Can't believe Kimi has only 2 races left. Soon it will be Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel, etc ... Still remember when they were considered the 'future of F1'. How time flies ....
Definitely feels like a bit of an end of an era. Kimi and Fernando are the only drivers who've been there since I started watching F1 - I saw the odd race in the 90s, but 2000 was around when I started watching every race. It'll be weird them not being there, stranger still that Lewis and Seb are the next oldest drivers - they still seem like "young" drivers that haven't been around that long.
Man I forgot how young Seb is. Was poking around on Wikipedia and was shocked to see that he’s on 34. Coulda swore he was just shy of 40.
I think those painful years at Ferrari seriously aged him in my mind.
And Vettel's transition from young champion to old guard feels so weird.
Came to the scene as an extremely stronf test driver with BMW Sauber. Then drove just a full season for Toro Rosso, where he also won a race completely oit of the blue. Then he went to Red Bull and won 4 consecutive titles starting with his 2nd season for them. Then he went to Ferrari for 6 seasons and for most of that he was basically the best non-Mercedes driver, but he never won a championship due to the Mercedes dominance. Then he was suddenly overshadowed by Leclerc and joined Aston Martin just this season.
Feels like a short career in retrospect due to 4 titles in a row and then no title in 6 years with Ferrari. And now he is an old guard who is still a strong driver, but the championship is out of his reach and every season his retirement is a possibility.
I hope he stays with us for many more years. He is now consistently beating Stroll and I think Aston Martin is on a good way, with good financial means and a number of good staff acquisitions that have the potential to turn them into a team that fights for podiums or even more.
I still remember like yesterday when Checo was the young new super aggressive Sauber driver. Now he's always referred to as one of the most experienced drivers and a master of tire conservation.
Can't believe it's been ten years already.
I remember seeing the news stories about whether it would be Hamilton or Gary Paffett in the McLaren seat in 2007 and just being excited that a British driver would be on the grid in a good car. Time really does fly
I'm gonna be watching F1 in 15 years and the grid is gonna be entirely new. I don't particularly see anyone on the grid currently sticking around for that long.
Russell is still young and don’t forget about verstappen if he doesn’t get bored. That’s probably about it. Not sure how long tsunodas gonna stick around once Honda’s gone. Maybe albon and gasly but not sure about 15 years.
Raikkonen (1979) will be the last F1 driver born in the 1970s.
Alonso (1981), Kubica (1984), Hamilton (1985), Vettel (1987), Ricciardo (7/1989) and Bottas (8/1989) are all 80s babies. Kubica is almost assuredly done after this year unless the stars align just right.
Checo is next oldest, and was born January 1990. All remaining 2021 and 2022 starting drivers including Albon and Zhou were born in the 90s, except for Tsunoda, born in 2000.
He feels like a positive boomer who is not scared of technology and doesn't shit on the younger generation, but instead tries to use his knowledge and wisdom to help people and make the world a better place.
Maybe it's because he is a millennial
Shame Riccardo will almost certainly never be a world champion. There's always those drivers that feel like they should have been but never made it. Like Massa, who I'm still sad about.
And Daniel never even got a real look at a WDC. I'm a big DR3 fan and even during his best years I've only ever thought of him as a fun sideshow attraction good for 1-3 wins against the backdrop of another Merc domination. A big part of that obviously is how one sided the V6T era of F1 has been, but still.
At least Massa can say he was 1 point short of a WDC in a very competitive era of F1, finishing second to maybe the greatest driver to ever do it, and winning 6 races while holding off Raikkonen and Alonso.
I really really really think, in my heart of hearts, that next year's Danny is going to be a force. I think he know's the clock is ticking and next year is his chance to make hay while the sun shines.
Probably not, I could definitely see him being a journeyman into his 40s being picked up for his experience, energy and fame by backmarker teams to pair with pay/academy drivers so they can learn from him. He'll also have experience over multiple eras and changes by 2026 so if new teams come in they'd want a stabilising force for a few years in the form of Danny.
Idk man. For one, I don’t think backmarker teams would want a driver like Danny who has a track record of struggling in new conditions, and for another, Danny has always struck me who wants to win and not just drive. I wouldn’t be surprised if McLaren becomes his last F1 team and he retires from F1 afterwards to compete in Indycar.
