Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 Formula 1 Champion who currently drives for the Alfa Romeo team, took to his Instagram account to announce his retirement from the pinnacle of motorsport at the end of this season. It also marks the end of his current contract with Alfa.

Kimi Räikkönen is the most experienced driver in Formula 1 history. He currently holds the record for the most F1 starts and the furthest distance driven by a Grand Prix driver. All in all, he has taken part in 19 Formula 1 seasons so far, claiming victory in 21 of the 344 Grand Prix he has competed in. He has also clinched 18 pole positions, 103 podium finishes, 46 fastest laps, and has racked up a total of 1865 points over his nearly two-decade-long career.

Kimi’s retirement comes 20 years after he debuted in Formula 1 as a driver for Sauber-Petronas, back in 2001. He later switched to McLaren Mercedes in 2002 and finished second in the 2003 and 2005 seasons, trailing both, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. He won his maiden race in 2003 and continued to flourish with the British team until 2006.

A year later, the Iceman joined Ferrari in 2007, and became the highest-paid driver in racing history, earning an estimated $51 million a year. The money invested paid off, and the Finn won his very first championship that year. He continued his stint at Maranello into 2009, after which he was eventually replaced by Fernando Alonso.

Kimi briefly took a break from F1 and dabbled with rallying and other disciplines of motorsport such as NASCAR. In 2010, he drove for the Citroën Junior Team in the World Rally Championship in a Citroën C4 WRC and he also made his NASCAR, debut with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

In 2012, he returned to F1, along with the Lotus team. I remember, him appearing on TopGear right before the start of that season. The subsequent year, he rejoined Ferrari to replace Felipe Massa. He recently switched to Alfa Romeo four seasons later.} Coincidently, Alfa Romeo Racing is virtually the very team with whom Kimi began his career (Sauber Motorsport),

At 41, the Finnish driver is now well past his prime at Alfa Romeo and is one of the oldest drivers on the grid, along with the likes of Alonso. Raikkonen currently has only two points in the standings this season.

Kimi’s retirement surely puts exciting cards on the table for F1, as his seat with the Alfa Romeo team remains available for 2022, which has been reported for some time, that it will be taken by Valtteri Bottas. In that case, George Russell

will be able to finally assume duties with the Mercedes team.

We already saw how capable Russell was when he was given a chance to fill in for Lewis at last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix. It is also currently unknown whether Raikkonen's current teammate, Antonio Giovinazzi, will renew his contract with Alfa Romeo.

His use of words or the lack of it, and Kimi’s ice-cool demeanor have captivated F1 fans the world over for nearly two decades. His illustrious career is one, that will be revered and celebrated. Kimi will go down as one of the all-time greats of F1.

Catch the top 10 moments from the Iceman's Illoustrous racing career