Kimi Räikkönen’s greatest F1 races

The headlines will say that Michael Schumacher dominated F1 in the early 2000s, but on his day, Kimi Räikkönen possessed speed that no one else could match and came incredibly close to stealing championships in 2003 and 2005. He was shockingly quick over both a single lap and during races, often stringing out stints that would leave the rest of the field reeling. He shares the record for the most fastest laps in a season, setting ten of them in both 2005 and 2008.

A world champion in 2007, and winner of 21 grands prix, Kimi Räikkönen’s career did not achieve what his early potential suggested he might, but he did put on some truly remarkable performances that are well worth remembering.

2003 Malaysian Grand Prix

Kimi had to wait a couple of years for his first F1 win, but it did eventually arrive off the back of one of the great performances. McLaren had developed a substantially better car than that previous year, and put up a strong challenge against Ferrari and Williams, with Räikkönen missing out on the championship by just two points.

He led the standings early on though, following a truly stunning performance at the Malaysian Grand Prix. After qualifying in seventh place on the grid, Räikkönen fought into the podium places by the beginning of lap three and made the most of a heavier fuel load to take the lead when Alonso ahead stopped earlier. He extended a lead of 17 seconds by lap 33, all while running a longer middle stint that saw him stop several laps after his closest competitors.

Kimi was able to maintain his pace advantage through to the chequered flag, absolutely rinsing the field to come home with a lead of 39.2 seconds. The 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix signalled his arrival as a world beater, a driver who on his day was truly unrivalled.

2003 US Grand Prix

Not a win this one, but Räikkönen’s performance at Indianapolis was no less impressive as he fought to cling onto his slim title chances in 2003. He needed to beat Michael Schumacher to have a realistic chance at the final round of the season, and he began in the best possible way by storming to pole position.

He shot away from the start, too, building a huge lead in the opening laps as Schumacher fought up from seventh on the grid. As the rain began to fall, it became a battle of attrition as drivers worked to keep cars on the track. Schumacher, running superior Bridgestone tyres, made light work of Räikkönen on lap 28 and continued on to an emphatic victory, but the efforts of Räikkönen in tricky conditions proved his fighting talents alongside his lightning speed.

2004 Belgian Grand Prix

Räikkönen’s reputation as a master of Spa-Francorchamps was born on the 29^th August 2004. He and McLaren were having a torrid season in 2004, the team hadn’t won a race all year, and Kimi had stood on the podium just once ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.

When he qualified tenth on the grid that poor run looked set to continue, but Räikkönen had other ideas. He got a good start and slung it around the outside of La Source to climb up to sixth before Eau Rouge, passing Rubens Barrichello out of Raidillon before the safety car was deployed for a multi-car incident to leave him looking lively in fifth place.

At the restart, it was Räikkönen again pulling off another stunning move as he swept around the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher at Eau Rouge. He dispatched team-mate David Coulthard a lap later, and immediately set off after the leading Renault duo. Setting fastest laps and catching at a second a lap. When Fernando Alonso spun out on lap 11, Räikkönen was handed the lead, and never relinquished it from that point as those around him were caught up in their own battles.

With 17 laps to go, Räikkönen had built a 12.6-second lead, but a couple of late safety cars brought the rest of the field back into contention. Unperturbed, he saw off the challenge of Schumacher in the closing stages to complete a memorable victory, the first of four at Spa.

2005 Monaco Grand Prix

Another one of those days when Kimi Räikkönen was completely unbeatable, his performance in the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix was remarkable. A relentless torrent of speed that blew the rest of the field out of the water as he built a lead in the early laps and disappeared into the distance. A safety car closed the pack back up, but the rule to lapped cars pass under the safety car was not yet in place, so second placed Jarno Trulli found himself stuck behind the Minardi of Chirstian Albers and Räikkönen stormed away once again.

While his rivals pitted under the safety car, Räikkönen and McLaren opted to maintain track position out front, and he duly delivered on the strategy by stretching out a 28-second lead that was big enough to ensure he retained first place after his stop.

With that his work was done, and he pretty much coasted to victory after one of the most dominant stints of the season. It’s scary to think how successful this man could have been if he’d have had more days like this.

