Kimi Räikkönen will stay with Ferrari for another year, putting to rest the rumors of his retirement. The 36 year old Finnish driver will be 37 during the 2017 season, making him the oldest Formula One driver on the grid.
Räikkönen, known for his enthusiasm, has been rumored to be retiring at the end of 2016. Multiple drivers have been linked to the Finn’s empty seat, including Valtteri Bottas and Nico Rosberg. However, Räikkönen renewed his contract with Ferrari for the 2017 season on Friday ahead of the British Grand Prix, meaning that no driver will be taking his seat.
“I’m really happy for the renewal of my contract, I’m happy to be here now and to stay for next year,” said Kimi Räikkönen after a tough day of running on Friday. “It’s nice to know that the team believes in me and I believe in them. Now we can put all the effort in the racing and try to achieve better results.”
Although Räikkönen has not won a race since returning to Ferrari, he has showed great improvement alongside his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, and has even earned some podium positions. Sebastian Vettel will also remain with the team for 2017.
