Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkimi ˈmɑtiɑs ˈræikːønen]; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "The Ice Man",[2] is a Finnish racing driver currently driving for Ferrari in Formula One.
After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which during his first Ferrari stint he was the 2007 World Champion, he competed in the World Rally Championship in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, he returned to Formula One, driving for Lotus and continued to drive for Lotus in 2013. On 11 September 2013, Ferrari announced their signing of Räikkönen on a two-year contract, beginning in the 2014 season.[3] His current contract with the team has been extended since and expires at the end of 2017.
Räikkönen entered Formula One as a regular driver for Sauber-Petronas in 2001. Having previously only raced in very junior open-wheel categories, he was given his Super Licence from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) after a performance delivery promise by his team boss, Peter Sauber.[4] He joined McLaren Mercedes in 2002, and became a title contender by finishing runner-up in the 2003 and 2005 championships to Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, respectively. Räikkönen's 2002, 2004 and 2006 seasons were plagued by severe unreliability from his McLaren cars.
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkimi ˈmɑtiɑs ˈræikːønen]; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "The Ice Man",[2] is a Finnish racing driver currently driving for Ferrari in Formula One.
After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which during his first Ferrari stint he was the 2007 World Champion, he competed in the World Rally Championship in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, he returned to Formula One, driving for Lotus and continued to drive for Lotus in 2013. On 11 September 2013, Ferrari announced their signing of Räikkönen on a two-year contract, beginning in the 2014 season.[3] His current contract with the team has been extended since and expires at the end of 2017.
Räikkönen entered Formula One as a regular driver for Sauber-Petronas in 2001. Having previously only raced in very junior open-wheel categories, he was given his Super Licence from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) after a performance delivery promise by his team boss, Peter Sauber.[4] He joined McLaren Mercedes in 2002, and became a title contender by finishing runner-up in the 2003 and 2005 championships to Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, respectively. Räikkönen's 2002, 2004 and 2006 seasons were plagued by severe unreliability from his McLaren cars.