Home

F1

F1 World Celebrates as Champion Kimi Raikkonen Converts Retirement to ‘Racing Again’

Published 05/26/2022, 5:08 PM EDT

Follow Us

via Getty

Formula 1 legend Kimi Raikkonen may be done with F1, but he is definitely not done with racing. In 2021, he stepped down after an illustrious career 20-year run that saw him bag poles, podiums, and wins. But he is back into racing and in a series, he has raced before, NASCAR. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Changing his Instagram from “Retired” to “Racing again”, Kimi sent the entire F1 Twitter community into a frenzy.

Other comments noted that Kimi Raikkonen is a legend for racing again. All the tweets clearly show how loved the Iceman is in the racing world; people can’t wait to see what NASCAR has in store for him. The former Ferrari driver will be making his debut at Watkins Glen with Trackhouse Racing. 

New Milestones for Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Other Thrilling F1 Records to Be Shattered at 2022 Monaco GP

How did Kimi Raikkonen agree to race in NASCAR?

Justin Marks, owner of Trackhouse Racing, apparently “sold the whole thing well,” the Finn recalls. “I’ve been a big fan of Kimi’s for a long time, I’ve followed his career since he started in Formula 1 with Sauber,” said Justin. 

“One of the cool moments of my career being a Formula 1 fan was being able to race against Kimi in Charlotte in 2011.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

“I knew he had an interest in NASCAR, and that he’d done it before, and thought that if I explained to him what this project was all about, he’d be interested in being a part of it.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

via Reuters

This isn’t the first time the 2007 World Champion is going to race in NASCAR. During his time off from Formula 1, Kimi Raikkonen raced in one Nationwide Series event- now known as Xfinity Series; and one Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2011. 

“There were obviously options to do more this year, but I think it all came a bit too quickly, to try to do it as well as we can on all the sides,” Kimi said. “I think it was better to wait until this race, so we can prepare for everything and at least have done the work 100% right, and what the outcome is, nobody knows. We’ll at least give ourselves the best chance that we can.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORYBiggest Crashes From 2020 Featuring Leclerc, Vettel & Grosjean

It will be exciting to see what NASCAR has in store for the Iceman; and what more races he can do? What was your reaction upon hearing about his return? Let us know in the comments!

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Vaibhav Aatreya

137Articles

One take at a time

Vaibhav Aatreya is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. His ever-growing passion for the sport, combined with his willingness to learn the inside workings of Formula 1, led him to pursue his graduation in Mechanical Engineering. Having been following the world of motorsports for many years now, Vaibhav loves to pen down his thoughts, giving his take on the ongoings in the sport.
Show More>

Edited by:

Arunaditya Aima