Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen on Wednesday announced that the current season will be his last in Formula 1. He has been driving for Alfa Romeo along with Antonio Giovinazzi for the past three seasons. 

“This is it. This will be my last season in Formula 1.This is a decision I did during last winter. It was not an easy decision but after this season it is time for new things,” Raikkonen wrote on Instagram. 

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“Formula 1 might come to an end for me but there is a lot more in life that I want to experience and enjoy. See you around after all of this! Sincerely Kimi.”

In his two-decade long career, Kimi won the championship once -in 2007 – with Scuderia Ferrari. Raikkonen is in the final year of his contract with Alfa Romeo. The Finn announced his departure ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Raikkonen’s retirement will open a seat at Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season. 

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Having made his F1 debut with Sauber in 2001, Raikkonen was quick to claim his first points. He replaced Mika Hakkinen at McLaren in the 2002 season and won his first race the next year while finishing second in the championship.

He moved to Ferrari in 2007 and won his only championship, beating Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by a single point in the season finale.

Raikkonen took a two-year break from F1 in 2010 and 2011, using his time away to pursue other racing formulas, including NASCAR. He ran in both the Truck Series and Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2011.

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Raikkonen credited his time away for renewing his passion for F1 and helping to extend his career. The 41-year-old has 21 career victories, his last in 2018 at the United States Grand Prix when he was with Ferrari and finished third in the championship standings.

Raikkonen finished fourth at Interlagos in 2019 but has not been higher than ninth since. He’s scored two points this year, finishing 10th in both Azerbaijan and Hungary.

With inputs from the Associated Press