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Kimi made his controversial Formula One debut at the start of the 2001 season. The young Finn had competed in just twenty-three car races before catching Peter Sauber's eye, and despite concerns from fellow drivers and FIA president Max Mosley he was eventually awarded a provisional super-license.
An impressive Australian GP debut saw Kimi finish seventh, (later promoted to sixth), and he scored a further three points finishes during his debut season, helping Sauber to achieve its most successful season to date.
A number of strong performances saw Kimi catch the eye of McLaren boss Ron Dennis, and after much speculation it was announced late in the 2001 season that he would leave Sauber to replace the departing - and fellow Finn - Mika Hakkinen at McLaren (much to team mate Nick Heidfeld's frustration).
Described by his former boss as 'arrogant and egotistical', Kimi outlined his ambition to become formula One's youngest champion, surely two of the characteristics that make World Champions.
Unfortunately the MP4-17 was not one of McLaren's finest, though its tendency to oversteer certainly suited Kimi's style, whereas team-mate Coulthard hated it.
The Finnish youngster got his season off to a great start thanks to a superb third at Melbourne, spoiled only by the fact that he was narrowly out-qualified by his Scots team-mate. When you think that this was the youngster's second season, you realise that Ron Dennis must have been feeling pretty chuffed with himself at having signed what must surely be a future World Champion.
Despite not having the best package, Kimi demonstrated that he has the raw speed and courage of which champions are made. His battles with Montoya in Germany and Hungary were short but oh so sweet, the Finn refusing to be intimidated by the hard-charging Colombian.
At Magny Cours it so nearly came together, with the Finn just a few short laps away from a historic victory, however bad luck and inexperience meant that Kimi and his fans would have to wait just that little bit longer for that all-important first win.
In Belgium, Kimi's qualifying performance was awesome the youngster coming close to achieving his first pole, while in the latter stages he regularly out-qualified his illustrious team-mate.
At Malaysia, the second race of the 2003 season, Kimi took a sensational win, the first of his F1 career, and following on from his third place at Melbourne this meant he now led the World Championship.
A string of second places meant that the Finn went to Canada with a four-point lead over Michael Schumacher, even though the German had won three consecutive races. A victory for the reigning champion in Canada meant that Kimi lost his World Championship lead and sadly was unable to regain it.
As the season wore on it was clear that the McLaren was no match for the WilliamsF1 or the Ferrari, despite the best efforts of the Finn. Furthermore mistakes on his 'hot lap' in qualifying meant that Raikkonen started from the back of the grid on two occasions.
Nonetheless he took the championship down to the wire in Japan and gave Schumacher a real run for his money.
Despite the fact that he finished a distant seventh in the 2004 drivers' championship, the young Finn served notice of what he is truly capable of.
The MP4-19 was a dog of a car, and even though the sight of Kimi, and teammate David Coulthard, abandoning their (often smoking) cars, became the norm, the youngster never gave less than 100%.
Where other drivers would have exploded - along with their engines - or merely gone into a sulk, the worse things got, the more resolute the 'iceman' became.
Therefore, when McLaren finally delivered the MP4-19B (in France), Kimi was ready, and in no time at all he was back challenging the best of them. A fine second at Silverstone was followed by a well-deserved win in Belgium and finally another second - to future teammate Juan Pablo Montoya - in Brazil.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going, that's the adage, and it certainly applied to Kimi in 2004.
According to the record books and statistics, Fernando Alonso was the undisputed 2005 Formula One World Champion, however, according to race fans who voted in numerous magazine and website polls - including that of Pitpass - Kimi Raikkonen was the people's champion.
In the opening races the McLaren, hampered by a poor aero-chassis package that left the team struggling in qualifying, Kimi lost ground to his Renault rivals that he was never going to make up - though that didn't stop him trying.
That said, the problems at the start of the year, which saw Alonso build a 29 point lead in the first four races, weren't entirely down to he car. There was the mistake in Melbourne which resulted in damage to his bargeboards, and the qualifying cock-up in Bahrain.
Then there were the antics away from the track, which culminated in the Finn receiving a written warning from his employer.
For the most part however, the Iceman staged one of the most dramatic fight backs in the sport's history, refusing to surrender the title to his Spanish rival.
Despite the numerous mechanical failures which cost grid positions and points, the Finn always gave 100%.
Who will ever forget the dogged determination at the Nurburgring, resulting in that last lap suspension failure, caused by having pushed his tyres beyond the limit? Then there was the cruel hydraulic leak at Hockenheim, which eliminated him whilst leading.
Ron Dennis believes that the title(s) were lost at the beginning of the season, when Renault and Alonso built such a commanding lead, however the mechanical failures during much of the summer didn't exactly help.
Nonetheless, Kimi fought on, and perhaps his season, indeed his attitude to racing, can be summed-up in that monumental move on Giancarlo Fisichella on the last lap of the race in Japan. He took the victory, keeping his team in the running for the Constructors' Championship, even though Alonso had already taken the drivers' title two weeks earlier.
With Alonso heading to McLaren in 2007, talk prior to the start of the 2006 season centred on the future of the Finn, with many claiming that a deal with Ferrari had already been done.
After the success of 2005, much was expected in 2006, especially with the prospect of a new super-team, featuring Kimi and Alonso, in the offing.
However, it was not to be, the McLaren-Mercedes was not up to the job, though it often seemed that someone had forgotten to tell the young Finn.
Admittedly, the question of Kimi's future hung over the team for much of the season, McLaren as much in the dark as the rest of us. Then again, there was talk of a rift between the youngster and team boss Ron Dennis, Kimi incensed at the written warning he'd received following an incident in 2005.
