Kimi Räikkönen did not end his Formula 1 career in the way he would have liked, but the Finn will bow out of the sport with a lot of positive memories and having met a lot of great people.
The Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN driver was forced to retire from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix following a technical issue on his C41-Ferrari, and the retirement brought to an end a three hundred and forty-nine race career.
However, Räikkönen retires with many amazing moments to remember from his career, with ‘The Iceman’ having won twenty-one Grand Prix, taken eighteen pole positions and being the 2007 Formula 1 World Champion.
“It’s been nice to see so many people showing their appreciation today, even if the race didn’t go as we hoped,” said Räikkönen. “We had an issue after the pit-stop, a technical problem that meant we finished earlier today.
“That’s racing, sometimes things fail, but today’s result doesn’t influence how I feel about my career. I’m happy to move on to a normal life, I am looking forward to it.
“Of course, I will miss a lot of the great people I met over the years; 20 years have gone quickly, I made lots of memories, some good, some bad, and these are going to stay with me forever.”
“I hope this is just a ‘see you soon’” – Antonio Giovinazzi
Team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi also failed to see the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi with a mechanical issue, with the Italian failing to see the chequered flag for the first time in 2021.
Giovinazzi, who will also say goodbye to Formula 1 and move to the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship next season, felt he was on course for a good result on Sunday before being forced to call it a day.
Despite not having a drive in the sport next year, Giovinazzi says he hopes to have done enough to keep himself in contention for a return to Formula 1 in 2023, but for now his attention moves to racing in Formula E.
“It’s a pity to end the season like this, the first DNF after a full season of finishing,” said Giovinazzi. “We were having a good race, fighting a world champion like Vettel, but at least I could enjoy watching the final laps of this race.
“It’s been a great battle between Max and Lewis, both would have deserved the title. It’s been an emotional day overall, seeing Kimi retire and seeing all the things the team did for us today. He’s a great person, very fair and all of F1 will miss him.
“As for me, I hope this is just a ‘see you soon’: my full focus is now on Formula E, but I hope to be back next year. I’m happy with my journey, the way I progressed over the years, I gave everything I could.”