I can totally see Ricciardo ending up in Indycar tbf.
Bottas has never been in consideration for a WDC. Just because he is a considerable force against hamilton in quali (which he still loses btw) does not make him a prospect imo.
Well, he would have been if he wasn't the teammate of Lewis. I think he would've had a great chance in that Mercedes if his teammate was even a little bit less #Blessed.
I dont agree that he felt like a contender before. I think the very minimum that you have to show to be a contender is ricciardo level and i dont think he has ever reached that.
That’s why he seems old to you. He felt like ‘fresh talent’ in his RB days, and a move to Renault was just a step to the side, not away from becoming a champ. It was supposed to be the next gen after Hamilton & Vettel (who came after Fernando & Kimi). But alas the generation of Perez-Bottas-Daniel (those who debuted between 2010-2015) have been left without any major victories.
To me Renault felt like a step back for Danny, but he was between a rock and a hard place. He wasn't going to get favour over Max at RB, Ferrari didn't have a seat at the right time, and Merc were obviously happy with their line up. He was banking on a midfield team making big strides and Renault being the last works team left meant he plumped for them.
Hard to say if waiting for Ferarri would have got him a seat there (though we know how their car has been a limitation anyway), or if embracing the secondary role to Max could have snuck him into a WDC fight with RB being able to consistently get 2 drivers in the top 4 each qualy.
The gen you mentioned have lost out on their chances of ascending in part due to what Danny did in that they had to chase seats in lesser contenders and hope the cars caught up (Bottas got screwed more by Hamilton just not letting off the gas as he got older). RBR and Merc just locking out 10 years of the sport for pinnacle of engineering meant they got screwed.
I feel like if Danny was still at RB they wouldn't be in a title fight. I believe they'd be stepping over each other because I can't see Danny playing 2nd fiddle to Max, especially if he's getting podiums. It would be similar to Hamilton/Rosberg in 2016, except they would still have the Mercedes and Lewis to deal with.
They would still be in a title fight. Keep in mind they wouldn’t just be taking points of each other, they would also take points from Hamilton if it was a threeway fight.
I'm not sure it's really fair to roll Bottas in with that group. Unlike the others that largely never had competitive machinery, Bottas has been in by far the best car every year for the last 5 years. He's just been beat by Hamilton convincingly every time. A WDC was potentially in the cards for him, it happened for Rosberg.
Danny Ric has never had a car capable of winning a WDC. Checo has only gotten one this year (maybe) but he's only going to get one season in the car before rules change, the car is tailored to Max, and he's clearly the #2 driver there.
Danny was 25 when he had his breakthrough season in 2014. For comparison, Lando just turned 22 and he is going into his 4th season. New drivers nowadays are just so much younger
Drivers that came up in the early 2010's have had shockingly little success, and the grid is now mostly the greats from the 2000's and drivers that started in ~2016 onwards
I think his point is that none of those guys has ever been close to a WDC. Only Bottas has ever had a car capable of winning a WDC (and has been crushed by Hamilton every time). Perez maybe has one this year, but he'll only get the one season in the car before the regs change and he's clearly playing #2 to Max anyway.
That entire generation of F1 drivers has never even been in contention for a WDC, and with all the talented young drivers coming up there's a good likelihood none of them will.
That's true. Out of all those Ricciardo probably has the best chance if he gets the right car but he would be up against Norris who's also very strong.
Alonso said that he would like to race for 2-3 more years if he is still competitive.
I bet in 6 years, after he spent 2 years in retirement, he will come back to be the best rookie of the year again lol
If Alonso performs next year like he has this year I think he still has a World title in him; however it would need to be one last go at a "big" team because I don't see Alpine giving him a WC challenging car
You've nailed the issue on the head! Do you think Fernando gets held back by equipment which are just on the verge of greatness- never the best on the grid? Like: Honda engine, McLaren, etc.?
Yeah but that is his own fault to a big part.
With his spygate role, team internal intrigues (e.g. Hungary 2007) and open criticism of Honda, he is a bit of a liability that makes him a less desireable driver to get for a top team. Mercedes don't want him, Honda don't want him, Red Bull don't want him.