Second in Melbourne and Monza was as good as it got, in Italy the Finn's result helped by Alonso's grid position and subsequent retirement.
Nonetheless, Monza was when Ferrari and Kimi finally let the cat out of the bag, revealing that the Finn was to replace Michael Schumacher in 2007.
Ahead of the new season, indeed, the beginning of the new era, fans and F1 insiders alike were intrigued by a number of issues relating to Kimi and Ferrari. Firstly, whether the team would favour either one of its drivers, with many openly questioning the relationship between (team boss) Jean Todt and his son Nicolas, who just happens to manage Felipe Massa. Then, there were those who wondered how Michael Schumacher's presence at tests and races might affect the Finn, claiming that it was like having the wife's (successful) ex-husband looking over one's shoulder. Then there was the question of whether the Finn might be too hard on his car, after all, he only appears to know one speed, and doesn't do 'gentle'. Finally, the big question; could Ferrari survive following the departure of Schumacher, Brawn and Byrne.
Pre-season, it was noted that Kimi was smiling and actually talking a lot more than during his time with McLaren, and things got off to the best possible start when he claimed victory in Melbourne, his first race for the Scuderia.
However, despite third-place finishes in the next two races, the Finn's performances, following Melbourne, were decidedly lacklustre, with matters not helped by some very strong performances from his teammate. Fans and F1 insiders alike were struck by Kimi's apparent failure to rise to the occasion, so unlike the man whose seat he now filled. Furthermore, with the Finn now slipping behind in the title race, it was widely speculated that Ferrari would force him to play second-fiddle to Massa, a move which would hardly help Kimi regain his confidence.
However, as we know from experience, the Raikkonen motto would appear to be 'never say die', and in France and Britain he scored back-to-back wins, with only a hydraulic failure at Hockenheim ruining a string of strong performances that took him through to the end of the season.
Following his retirement from the European GP there was no keeping Kimi off the podium, taking a win, two seconds and two thirds from the next five races. However, with two races remaining, though he headed teammate Massa by 10 points, he was 5 adrift of Alonso and a seemingly insurmountable 17 behind Lewis Hamilton.
Some, including Bernie Ecclestone, have said that McLaren lost the championship, however, this is a major disservice to Kimi. In China and Brazil he gave 100%, he was the balls-out racing driver we always knew him to be, and while, McLaren and Hamilton made mistakes, the Finn was pluperfect, and consequently, against all odds, took the title, by a solitary point.
Remarkably, Kimi only led the World Championship twice in 2007, once following the Australian GP, and again when it mattered most, in Brazil.
It's sad that many, especially the British media, spent the close season mourning the loss of Hamilton's title when there was so much that was good regarding Kimi's fight back. But that's the media for you.
With the monkey off his back, Kimi went into 2008 hot favourite to repeat (fellow Finn) Mike Hakkinen's achievement and win back-to-back titles. Sadly, the reality was a little different… to say that Kimi's defence of his title was non-existent would be an understatement.
For much of the season the Finn appeared to lack motivation, indeed, there were times when one wondered whether the champion was on the point of calling it quits, imagine the surprise therefore when it was announced post-season that he was staying with the Maranello outfit until the end of 2010.
While Australia was a disappointment, the Finn finishing 8th after a problem in qualifying, the next four races were altogether better with two wins a second and a third. But then the rot appeared to set in.
In Monaco he was involved in a controversial incident, losing control on the damp track and taking out Adrian Sutil, who appeared certain of a points finish. In Canada, Kimi was the hapless victim of Lewis Hamilton's moment of madness in the pitlane, while an exhaust problem robbed him of victory in France.
While there were glimpses of the old Kimi, over the course of the remainder of the season there also some moments of classic stupidity, not least his retirement in Singapore where he made an unforced error and hit the wall.
Kimi looked good for the win in Belgium, however, a late rain shower, which brought out the very best in Lewis Hamilton, and some rash over-driving from the Finn, saw the World Champion crash out, but not before being involved in one of the most controversial incidents of the season - the infamous moment which was to lead to Hamilton being a given a time penalty which ultimately handed the win to Massa.
It is said that from the moment he arrived at a circuit on Friday morning it was evident whether it would be a good or bad weekend, and in all honesty there were times when this appeared to be true, such was the Finn's apparent lack of motivation.
The car, with its tendency towards understeer, was better suited to Massa's driving style, while the constant speculation regarding Fernando Alonso probably didn't help. However, the overriding feeling was that having won the title Kimi had had enough, hence the surprise when he extended his contract.
One of the most frustrating things about Kimi's 2008 season was that despite the topsy-turvy nature of his race performances, he was almost always able to post the fastest lap of the race, posting 10 over the course of the season.
Everyone is allowed an off day, an off race and maybe even an off season, in which case let's hope that Kimi is back firing on all cylinders in 2009. When he is on top of his game he is a joy to watch, and having seen him at his very best in 2007 it was frustrating beyond belief to see what followed the following season.
He might have a contract for 2010 but we all know what contracts are worth. If we are going to see the old Kimi in 2009 all well and good, but if he's truly lost the motivation then it's better for all of us if he moves on.
Statistics - Prior to 2009 Season
Drivers' Titles: 1
Seasons in F1: 8
Grand Prix: 139
Wins: 17
Points: 531
Poles: 16
Fastest Laps: 35
Best result in 2008: 1st (2 times)
Best qualifying 2008: Pole (2 times)
Worst qualifying 2008: 16th (Australia)
Average grid position 2008: 4.44
2008: Out-qualified Felipe Massa 6 times
2008: Out-qualified by Felipe Massa 12 times
2008: Completed 1042 out of 1117 laps (93.3%)
2008: Finished 16 times from 18 starts (89%)
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