F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: 5 most memorable moments from the past

Kredy
Nico Rosberg won the 2016 drivers' championship
Nico Rosberg won the 2016 drivers' championship

#3 Raikkonen's win in 2012

Raikkonen won the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Raikkonen won the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Kimi Raikkonen returned to Formula One in 2012, three years after leaving the sport in 2009. Driving for Lotus, the Finn's comeback season in F1 received much criticism, with many questioning his racing abilities in the pinnacle of motorsport racing.

Raikkonen's brilliant win in the penultimate race of the 2012 season changed all that, as he showed the world that he still had what it takes to win in Formula One.

The Finn started the race from the fourth place, finishing less than 0.04 seconds behind Williams' Pastor Maldonado in Q3. But he had a dream start to the race as he moved to the second place at the end of lap one.

Raikkonen continued to apply pressure on race leader Lewis Hamilton during the initial stages of the race. He claimed the lead after the Birton was forced to retire due to a mechanical issue.

From that moment on, Raikkonen used all his experience to control the race pace and secure a memorable win.

Interestingly, at one point during the race, the Finn told his engineer over a radio transmission, "Just leave me alone, I know what I’m doing."

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Edited by Musab Abid