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Raikkonen on racing on two wheels: 'F1 teams didn't know I was doing that'

Raikkonen on racing on two wheels: 'F1 teams didn't know I was doing that'

19-08-2023 15:29 Last update: 17:26
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Cas van de Kleut

Kimi Raikkonen remains to this day the last Ferrari world champion in Formula 1. 'The Ice Man' put a stop to his career after 2021. He is now team boss of Kawasaki Racing Team, a team that competes in the MXGP motorbike class, among others.

In 2001, Raikkonen entered Formula 1. The Finn became a sensation, partly due to his ice-cold behaviour in front of the cameras. In total, the former Ferrari driver won 21 Grands Prix. In 2007, he beat Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton by one point ahead of both drivers to clinch his only world title. After driving for the Alfa Romeo team for three years, he retired from the sport after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Raikkonen as team boss

Meanwhile, the Finn is pursuing another role within racing. And not within motorsport. He is now team boss of Kawasaki Racing Team. During his Formula 1 career, he was also occasionally on a motorbike, he says on his team's website: "Sometimes I went riding in small club races but it was just for fun and I have a small track at home here with the kids. I did not race at a high level and I felt it was part of my fitness programme. I don’t know what any of my teams thought about it as I never mentioned it to them."