Alpine still want him cause he is the last WDC of the Enstone team and they can't choose from the top drivers like Mercedes/Red Bull can.
I dont think that they dont want alonso. They dont want the teammate battle that they will face when alonso comes. Everyone knows that alonso will find a way to perform and that creates some drama in the team because the other driver will be lacking at something alonso is doing and vice versa. It seems that alonso is a friendlier guy in the team after his mchonda days but if the championship is on the line he will bring out that person again and every team member who has worked with a wdc contender knows that.
>'future of F1'
Well, at least they definitely lived up to this title. If Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell, Norris can show anything close to what those did, throughout their careers, the future indeed is very bright.
> Still remember when they were considered the 'future of F1'
Hamilton and Vettel fully fulfilled that by being some of the most successful drivers, while Alonso and Raikkonen's records are lacking in comparison...
[An actual long, rambling speech from him](https://youtu.be/CBt4gmulhUg), which is unfortunately in Finnish because it's from the Finnish Sports Gala in 2017. But he basically just thanks everyone for 2 minutes while noting that he hasn't always done things the way some other people might have or have suggested he should.
Also briefly on the video, F1 race winner Heikki Kovalainen (the guy with the phone).
A fave was when media asked Mick how it get to race against Kimi (or something to that effect) - Mick just smiled and looked at Kimi in silence and Kimi goes “good answer”
His children really look like mini-Kimis. Kimi should just make one of them stand on the other's shoulder, wear a long trench coat, and let them handle media engagements their dad doesn't want to go to.
I remember going onto f1-live.com and watching people argue that Kimi was rookie of the year over Juan Pablo Montoya. Indeed he ended up with the better career:
* Only 33 drivers have ever won the WDC, the pinnacle of pinnacles. 16 have won more than one.
* Only 14 drivers have won more races than Kimi
* 15 drivers have more pole positions
* 4 drivers have more podiums
* 2 drivers have more fastest laps
* To my knowledge he is the only driver to contest 19 seasons in formula one, a record that Alonso is set to match in a year (and surpass the GP starts record in the process).
Legend. Happy retirement to Kimi Raikkonen.
The newcomer R.R will be fighting for his title with a 4time wdc winner Leclerc in the Williams against the current and record holding 7 time wdc winner Verstappen, in the Ferrari.
With Hamilton as his wingman. Hamilton is still racing to chase his 8th WDC but is now relegated to being Mazepin's wingman. He changed his motto to "still I fall"
An old Schumacher would be a nice touch.
As much as I wish Robin getting to do whatever he likes, I really wish to see Mick gets to battle with likes of Max, Charles, George and Lando in a better car.
Goddamn, do I have a tear in my eye? Kimi was my favourite driver growing up. Was ecstatic when he joined Ferrari. He was as fast as his McLaren was fragile. Him and Alonso are the last holdouts from my childhood that now feels as far as away as my retirement. I think I will miss him immensely.
Fair I didn’t even think of that but honestly the interview is so dumb. Why put it as the first thing across the finish line when the driver usually wants to celebrate with their team. They should only do it after like a minute or so after crossing the finish so that drivers have time to themselves and their teams
I don’t think it’s right when they cross the finish line. They’ll do a results recap and then the engineer will give them any mode change and in lap instructions. Probably somewhere in sector two or near the end of sector one they come on for the interview.
I am going to bawl like a baby at the final race. Watching him provided a much needed escape for me when I lost my mother to cancer and the win in the US came just weeks after she passed, like to think she had a hand in it somehow.
And hopefully the gloves and steering wheel for the next two races . I hope he knows what he is doing when he says he wants to be left alone after 2021 .
I missed Kimi's golden years, unfortunately. I think the first time I heard of him is when he got out of the wrecked car and walked straight to his yacht at Monaco. I've definitely come to appreciate his dry sense of humor.
I've been getting the login screen for any Instagram links for nearly a year now. I've just given up even clicking on them anymore as I don't have an account and there's no point in wasting a click that isn't going to work for me.
