Kimi Raikkonen really closed this time.
The sunset in Yas Marina, after retiring with his Alfa Romeo from the Abu Dhabi GP, will be his last memory of a life in Formula 1, after 19 seasons often as a protagonist in the circus and among the most loved by fans, especially in unforgettable experiences in Maranello, culminating in the 2007 world title, the last one won by Ferrari.
In 350 grand prixes, Iceman brought many single-seaters to the track - starting in 2001 with Sauber and continuing with McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus and Alfa Romeo - winning 21 and climbing the podium over a hundred times.
"Formula 1 takes a long time, but it was never the main thing for me - he went so far as to say in an interview this week -. My life has always been out and there are other more important things. 'now that the day comes when I have nothing planned and I can do what my family wants. " From tomorrow he will be satisfied, as long as the steering wheel demon fails to get the better of him once again. It has already happened, when he pulled the plug in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, however, going to battle on the Nascar circuit or in the World Rally, but without leaving his mark. Upon returning to the circus he proved that he had not lost his shine, so much so that at Lotus, where he had signed a piecework contract with a tot to be collected at a world point, he risked making the team fail.He no longer reached the heights of the 2007 world championship, but was still able to fight for the title, in 2012 and 2018 in his last season at Maranello before moving to Alfa. His place will be taken by another senator and compatriot, Valtteri Bottas, who leaves the Mercedes to the rampant George Russell.
Among the many trophies, the Finn will now be able to add a model of the F2007 with which he triumphed 14 years ago.
This is what the Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto, the drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz and the whole team, together with Stefano Domenicali gave him today in a short ceremony before departure.