Paris (AFP)
Finland's Kimi Räikkönen, 2007 world champion at Ferrari, will stop Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 season, he announced on his Instagram account on Wednesday.
"This is it. This will be my last season in Formula 1. It is a decision I made last winter. It was not easy to make but now is the time for new things," writes the Alfa Romeo driver next to a mosaic of photos summarizing his career in F1.
Often nicknamed "Iceman" for his calm and his lack of taste for interviews, Räikkönen will be 42 years old on October 17th.
He is the current F1 veteran, older than the 40-year-old Spaniard Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion.
"Even though the season is not over, I want to thank my family, all my teams, all the people who have been involved in my career and especially all of you, the fans who have supported me all this time" , also writes Finnish.
Räikkönen's current statistics speak for themselves: 342 Grands Prix contested to date, for 21 wins, 18 pole positions, 46 fastest laps in the race and 103 podiums since his debut at the 2001 Australian GP, in a modest Sauber.
He also drove for McLaren and Lotus.
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