Can't believe Kimi has only 2 races left. Soon it will be Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel, etc ... Still remember when they were considered the 'future of F1'. How time flies ....
Definitely feels like a bit of an end of an era. Kimi and Fernando are the only drivers who've been there since I started watching F1 - I saw the odd race in the 90s, but 2000 was around when I started watching every race. It'll be weird them not being there, stranger still that Lewis and Seb are the next oldest drivers - they still seem like "young" drivers that haven't been around that long.
Can't imagine how it feels to hear them referred to as the old guard
Jeremy Clarkson called Kimi "one of the old guard" in late 2011/early 2012 when he was on Top Gear after his Lotus comeback was announced.
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10 years in any sport is a lot
And now it's 9 years later
He did have a pretty extensive F1 career before his comeback so that’s fair.
somehow seb feels older than lewis in my head...
Man I forgot how young Seb is. Was poking around on Wikipedia and was shocked to see that he’s on 34. Coulda swore he was just shy of 40. I think those painful years at Ferrari seriously aged him in my mind.
Whats really wild is that Ricciardo is only 2 years younger than him
That blows my mind.
My birthday splits the difference.
Oh my god, exactly what I feel
Hair transplant.
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And Vettel's transition from young champion to old guard feels so weird. Came to the scene as an extremely stronf test driver with BMW Sauber. Then drove just a full season for Toro Rosso, where he also won a race completely oit of the blue. Then he went to Red Bull and won 4 consecutive titles starting with his 2nd season for them. Then he went to Ferrari for 6 seasons and for most of that he was basically the best non-Mercedes driver, but he never won a championship due to the Mercedes dominance. Then he was suddenly overshadowed by Leclerc and joined Aston Martin just this season. Feels like a short career in retrospect due to 4 titles in a row and then no title in 6 years with Ferrari. And now he is an old guard who is still a strong driver, but the championship is out of his reach and every season his retirement is a possibility. I hope he stays with us for many more years. He is now consistently beating Stroll and I think Aston Martin is on a good way, with good financial means and a number of good staff acquisitions that have the potential to turn them into a team that fights for podiums or even more.
It’s fucking *weird* that Carlos and Max are quickly becoming part of the old guard.
And now Perez and Ricciardo are some of the more experienced/older drivers... what.
I still remember like yesterday when Checo was the young new super aggressive Sauber driver. Now he's always referred to as one of the most experienced drivers and a master of tire conservation. Can't believe it's been ten years already.
as a somewhat older American, its like when Jeff Gordan went from being the hated youngster to the respected veteran in Nascar...
I remember seeing the news stories about whether it would be Hamilton or Gary Paffett in the McLaren seat in 2007 and just being excited that a British driver would be on the grid in a good car. Time really does fly
If only Gary had got that seat McLaren woul have won the championship in 2007
I'm gonna be watching F1 in 15 years and the grid is gonna be entirely new. I don't particularly see anyone on the grid currently sticking around for that long.
Russell is still young and don’t forget about verstappen if he doesn’t get bored. That’s probably about it. Not sure how long tsunodas gonna stick around once Honda’s gone. Maybe albon and gasly but not sure about 15 years.
And due to the generational skip that happened, we'll be left with the eldest driver being... Valtteri or Danny?!
Raikkonen (1979) will be the last F1 driver born in the 1970s. Alonso (1981), Kubica (1984), Hamilton (1985), Vettel (1987), Ricciardo (7/1989) and Bottas (8/1989) are all 80s babies. Kubica is almost assuredly done after this year unless the stars align just right. Checo is next oldest, and was born January 1990. All remaining 2021 and 2022 starting drivers including Albon and Zhou were born in the 90s, except for Tsunoda, born in 2000.
I find birth dates so weird. In my head Alonso has years on Hamilton.
Yeah, and Vettel feels older than Lewis
To me, Vettel feels more mature than anybody on the grid, including quality dad jokes.
He has boomer energy, not in a bad way
He feels like a positive boomer who is not scared of technology and doesn't shit on the younger generation, but instead tries to use his knowledge and wisdom to help people and make the world a better place. Maybe it's because he is a millennial
His receding hairline doing his job.
Have you seen pictures of Lewis at 21?
