Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 Formula One World Champion, has been named team principal of the Kawasaki Racing Team in the Motocross World Championship.
Raikkonen retired from Formula One at the end of 2021, capping an outstanding career at the pinnacle of motorsport.
Before joining McLaren, he started his career with Sauber.
Raikkonen won the drivers’ title with Ferrari in 2007 after two title failures in 2003 and 2005; he is currently the Italian team’s most recent winner.
Raikkonen’s extraordinary career concluded with spells at Lotus, Ferrari, and then Alfa Romeo.
The Finn remained coy about his plans after F1, insisting he would be putting a lot of time aside for his family.
Antti Pyrhonen, a former motocross champion, will run the team with the 42-year-old.
Speaking of the news, Raikkonen said: “It’s no secret that, for me, one of my great passions in life for many years has been motocross but this team is not what you might call a hobby; it’s very serious, very focused and we aspire to be the best we possibly can,” explained Raikkonen.
“Now I have retired from racing I will be able to spend more time on this project, not on the daily issues but more from a strategic point of view using my experience of how teams work and what creates success on the world stage.
“Everyone including myself is delighted that Kawasaki has chosen us to be the Factory team. I know that the chance of success is always greater with direct factory support so this translates into a great opportunity for us as the new Kawasaki Racing Team in MXGP.”
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