Kimi Räikkönen was born to race and from his very first seat time in a pedal kart at the tender age of three he showed a passion for racing and going fast. Whether it's a Formula One car, roadcar, motorbike, kart, pushbike, snowmobile, pair of skis - Kimi's got one speed...flat out!
Kimi's rise to Formula One World Champion is well documented. His graduation for Formula One direct from Formula Renault redefined fast track career progression and to this day no driver in history has made such a dramatic entry. From his very first Grand Prix with Sauber, Kimi made an impression and not long into his rookie season McLaren made a successful bid to sign Kimi on a five year contract. But for Kimi this was not enough and he joined Ferrari, the most illustrious name in Formula One.
The 2007 season was one of the most exciting battles in history and Kimi's fight to win the drivers' title and contribute to Ferrari's constructors' championship was a great achievement. 2008 was marred by bad luck which hampered his title defence, while 2009 was marked by a historic victory at Spa in a year when the established teams struggled due to new rule changes.
2010 marked Kimi's most exciting challenge yet - a move to the World Rally Championship where he competed for a second season in 2011 doing what he does best - driving flat out!
In November 2011, it was announced that Kimi would be returning to Formula One for the 2012 season, signing a two-year contract with the Lotus F1 Team. His return proved without doubt that he hadn't forgotten how to drive an F1 car. He was the only driver to finish every race and scored points in all but one, including seven podiums, a historic win in Abu Dhabi and third in the drivers' championship. It marked a highly successful return to the F1 cockpit.
Last year's strong performance from Kimi and the team has certainly raised the bar in expectations for this year...