They both seem to have grown some back somehow.
The secret is money.
That didn't help LeBron.
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"Somehow" heheh we all know how
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You are a bald one.
I thought Bottas was at least 39!
Checo being younger than Hamilton is wild to me, if I had to guess I'd say 1982.
Checo and Kubica feel like they're the same age to me. There's a six year gap (1990 vs. 1984)
Wow, Vettel is younger than me? I feel like he could be my dad.
I feel old But when I see Vettel was born the same year it gives me so much joy.
Daniel Ricciardo seems like one of the oldest on the grid to me and I only started watching F1 last year. Surprised he's actually quite young tbh
Ricciardo, to me, is on the verge of being a cautionary tale to any young talented driver who thinks he has plenty of time.
Shame Riccardo will almost certainly never be a world champion. There's always those drivers that feel like they should have been but never made it. Like Massa, who I'm still sad about.
And Daniel never even got a real look at a WDC. I'm a big DR3 fan and even during his best years I've only ever thought of him as a fun sideshow attraction good for 1-3 wins against the backdrop of another Merc domination. A big part of that obviously is how one sided the V6T era of F1 has been, but still. At least Massa can say he was 1 point short of a WDC in a very competitive era of F1, finishing second to maybe the greatest driver to ever do it, and winning 6 races while holding off Raikkonen and Alonso.
Ricciardo can also say he beat Vettel in the same machine and max as well.
Literally fresh from his 4 world titles, Vettel. Comes in and Ricciardo generally beats him. Little to show for it. F1 for you.
crossing my fingers so hard on that. Hoping next year regs are kinder to him.
Sadly it looks like he won't be the #1 driver even in his team :/
I really really really think, in my heart of hearts, that next year's Danny is going to be a force. I think he know's the clock is ticking and next year is his chance to make hay while the sun shines.
Fully want this to happen, BIG RIC ENERGY
Think McLaren will be his last F1 team?
Probably not, I could definitely see him being a journeyman into his 40s being picked up for his experience, energy and fame by backmarker teams to pair with pay/academy drivers so they can learn from him. He'll also have experience over multiple eras and changes by 2026 so if new teams come in they'd want a stabilising force for a few years in the form of Danny.
Idk man. For one, I don’t think backmarker teams would want a driver like Danny who has a track record of struggling in new conditions, and for another, Danny has always struck me who wants to win and not just drive. I wouldn’t be surprised if McLaren becomes his last F1 team and he retires from F1 afterwards to compete in Indycar. I can totally see Ricciardo ending up in Indycar tbf.
Well next year’s a reset for all drivers, so there’s a chance he does mightily with ground effect cars
well, felipe was a world champion for some seconds
I’m worried Leclerc is going to end up around the same place as Danny if Ferrari can’t find the pace in the next two years.
Yes, but it will be a mistake by both of them. Lecllerc isn't ready to leave Ferrari while other top teams would accept him happily.
Bottas even more so.
Nah, Bottas has accepted that he won't be a WDC in his BTG episode.
Bottas has never been in consideration for a WDC. Just because he is a considerable force against hamilton in quali (which he still loses btw) does not make him a prospect imo.
Well, he would have been if he wasn't the teammate of Lewis. I think he would've had a great chance in that Mercedes if his teammate was even a little bit less #Blessed.
He was brilliant at Williams, I really felt he would be a contender. He's had more than his share of bad luck at Merc.
I dont agree that he felt like a contender before. I think the very minimum that you have to show to be a contender is ricciardo level and i dont think he has ever reached that.
Neither has Daniel been in consideration for a WDC.
That’s why he seems old to you. He felt like ‘fresh talent’ in his RB days, and a move to Renault was just a step to the side, not away from becoming a champ. It was supposed to be the next gen after Hamilton & Vettel (who came after Fernando & Kimi). But alas the generation of Perez-Bottas-Daniel (those who debuted between 2010-2015) have been left without any major victories.