2005 Japanese Grand Prix

This one surely has to go down as one of the greatest drives of all time. After being stitched up by the one-lap qualifying system, and then hit with a further penalty for an engine change, Räikkönen started the race from the back of the grid, but he quickly climbed into the midfield after a chaotic first lap that saw several drivers off the road.

He was quiet through the early laps, sitting patiently in the top ten, but setting an impressive pace as he climbed onto the back of Fernando Alonso who was busy duelling with Michael Schumacher. After scrapping with Schumacher, Räikkönen eventually got the better of his rival around the outside of turn one, finding himself in clear air for the first time, and finally able to put the hammer down.

Leading with ten laps to go, he dropped to second place behind Giancarlo Fisichella with eight laps remaining. The chase was on, and he scythed into the gap until he got within striking distance, making a memorable pass around the outside of turn one on the final lap. His celebrations as he crossed the finish line were as emotional as we ever saw him, justifiable we would say after a performance like that.

2009 Belgian Grand Prix

Now driving for Ferrari, Räikkönen had become a world champion in 2007, but had appeared to begin losing motivation having reached the pinnacle of the sport. Not helped by Ferrari’s dismal start to the season under the new regulations, Kimi had his worst start to a season in many years in 2009, but his form picked up just in time for a return to his wheelhouse at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Having qualified sixth, the challenge ahead was obvious, but in similar fashion to 2004, he ran it wide around La Source and climbed into second place by the braking zone to Les Combes. With the safety car deployed, his charge was postponed for a handful of laps, but with the Force India of Giancarlo Fisichella ahead it seemed a matter of time before he would take the lead. He wasted little time, sweeping out of the slipstream as he created the hill at Raidillon.

Fisichella refused to give up, however, and clung onto the back of Kimi’s Ferrari for the entirety of the race, but it was the Finn who prevailed to take victory and take the reward for fighting his way to the front.

2013 Australian Grand Prix

By 2013, Kimi Räikkönen had spent two years out of F1 to follow up a passion in rallying before returning to the sport with Lotus in 2012. Having already won a race for the team in Abu Dhabi that year, he looked to be finding his best form once again after a few years on the back burner.

Although no longer racing for a team expecting to win races and championships, Räikkönen’s lightning speed was no less potent, and when he was in the zone he remained one of the quickest drivers on the grid. He proved it at the opening race of the season in Australia as he beat both Red Bulls, by now the dominant force in F1, both Ferraris and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton to take an emphatic victory.

He looked like his old self as soon as the lights went out, immediately battling with Hamilton and finding a way past on lap two, already several seconds down on Vettel in the lead. Cue a trademark torrent of stunning laps as he quickly closed up on the podium runners. The status quo remained after the first round of stops, but Räikkönen ran a much longer second stint, meaning he could stretch out a two-stop strategy alongside the others’ three-stops. Despite a distinct tyre deficit by the end of the race, he was still able to lap faster than Alonso behind, and seal a comfortable victory with an accomplished drive.

2018 US Grand Prix

His triumph in Australia was to be his last until one final day of magic for Ferrari at the 2018 US Grand Prix. Räikkönen’s fire had appeared to have all but died out by 2018, his return to Maranello had been epitomised by his position as number two to both Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel and any semblance of the Kimi of old was pretty much lost.

After four middling seasons, however, he strung together a series of podium finishes during 2018. The top step of the podium eluded him, though, until he arrived in Texas. Having qualified third, Räikkönen reignited the flame with a stunning start that saw him dive down the inside of Lewis Hamilton to claim the lead out of turn one. His car looked more alive than it had done in years, and suddenly Räikkönen was back where he always looked at his best, with clear air ahead and room to start setting the timing screens alight.

When Hamilton took advantage of a virtual safety to pit, the chances of Räikkönen taking victory were slashed, but the Finn fought hard to refuse Hamilton access to the lead of the race, keeping the Mercedes behind until he made his one and only pitstop. As those around him made their second stops, Räikkönen regained the lead, and his task was simple, eke out the tyres to the end of the race.

With Max Verstappen and Hamilton closing in he saw off some monumental pressure to bring the car home and take his 21^st and final F1 victory.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.