Photo: Instagram / Kimi Raikkonen
The end of an era at Scuderia Ferrari was officially announced on Tuesday by the Italian Formula 1 team, as it confirmed the current runner-up of the racing series will stop driving for the team.
In an Instagram post that went online shortly after the announcement, Raikkonen confirmed he will be driving for Sauber for the following two years, thus returning to the team for which he first competed in 2001.
Sauber confirmed the move through the voice of team boss Fred Vasseur, who said the new team member will “accelerate the growth and development of our team as a whole.”
The announcement made by Ferrari was not accompanied by any details on why the decision to drop Raikkonen was made. Below is the full, but short statement from Ferrari.
“Scuderia Ferrari announces that, at the end of the 2018 season, Kimi Raikkonen will step down from his current role. During these years, Kimi’s contribution to the Team, both as a driver and on account of his human qualities, has been fundamental. He played a decisive role in the team’s growth and was, at the same time, always a great team player. As a World Champion for Scuderia Ferrari, he will always be part of the Team’s history and family. We thank Kimi for all of this and wish him and his family a prosperous future.”
Raikkonen first joined the Ferrari team in 2007, winning his first and only championship in his first year there. After the 2009 season, he left Scuderia and Formula 1 altogether to enter other racing series, including NASCAR. He came back to Ferrari and the premiere racing series in 2014.
So far, Raikkonen has amassed in his career a total of 1 championship win, in 2007, 20 race wins and over 100 podium finishes.
Replacing Raikkonen in the Scuderia car will be Charles Leclerc, who will be joining Sebastian Vettel on the grid and effectively swap places with the Finn.
Sauber confirmed the move through the voice of team boss Fred Vasseur, who said the new team member will “accelerate the growth and development of our team as a whole.”
The announcement made by Ferrari was not accompanied by any details on why the decision to drop Raikkonen was made. Below is the full, but short statement from Ferrari.
“Scuderia Ferrari announces that, at the end of the 2018 season, Kimi Raikkonen will step down from his current role. During these years, Kimi’s contribution to the Team, both as a driver and on account of his human qualities, has been fundamental. He played a decisive role in the team’s growth and was, at the same time, always a great team player. As a World Champion for Scuderia Ferrari, he will always be part of the Team’s history and family. We thank Kimi for all of this and wish him and his family a prosperous future.”
Raikkonen first joined the Ferrari team in 2007, winning his first and only championship in his first year there. After the 2009 season, he left Scuderia and Formula 1 altogether to enter other racing series, including NASCAR. He came back to Ferrari and the premiere racing series in 2014.
So far, Raikkonen has amassed in his career a total of 1 championship win, in 2007, 20 race wins and over 100 podium finishes.
Replacing Raikkonen in the Scuderia car will be Charles Leclerc, who will be joining Sebastian Vettel on the grid and effectively swap places with the Finn.
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