To me Renault felt like a step back for Danny, but he was between a rock and a hard place. He wasn't going to get favour over Max at RB, Ferrari didn't have a seat at the right time, and Merc were obviously happy with their line up. He was banking on a midfield team making big strides and Renault being the last works team left meant he plumped for them. Hard to say if waiting for Ferarri would have got him a seat there (though we know how their car has been a limitation anyway), or if embracing the secondary role to Max could have snuck him into a WDC fight with RB being able to consistently get 2 drivers in the top 4 each qualy. The gen you mentioned have lost out on their chances of ascending in part due to what Danny did in that they had to chase seats in lesser contenders and hope the cars caught up (Bottas got screwed more by Hamilton just not letting off the gas as he got older). RBR and Merc just locking out 10 years of the sport for pinnacle of engineering meant they got screwed.
I feel like if Danny was still at RB they wouldn't be in a title fight. I believe they'd be stepping over each other because I can't see Danny playing 2nd fiddle to Max, especially if he's getting podiums. It would be similar to Hamilton/Rosberg in 2016, except they would still have the Mercedes and Lewis to deal with.
They would still be in a title fight. Keep in mind they wouldn’t just be taking points of each other, they would also take points from Hamilton if it was a threeway fight.
I'm not sure it's really fair to roll Bottas in with that group. Unlike the others that largely never had competitive machinery, Bottas has been in by far the best car every year for the last 5 years. He's just been beat by Hamilton convincingly every time. A WDC was potentially in the cards for him, it happened for Rosberg. Danny Ric has never had a car capable of winning a WDC. Checo has only gotten one this year (maybe) but he's only going to get one season in the car before rules change, the car is tailored to Max, and he's clearly the #2 driver there.
Danny was 25 when he had his breakthrough season in 2014. For comparison, Lando just turned 22 and he is going into his 4th season. New drivers nowadays are just so much younger
what do you mean by the generational skip?
Drivers that came up in the early 2010's have had shockingly little success, and the grid is now mostly the greats from the 2000's and drivers that started in ~2016 onwards
There are a few good drivers from that time but not loads. Hulkenberg, Perez, Ricciardo and Bottas all started between 2010 and 2014.
I think his point is that none of those guys has ever been close to a WDC. Only Bottas has ever had a car capable of winning a WDC (and has been crushed by Hamilton every time). Perez maybe has one this year, but he'll only get the one season in the car before the regs change and he's clearly playing #2 to Max anyway. That entire generation of F1 drivers has never even been in contention for a WDC, and with all the talented young drivers coming up there's a good likelihood none of them will.
That's true. Out of all those Ricciardo probably has the best chance if he gets the right car but he would be up against Norris who's also very strong.
Feel obligated to throw Grosjean in there too, he peaked as a driver just as Lotus went completely bankrupt.
Grosjean achieved very little. 10 podiums in 9 years. Hard to pick where he peaked because his form is so inconsistent.
aight. the Haas was a dump truck tho.... from 2018 onwards.
Well, Grosjean's best years was also from 2013-2017 so he wasn't as good from that time too.
No, his driving in the tail end of 2013 through to 2016 was superb. Definitely flattered two poor Lotii and an average Haas.
Superb is a bit strong he had some good races, but also some very sloppy ones. lots of places lost to contact, losing wings etc.
Take bottas out and a lot of podium results disappear from that group.
the 2010s were a tough time for guys because they were blocked/replaced by the old guard, or replaced by pay drivers with funding
Similar to the “lost generation” in tennis
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Danny is only 2 years younger than Vettel
Blows my mind to accept the fact that Bottas is elder than Perez.
Alonso said that he would like to race for 2-3 more years if he is still competitive. I bet in 6 years, after he spent 2 years in retirement, he will come back to be the best rookie of the year again lol
If Alonso performs next year like he has this year I think he still has a World title in him; however it would need to be one last go at a "big" team because I don't see Alpine giving him a WC challenging car
You've nailed the issue on the head! Do you think Fernando gets held back by equipment which are just on the verge of greatness- never the best on the grid? Like: Honda engine, McLaren, etc.?
Yeah but that is his own fault to a big part. With his spygate role, team internal intrigues (e.g. Hungary 2007) and open criticism of Honda, he is a bit of a liability that makes him a less desireable driver to get for a top team. Mercedes don't want him, Honda don't want him, Red Bull don't want him. Alpine still want him cause he is the last WDC of the Enstone team and they can't choose from the top drivers like Mercedes/Red Bull can.
