Kimi Raikkonen got his maiden F1 win in Malaysia back in 2003, where he was christened the Iceman, a historic win by the F1 legend.
The former F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen had a decorative career. A glorious run spanning almost 21 years gave him 21 wins and countless podiums.
When the Finnish race driver broke into the scene, he got instant hype. However, he had to wait for a couple of years before getting his first taste of a win on the grid.
In 2003, F1 visited Malaysia in round 2 of the season. The heat in Sepang was at its peak with humidity because of the rain adding to the misery.
Starting from P7, Raikkonen kept his calm and climbed the positions. At the same time, that year’s champion Michael Schumacher couldn’t improve himself over P6.
Many drivers on the grid suffered due to the heat. Others had technical problems. But 2003 Sepang was a tedious task for every driver. But Raikkonen kept his cool and finished the race by over 30 seconds difference over the next driver to cross the chequered flag.
Thus, in the heat of Malaysia, he managed to keep his cool, and from here, Raikkonen got his name, the Iceman. Something which he lived up to throughout his career.
Also read: Romain Grosjean was surprised when Kimi Raikkonen knew about birth of his former teammate’s child
Kimi Raikkonen to never return in F1?
At the end of the 2021 season, Raikkonen decided to end his F1 career. Many journalists asked him about returning to F1 after a break, probably in a different role, or taking any other motorsport.
The 42-year-old race driver replied that he doesn’t have any more interest in pursuing a career further in racing. Instead, he said he wants to spend time with his family to compensate for the time he lost with them to serve his F1 career.
Has Kimi Raikkonen been in F1 longer than I’ve been alive? Yes. Was I mentally prepared for his retirement? No.
— Shannon (@MushroomSeb5) September 28, 2021
Recently, Raikkonen was spotted helping his daughter Rianni with karting. Maybe, Raikkonen can go away from racing, but racing can never leave him.
In case you had any doubt that karting is the right place to start in motorsport…Here is Kimi Raikkonen introducing his daughter Rianna to the sport. pic.twitter.com/qx7HrMtumG
— Karting South Africa (@KartingSA) March 31, 2022
Also read: Kimi Raikkonen couldn’t tell for which team he was racing upon his F1 return
