Kimi Raikkonen raced in F1 for three more years after 2018, but that year’s US Grand Prix remains the last F1 race he’d win. The win in Austin, Texas, held great significance in the Iceman’s career as it finally broke the deadlock for victories, as he had to wait for five years, spanning 113 races. With his previous victory coming all the way back in 2013, his 2018 US GP win registered his name in the record books for the longest gap between two F1 race wins.
In the build-up to the 2018 US GP, Raikkonen saw himself relegated to Ferrari’s second driver. That was because of teammate Sebastian Vettel’s heroics as the German held his own against Lewis Hamilton. The Briton was cruising to yet another championship win with Vettel being the only source of resistance.
Why Raikkonen needed to play the perfect team game to help Vettel
Raikkonen may have won the US GP but it played more into his teammate’s hands. The reason behind that was the widening gap between Hamilton and Vettel. Such was the margin between the two that Hamilton would have won the championship in Texas, had he scored just eight points more than Vettel.
The defending champion’s job became easier when the FIA slapped Vettel with a three-place penalty on the starting grid. That was the result of Vettel’s failure to slow down sufficiently in red-flag conditions during FP1.
LEWIS HAMILTON SECURES POLE POSITION IN AUSTIN
It’s an extremely close conclusion to qualifying, as Hamilton only just takes pole ahead of Vettel & Raikkonen
But then again Vettel has a penalty, which will promote Raikkonen and Bottas ahead of him #C4F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/mv1EKYJtg7
— Channel 4 F1® (@C4F1) October 20, 2018
As qualifying proceeded to Q3, Raikkonen registered a blisteringly fast lap to grab provisional pole. His lap time also broke the track record for fastest lap.
That was until Hamilton put together an even better run to better that record and grab the pole position. Vettel, who then pipped his teammate to emerge second fastest, started P5 on the grid, owing to his penalty. As a result, Raikkonen was promoted to P2.
How Raikkonen and Ferrari tricked Mercedes to win in Texas
The race had a chaotic start as Raikkonen took the lead from Hamilton before Turn one. Fernando Alonso’s crash into the barriers after a collision with Lance Stroll, meanwhile, resulted in double yellow flags being waved in the first sector. That gave the race leader some reprieve from Hamilton’s relentless attacks from behind.
The relief, however, was short-lived as Vettel soon collided with Daniel Ricciardo and spun around. Ricciardo’s retirement on lap one resulted in the deployment of the Virtual Safety Car (VSC), thereby giving Ferrari an opportunity to trick Mercedes strategists.
The Silver Arrows asked Hamilton to do the opposite of what Raikkonen did while approaching the pit lane. Despite still being under VSC conditions, Raikkonen and Ferrari strategists decided to stay out, planning a one-stop race.
A Defensive Masterclass presented to you by Kimi Raikkonen, US GP 2018
This defence won him the race that day. He made Hamilton lose whatever time he gained under the VSC(8-9s) & did enough damage to his fresh tyres
(F1 won’t upload this)#F1 pic.twitter.com/lCeojSODFF— Blitz (@Blitz211846103) October 21, 2021
That decision proved to be crucial in giving Raikkonen a massive edge over Hamilton, who stopped twice. Vettel, meanwhile, played the perfect catch-up game to finish in P4.
Hamilton, who lost P2 to Max Verstappen, had to settle for P3. Hence, the gap between Hamilton and Vettel only grew by three points, giving the German another day to fight for the championship.
End of an era for Raikkonen with Ferrari
Not only did the win in Texas give Vettel a lifeline, but it also helped Raikkonen rack up some crucial points to finish third in the championship, behind Hamilton and his German teammate. It also marked his last race win not just with Ferrari, but his remaining F1 career.
That also marked his final season with the Italian outfit, who promoted Charles Leclerc to take his place. In a perfect switcheroo, Raikkonen took Leclerc’s seat at Alfa Romeo (now Sauber) on a two-year contract. He later renewed his contract to race for the Swiss outfit for another year before calling it quits in F1 after the end of the 2021 season.
Despite that, Raikkonen remains the last Ferrari driver to win a championship. The Iceman heroically defeated the McLaren pair of Alonso and Hamilton by just one point to take the title in 2007. The next year, he played a crucial role by finishing third to help the team win its last constructors’ championship.
Currently, Raikkonen is enjoying his life after retiring from F1. In his time outside of F1, he has raced twice in NASCAR and racked up nine points.
Driving for Trackhouse Racing, he finished 41st at the 2022 Watkins Glen fixture. Meanwhile, in 2023, he finished 40th at COTA. Other than racing himself, Raikkonen also plays the role of mentor to his son Robin, who is racing in the karting category.
