Kimi Raikkonen made his F1 debut in 2001 with Sauber and scored his first championship point in his first race in Melbourne, but getting him on the grid that day almost didn't happen. The Finn, now a veteran of 292 Grands Prix, only had 23 race starts under his belt when Peter Sauber took the risky chance of promoting the young hopeful to his F1 team in 2001. Indeed, even the FIA had raised objections to the 21-year-old's presence in F1 given his very limited racing experience, and Raikkonen was forced to start the season with a provisional licence. Shell bids farewell to Kimi Raikkonen, with a special gift! For any driver - let alone for a young man who had been racing karts just 15...
Full Story »