Kimi Raikkonen Cheekily Held the Crystal Ball to His F1 Retirement Long Before Its Announcement

It’s not very often that you see Kimi Raikkonen with a trick up his sleeve, as opposed to his usually straightforward and unbothered demeanor. However, Raikkonen, probably unintentionally, gave the fans the best goodbye gift- a witty moment to add to the books.

F1 usually asks its drivers to write their predictions for the season right at the beginning. This time around, drivers had to answer three questions. What would be the most surprising thing to happen, a prediction of their favorite race and why, and a personal prediction.

Raikkonen had his grand exit from F1 ready. Raikkonen predicted Abu Dhabi would be his favorite race because “it is my last race in F1.” Further, under the empty space left for personal predictions, Raikkonen simply added “goodbye!”

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In the footage of Raikkonen filling in the card, he repeatedly makes sure no one will open the card; he then goes on to forget all about it! So while the world worried about Raikkonen spending his last year in Formula 1, the driver already had one foot out the door.

Kimi Raikkonen receives an emotional goodbye

Although Kimi Raikkonen’s predictions were almost too precise, he may have gotten one thing wrong. Even for the Iceman, ending his career with a DNF wouldn’t seem like the fitting way to go. After two decades’ worth of racing, a crawl back to the pits was anti-climactic.

However, leaving the sport with the team he joined with is just about as full-circle as it gets for Raikkonen. In his farewell party, the love his team had overwhelmed the Finn.

Yet, after 349 races, 21 wins, 103 podiums, and the 2007 crown, a slower life beckons the driver. As he’s said multiple times, he looks forward to spending time with his family. “The kids had been asking for a while when I was going to be staying at home. I’m sure they are happy–and I’m very happy.”

Now, as we prepare ourselves for F1 without Kimi Raikkonen, the Iceman looks to enjoy retirement with a drink in hand and some fun time with the Ice cubes!

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