Career Stats Team Ferrari Nationality Finnish Podiums 48 Points 456 Grand Prix entered 122 World Championships 1 Wins 15 Pole Positions 14 Date of Birth 17/10/1979 Place of Birth Espoo

Kimi Raikkonen finally shook off his nearly man tag to become world champion in 2007.

It took seven years, three teams and two near misses to get there, but the Finn now has the crown his superlative talents deserve.

Blindingly fast and devilishly brave – his credentials have never been in doubt.

What has been is his dedication to the job outside of the car, but he admits he rediscovered his desire for F1 during his first year at Ferrari.

To declare over the winter that he is “in love” with the sport again is as close as the ‘Iceman' is ever likely to come to melting.

And now established as the Scuderia's team leader, he is determined to add to his title haul.

So expect Raikkonen to be even stronger in 2008.

That he overcame an alarming mid-season slump to take a maiden title demonstrates just how crushingly strong he can be when he and the car are on song.

Seven consecutive podiums at the end of the season allowed him to claw back a seemingly insurmountable 28-point gap to Lewis Hamilton.

A victory in the Brazilian finale ensured he grabbed the crown by a single point.

He may have come up on the rails, but the title wasn't won by stealth – his tally of six race wins was two more than anyone else managed.

It underlined his status as arguably the fastest man in F1.

Career log

Replacing a retiring world champion was not a new experience for Raikkonen when he stepped into Michael Schumacher's legendary shoes at Ferrari last year.

He had already been McLaren's hand-picked successor for countryman Mika Hakkinen in 2002, off the back of a sparkling rookie season at Sauber.

Ron Dennis soon swooped in to sign him up to what turned out to be a five-year stint at Woking.

But despite showing formidable promise, the partnership under-delivered in terms of results.

In 2002 and 2004 the car was no match for Ferrari, while '03 and '05 culminated in title heartache for Kimi.

A steady podium-scoring season brought him within two points of beating Schumacher to the 2003 title.

Then in 2005 Raikkonen won seven races – including a breathtaking victory from 17th on the grid in Japan.

But repeated mechanical problems scuppered his challenge, and Fernando Alonso beat him to the title.

A winless 2006 season followed and a frustrated Raikkonen headed off to Maranello.

The early years

A successful junior karter, Raikkonen made his debut in British Formula Renault in 1999.

He initially withdrew from the series due to an uncompetitive car, but came back after six months to decimate all opposition.

A year later he was Formula Renault champion and earned a test with Peter Sauber's F1 team that winter. Such was his pace that Sauber gambled on Kimi for 2001 – making him one of the least experienced rookies in the history of the sport.

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