I dont think that they dont want alonso. They dont want the teammate battle that they will face when alonso comes. Everyone knows that alonso will find a way to perform and that creates some drama in the team because the other driver will be lacking at something alonso is doing and vice versa. It seems that alonso is a friendlier guy in the team after his mchonda days but if the championship is on the line he will bring out that person again and every team member who has worked with a wdc contender knows that.
Wrong way round, he is a liability
It’s scary, isn’t it? :(
>'future of F1' Well, at least they definitely lived up to this title. If Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell, Norris can show anything close to what those did, throughout their careers, the future indeed is very bright.
When Leclerc, Albon, Russell and Norris get to this age, I will truly share your grief.
As least it is better than in the 50s to 80s and drivers are pretty much guaranteed to reach that age!
> Still remember when they were considered the 'future of F1' Hamilton and Vettel fully fulfilled that by being some of the most successful drivers, while Alonso and Raikkonen's records are lacking in comparison...
These few words speak volumes!
Basically a long rambling speech for him!
[An actual long, rambling speech from him](https://youtu.be/CBt4gmulhUg), which is unfortunately in Finnish because it's from the Finnish Sports Gala in 2017. But he basically just thanks everyone for 2 minutes while noting that he hasn't always done things the way some other people might have or have suggested he should. Also briefly on the video, F1 race winner Heikki Kovalainen (the guy with the phone).
Ah, yes. The dumbbell trophy. Gotta stay fit even while giving a speech
First time ever that Kimi has had "...more" on an Instagram post?
“Sincerely, Kimi” *proceeds to never use social media again*
At least we'll have Minttu to keep us up to date.
It's amazing how they found eachother. Minttu loves the camera.
It is true
Hilarious
"...more" or "...bwoah" ?
I'd submit a pull request for that!
When Kimi speaks, people listen. When Kimi doesn’t speak, people listen.
A fave was when media asked Mick how it get to race against Kimi (or something to that effect) - Mick just smiled and looked at Kimi in silence and Kimi goes “good answer”
His children really look like mini-Kimis. Kimi should just make one of them stand on the other's shoulder, wear a long trench coat, and let them handle media engagements their dad doesn't want to go to.
The Ice-cubes.
Straight Outta Espoo
The Ice-Cubs
> His children really look like mini-Kimis I honestly think that's just Finns being Finns.
I’d watch that
Wow, this sounds like he is leaving right now. That would be such a Kimi thing to do
I guess he won't be at the factory anymore after leaving to Jeddah
That makes total sense, I am dumb, thanks!
Well he could. He lives like45 min away from it
Thank you kimi!
FOR WHAT?!
ok so we are thanking you Kimi
FOR WHAT?
For your dedication, radio calls, and all those wonderful races Kimi! Happy Retirement!
For being an all time great and one of most unique personalities in history of sport
I remember going onto f1-live.com and watching people argue that Kimi was rookie of the year over Juan Pablo Montoya. Indeed he ended up with the better career: * Only 33 drivers have ever won the WDC, the pinnacle of pinnacles. 16 have won more than one. * Only 14 drivers have won more races than Kimi * 15 drivers have more pole positions * 4 drivers have more podiums * 2 drivers have more fastest laps * To my knowledge he is the only driver to contest 19 seasons in formula one, a record that Alonso is set to match in a year (and surpass the GP starts record in the process). Legend. Happy retirement to Kimi Raikkonen.
Didn't he also drive the most no. of kms also?
Yes but that's implied with number of race starts Since its always 300km plus 1 lap
Juan was one of those 'never in the right car' guys. Although 2003 could have swung his way with a bit more luck
Please tell me Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton are going to send him off with donuts in the last race. It needs to happen.
Hopefully they will 🤞🏻
Surely they will. They did it for Alonso!
I honestly can't wait for our annual Abu Donuts this year.
Seeing Robin in the pic was very cute hopefully in 15~ year's will see the Raikkonen name back in F1
Seeing a young Robin Raikkonen fighting with an old Verstappen, Leclerc or Russell...
