Raikkonen says he'd have retired if he didn't race in World Rally Championship

Kimi Raikkonen doubts he would still be in Formula 1 right now if he hadn't have taken a two-year break from the sport. During this time, the Finn took part in the World Rally Championship. In a rally car, Raikkonen won 1 stage and picked up 59 points.

Raikkonen, who is the most experienced driver on the current grid, signed a two-year contract last year. The majority of his fans expected him to retire after he left Ferrari but his current deal at Alfa Romeo runs until the end of the 2020 season. This guarantees him at least another 25 Grands Prix.

However, the 39-year-old doesn't believe any of this would have happened if he didn't walk away from the sport in the middle of his career.

"It doesn't feel that long, honestly," Raikkonen explained to Crash.net when asked about his hefty career in F1. "Being two years out, without that for sure, I wouldn't be here today. That kind of somehow made it not feel that long, having a bit of normal time in that time.

Since the Iceman returned, he propelled himself back into the Ferrari seat and won the 2018 USA Grand Prix, his first race victory since 2013.