was asleep 20 minutes before his first F1 Grand Prix (he loves to sleep - so much so that he needs to be woken up before qualifying and races.)
Far from being the hazard that some people expected him to be, Raikkonen was very calm, cool, and calculating in his race strategy - prompting former critics to nickname him "The Iceman". His other nicknames include Kimppa, Räikkä and Kimster (used by his mechanics). He had a solid debut year, proving he was indeed ready for Formula 1. He finished the season with four points-scoring finishes, with eight finishes in the top eight. Completing the year with 9 points, Räikkönen, along with teammate and fellow prospect Nick Heidfeld (12 points), helped Team Sauber to its highest ever result: fourth place in the constructors championship.
Kimi Raikkonen Picture Gallery