Kimi Raikkonen's Top 5 Drives
Kimi Raikkonen is the iconic Ferrari F1 team's final world champion ( March 2022, when I am writing this article). After a career that began in 2001, the Finn just announced his retirement at the end of the 2021 season. Raikkonen was one of the most popular drivers in F1 during his two tenure. Fans were fascinated by Raikkonen's no-nonsense style and straight-talking, but his personality was not the only thing that drew them in. The Iceman was also one of the fastest drivers on the grid during the height of his career.
Australian Grand Prix 2013
Raikkonen returned to Formula One in 2012, following a two-year absence. The Finn had an unexpectedly excellent 2012 season, fighting for victories multiple times, taking numerous podiums, and even winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Many people predicted that Raikkonen and Lotus would maintain their excellent form in 2013.Raikkonen's qualifying performance was less than ideal, as he only achieved a seventh-place finish on the drying circuit, finishing a second behind pole sitter Sebastian Vettel.
Vettel and Red Bull were on fire in qualifying, and many people anticipated the quadruple world champion to sweep away from the pack throughout the race.The race, however, panned out very differently. The Red Bulls were far more difficult on their tires and could not match their qualifying performance. During the pit stops, Alonso passed Vettel and began to draw away from his German adversary, but a surprise contender appeared in the battle for victory. Raikkonen ran far faster than his competitors and gained track position on them by making one fewer stop. Still, a charging Alonso on fresher tires was everyone's favorite to win, but Raikkonen showed everyone how much speed he had in store by putting in the fastest lap of the race on much older tires.
Despite his best efforts, Alonso could not close the gap to Raikkonen in the last circuits of the race, and Raikkonen cruised to victory.
Bahrain Grand Prix 2006
Raikkonen was the fastest driver in the 2005 season, although he was plagued by the unreliability of the Mercedes engine throughout the season.
Nonetheless, McLaren and Raikkonen's supporters were optimistic about the 2006 season, and Raikkonen was one of the favorites to win the championship.
Unfortunately for him, his fortunes did not improve significantly. His car had a mechanical issue during the first portion of the qualifying session, and he was forced to retire.
Raikkonen had to start from the back of the pack, but those who doubted the Finn were proven incorrect. After a thrilling first lap, Raikkonen was immediately in the top 8 and a point-scoring position.
Unlike his competitors, he just made one stop, while his competitors had to make two.Raikkonen had moved up to third place after all of the cars conducted their last pit stops.
Even though Jenson Button was all over him in the final few circuits of the race, Raikkonen made no mistakes and began the year in style with brilliant recovery performance.
Hungarian Grand Prix 2009
During the 2009 season, Ferrari fell from title challenger to midpack squad. The squad began to show signs of improving form in the previous races, but things were far from ideal.
One of Ferrari's drivers, Felipe Massa, sustained a season-ending head injury while qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Raikkonen looked quick all weekend, but a mistake in the last qualifying portion dropped him to seventh place on the grid.
Raikkonen's performance in the race was noticeably better. He got off to a good start, gaining a couple of positions, and after the first pit stops, he was in second place. Despite having a slightly weaker vehicle than Mark Webber's Red Bull or Lewis Hamilton's McLaren, Raikkonen comfortably retained second place and kept pace with Hamilton while concurrently driving away from Webber to finish second and give Ferrari a morale-boosting podium.
Belgian Grand Prix 2004
After a fantastic 2003 season in which Raikkonen and McLaren challenged Michael Schumacher for the championship, the 2004 season was a tremendous letdown.
At the start of the season, the 2004 McLaren was neither quick nor dependable. Raikkonen withdrew from 5 of the first seven races due to mechanical issues. The team unveiled a B-spec, heavily modified, and significantly quicker vehicle at the French GP.
McLaren's performance improved dramatically after that, and Raikkonen was once again a frequent contender for the podium places.
Raikkonen looked quick all weekend in Belgium, but a wet qualifying session saw him finish 10th. He rapidly moved up to third place after a strong start, trailing the leading Renaults. After the first round of pit stops, Raikkonen took over as the race's new leader. He overtook Trulli, and the unlucky Alonso ran out of gas.
Raikkonen established a scorching speed for the rest of the race and appeared in command, but two late SCs made his life difficult. Michael Schumacher could close the gap on Raikkonen thanks to the SCs, but the Finn held off the seven-time champion to win his second race of the season.
2005 Japanese Grand Prix
Raikkonen's most remarkable season with McLaren was by far 2005. The Adrian Newey-designed automobile was speedy while still being gentle on the tires. Raikkonen was by far the fastest driver of the season, and it was only the unreliability of the Mercedes engine kept Raikkonen from winning his first world championship in 2005.
The 2005 Japanese GP was Finn's most OK race of the season. Before the race, the McLarens were big favorites, but a rainy qualifying session resulted in a chaotic lineup. The majority of the favorites started from the rear. Alonso, Montoya, and Raikkonen all finished outside the top ten.
Montoya got a faster start than teammate Raikkonen, but a tangle forced him out of the race after lap one. It Left Raikkonen as the race's solitary remaining McLaren driver. He moved up the field more slowly than his competitor Alonso, but he was heavier during the first stint. Thus he was ahead of him after the first stop.
After ten circuits, Raikkonen passed Schumacher and then moved in on Button and Webber, who were second and third. Thanks to his significantly greater fuel load, he was able to stay out far longer and passed both to take second with nine circuits to go.
Many people did not foresee what would happen in the next nine laps. Raikkonen established a scorching pace to close up on race leader Fisichella, and with a few circuits remaining, he was challenging the Italian for the race win. Fisichella became worried and positioned himself poorly on the exit of the final circuit on the penultimate lap, giving Raikkonen a fantastic opportunity to past his adversary on the last lap, which he achieved with a great move on the race's final lap.
Raikkonen's victory was perhaps the most OK win and drive of his career, as he rallied from 17th on the grid to win on the race's final lap.