Kimi Raikkonen decided to end his 20-year career in Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi and he is relieved.
Kimi Raikkonen won the 2007 world championship and had a 20-year long illustrious career in the sport. The news of his retirement left his fans sad of course, but the Finn is happy to have left the sport behind.
The 42-year-old has shown reluctance to get involved in any other aspect of the sport apart from driving. Nicknamed as ‘The Iceman’, Raikkonen began his career in 2001 with Sauber and ended his career driving Alfa Romeo for the last three years.
Kimi Raikkonen’s amazing race start, 2021 Turkish GP
Impeccable Car positioning & Just look at those lightning quick reflexes (0:36)🔥#F1 pic.twitter.com/AVQ7f2yuhu
— Blitz (@Blitz211846103) October 12, 2021
Raikkonen told Autosport, “there are so many things that are making no sense, at least in my head, what happens here. All kinds of bullshit that goes around. We know it, but nobody says it. Things that I don’t think that even should be.”
“A lot of things are such fake things in here. It’s good to be out. Mentally, it’s very good to be out of all that bullshit for a while.”
Talking about moving to his Swiss mansion with his family to enjoy retirement, Raikkonen said, “I know what I’m looking forward to when I get out. There’s so much more [bullshit] than people see from the outside.”
Also Read: Kimi Raikkonen glad to leave fake things behind in F1
Formula 1 has become more and more frustrating
Raikkonen has seen budgets increase to huge amounts in his time in the sport. For a no-nonsense temperament like his own, he believes that this has made F1 more and more frustrating.
“Money, for sure, money has changed [things], like any sport,” Raikkonen said. “The more money you put in, the more politics. In general, in any country, there are games that people never know until you are inside the whole thing.”
“For sure money plays a big part and power. I guess people want to have power, this and that. I think there would be a lot of good politicians that would do well in actual politics!”
When asked if the sport has lost its way and is no longer about racing, he said, “it’s been like that for many years, many many years. It’s just maybe people realise it more now.”
Also Read: Sauber eager to assist Kimi Raikkonen to return to racing
