Raikkonen clear: "If I have fun this year I'll go on, otherwise I'll stop"
General
- GPblog.com
Kimi Raikkonen is the oldest driver in Formula 1 and has been active for quite a long time. However, the Finn is still fast and this year he will once again appear at the start of the F1 season. Still, the question about his retirement comes up more than once, but Raikkonen doesn't rule anything out for the time being. He looks at the situation every year to see if he will continue.
Have fun
Talking to Infobae, the Finn who became world champion with Ferrari in 2007 says: "If I keep having fun racing this year, I will keep going. If not, I will stop." So it's a clear story. He's also a bit lucky that he got through to Alfa Romeo after Charles Leclerc was brought to Ferrari. Contrary to other top drivers, Raikkonen is all about fun instead of necessarily becoming world champion. After all, he already has this title.
However, in 2010 and 2011 Raikkonen made a trip to rally and then returned. The reason he kept on racing is very simple: "I love racing. I don't care much for the rest, interviews and that, but I really like that feeling of wheel to wheel racing. That's what I missed [in rally] and that's why I came back."
Record
It is possible that this year Raikkonen will take over Rubens Barrichello's record as the Grand Prix driver who drove the most Grands Prix. But as was to be expected that does not do him much. "I don't care about that much. It's not something that makes me happy. I think there are many more things that I will remember from my career than the number of races I've driven."
And if Raikkonen stops sooner or later, he will leave the sport behind him for good. For now, he looks at it year after year to see if it gives him enough fun. If that is no longer the case he will quit the sport and he expects not to miss it.
That's how the Finn ends with: "I don't think I'll miss it. There are good people in the sport and I will keep in touch with them, but that's it. I've spent many years there and when I choose to quit, I'm sure I'll find plenty of other things to keep me busy."