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The Iceman is one of the most enigmatic drivers around. At 39, where most other drivers his age may have either retired or at least thought about retirement, one finds Kimi Raikkonen preparing for a 2-year stint with Sauber.
Critics still try to pick on him, albeit with lesser success, arguably due to being heavily outnumbered by a barrage of fans that can be called the 'Raikkonen Army'; a unit that always rallies behind the 2007 F1 World Champion.
In the 2018 season, Raikkonen's legion of fans got together to kickstart an online campaign which was aimed at convincing Ferrari to keep its last world champion in the stable.
But despite the fact that Kimi was told to make way for Charles Leclerc, the 2018 F1 season proved why Raikkonen is so highly regarded. While he'd set the fastest-ever lap in the history of the sport, going at 1:19:119 at Monza (during the Italian GP), he'd also win the US Grand Prix.
But implicit in Kimi's performances the last season was a flavour of consistency, something he'd demonstrated back in 2012, the year where he fashioned a comeback to Formula 1 with Lotus.
That said, let's visit some of the top Raikkonen moments of 2012 and 2013, when he came back to the top-echelons of Grand Prix racing, only to lift the Enstone-based outfit.
#5 2012 Australian Grand Prix
The 2012 Australian Grand Prix was a remarkable race for Briton Jenson Button. In winning a famous Grand Prix, the pleasing driver, also a world champion, driving back then for McLaren would beat the likes of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.
But the Australian Grand Prix was a significant race for Kimi, in the sense that it would be the comeback race for one of the sport's old-guards.
And truth be told, Raikkonen didn't really get off to a great start during the race weekend. He'd only manage a P18 during the qualifying and was far off the grid from the frontrunners, Button, Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Alonso, all iconic guys to compete with.
Then, during the Grand Prix, Raikkonen was quick and was able to make most from the back of the grid.
Showing some familiar pace, Raikkonen would eventually finish seventh, while his French teammate, Romain Grosjean, who'd convincingly outqualified Raikkonen, wasn't able to finish the race.
#4 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix- A fighting P2 for Kimi
If there was a race that exhibited the raw pace of Raikkonen driving in his comeback season, then it would be the Bahrain Grand Prix of 2012.
In fetching a useful podium for his side, a fighting P2, Raikkonen battled not one but two drivers in a closely-fought race.
While his contest with Vettel, the eventual winner for Red Bull, would be described by the German as one of the best battles he'd had ever with Kimi, it was Raikkonen's staunch defence from a visibly improved Grosjean, third back then, that would make the highlight at Sakhir.
Driving with unrelenting focus and managing a valuable podium in only the fourth race of the season, Kimi would only grow in strength and stature within a team that managed to put together a strong fight versus McLaren and Ferrari back then.
#3 2012 British Grand Prix- a memorable race for Kimster in spite of a non-podium finish
One of the most memorable races for Kimi-Matias Raikkonen back in the 2012 F1 season was the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
While Raikkonen would miss out on a podium finish, in fact, he'd finish comfortably adrift of the top three. The woes of the Finn were exacerbated by the fact that he'd only manage a P6, qualifying behind the likes of Alonso, Mark Webber, Michael Schumacher, Vettel, and Felipe Massa respectively.
But, the best part about the Grand Prix would be the fact that Raikkonen would find a way to finish on fifth. In so doing, he'd make some impressive moves particularly toward the second half of the race, holding a tight contest with the Ferrari of Massa.
That said, the icing on the cake for Raikkonen in a race that utterly belonged to Red Bull, with Webber clinching a fantastic win, would be his setting the fastest lap of the British Grand Prix.
Proving that he hadn't lost a yard of the pace he still raced with back in 2009, before he went on a two-year hiatus, Kimi recorded an impressive 1:34:661 on Lap 50.
#2 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix- "Leave me alone"
Most racers have at least one moment that completely defines them and their persona. For Raikkonen, it would be the 2012's victorious run at the spectacularly-lit Yas Marina where he'd proclaim to his engineer's instructions "leave me alone, I know what am doing," at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
While Hamilton was on pole for the famous 2012 race, during the middle stages, his McLaren would suddenly set off and lead to retirement.
From that point on, Kimi, who'd begun from fourth but had made up a few places at the start, would inherit the race lead. This would be a track position that he would not give up and defend valiantly from not one but two ballsy cars: the Ferrari of Alonso and the Red Bull of Vettel.
Looking after his tyres throughout the race so as to continue his surge toward the checkered flag, and engaging in what could be called (but purely by die-hard Raikkonen fans), a 'masterclass in defensive driving', Raikkonen would defend from Alonso well enough to claim victory, thus bringing up a famous win for Lotus and for himself.
#1 2013 Australian Grand Prix- a flying win for the Flying Finn
By winning the Australian Grand Prix, the season-opening contest at Melbourne, in 2013, Raikkonen proved one thing in grand fashion; that his 2012 Abu Dhabi triumph was no flash in the pan.
For the most part of the race, Raikkonen, who was neither on pole for the 2013 race nor close to even the top five cars stacked at the front of the contest, continued undeterred, looking after his tyres well.
It would be in the latter part of the race, where Kimi, quick in the fast corners, and watchful on the straights would begin a serious charge toward the front of the grid.
On the final lap of the race, well after Raikkonen had moved past Alonso, Hamilton, and Red Bulls, including that of pole-sitter Vettel, would set the fastest lap of the Grand Prix, going rather quick at 1:29:274 toward the very end.
In winning a sensational race, Kimi would uphold the morale of a team that would rather surprisingly not pay him in the end.
