28/01/2022
NEWS STORY
Well, that didn't take long.
Just a month after retiring from F1, 2007 world champion, Kimi Raikkonen returns to racing, albeit as team principal to the Kawasaki Racing Team in MXGP.
While it was well-known that the Finn would have continued racing forever, but was sick to death of the 'stuff that went with it', such as the media and promotional work, it was never expected that The Iceman would return to work as quickly.
In a surprise move, the Finn has been announced as team boss of the works Kawasaki team in motocross blue riband championship, running the team in partnership with his long-time (motocross) collaborator, and former rider, Antti Pyrhonen.
"It's no secret that, for me, one of my great passions in life for many years has been motocross," said Raikkonen.
"But this team is not what you might call a hobby," he insisted, "it's very serious, very focused and we aspire to be the best we possibly can.
"Now that I have retired from racing I will be able to spend more time on this project," added the Finn, who contested 349 Grands Prix over a career that spanned 19 seasons. "Not on the daily issues but more from a strategic point of view using my experience of how teams work and what creates success on the world stage."
The team's riders will be 2015 champion, Romain Febvre and Ben Watson.