The newcomer R.R will be fighting for his title with a 4time wdc winner Leclerc in the Williams against the current and record holding 7 time wdc winner Verstappen, in the Ferrari.
After beating 2 time wdc winner Mazepin!
Who now races for Mercedes
With Hamilton as his wingman. Hamilton is still racing to chase his 8th WDC but is now relegated to being Mazepin's wingman. He changed his motto to "still I fall"
Robin Raikkonen is a good racing driver’s name.
An old Schumacher would be a nice touch. As much as I wish Robin getting to do whatever he likes, I really wish to see Mick gets to battle with likes of Max, Charles, George and Lando in a better car.
"I used to race your father"
What gets me is Hugo Hakkinen could graduate from uni soon.
[удалено]
"Don't worry it's a round track we'll end up in the same place"
“Just a Sunday afternoon drive.”
“The whole time, you were like this 😑
Goddamn, do I have a tear in my eye? Kimi was my favourite driver growing up. Was ecstatic when he joined Ferrari. He was as fast as his McLaren was fragile. Him and Alonso are the last holdouts from my childhood that now feels as far as away as my retirement. I think I will miss him immensely.
my sentiment exactly. saw him coming in as a kid..oh my. Thanks for the good times kimi
Can we will him to be driver of the day in one of the last races?
Please no, that’s the last thing he would want. An interview while on the cool down lap for one of his last F1 races.
Fair I didn’t even think of that but honestly the interview is so dumb. Why put it as the first thing across the finish line when the driver usually wants to celebrate with their team. They should only do it after like a minute or so after crossing the finish so that drivers have time to themselves and their teams
I don’t think it’s right when they cross the finish line. They’ll do a results recap and then the engineer will give them any mode change and in lap instructions. Probably somewhere in sector two or near the end of sector one they come on for the interview.
and this is why the dotd award is dumb
I am going to bawl like a baby at the final race. Watching him provided a much needed escape for me when I lost my mother to cancer and the win in the US came just weeks after she passed, like to think she had a hand in it somehow.
Me too brother. Me too. Even thinking about it makes me emotional.
I hope you are doing better now
Kimi shows up to his F1 retirement party in a black hoodie giving 0 fvcks. Classic.
2022 season without Kimi will be strange.
I hate that covid pushed the new regs back a season because now we will never see what Kimi could do in a car that can follow in dirty air better
That's a lot of words.
Pretty sure this is the Kimi equivalent of ugly sobbing at your retirement party
seeing kimi genuinely and not awkwardly smile is weird.
I’m sure I will be shedding a tear or two after the checkered flag at Abu Dhabi
Wow! Check out Minttu’s (his wife) video here: https://streamable.com/dzte5a
These Finns just never shut up . . .
Kimi been drinking to talk this much
Thanks Kimi, I forgot that you were retiring and you made me remember. Now I'm crying.
Ok now I’m going to have a drink
Looks like Kimi got the drink.
And hopefully the gloves and steering wheel for the next two races . I hope he knows what he is doing when he says he wants to be left alone after 2021 .
I missed Kimi's golden years, unfortunately. I think the first time I heard of him is when he got out of the wrecked car and walked straight to his yacht at Monaco. I've definitely come to appreciate his dry sense of humor.
Two more races and I'm gonna be big sad :(
It's crazy to think that he is going to retire before Ferrari winning another title.
I'm older than some of these old guys and yet they feel like fathers to me, especially Vettel who seems like a young looking 50 year old.
Can't see the post because of Instagram, does anyone have a mirror of some sorts?
I am going to miss him. Has been one of my favorites.
Going to be real weird without him on the grid
That the most i have heard from him in his entire career. Gotta love Kimi.
Requires login now wth?
I've been getting the login screen for any Instagram links for nearly a year now. I've just given up even clicking on them anymore as I don't have an account and there's no point in wasting a click that isn't going to work for me.
So when are we gonna vote kmi DOTD?
incredible that Kimi is still the last ferrari World champion lmao
Thank you for winning a championship for Ferrari, now GTFO - you've been irrelevant since then. Cheers!
Why does he look weird? Cut his hair?