Kimi Raikkonen becomes Formula 1’s all-time most experienced driver

Formula 1 has a new all-time most experienced driver following the Eifel Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, and that driver is Kimi Raikkonen.

It was a day that he stated multiple times he did not care about and it was a day that was delayed by several months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it is one that has finally come and gone, and it has resulted in him breaking an all-time Formula 1 record.

Having competed in Eifel Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, the 11th race on the updated 2020 schedule, 2007 Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen is now the most experienced driver in the history of the sport.

The 40-year-old Finn’s start in this 60-lap race around the 16-turn, 3.199-mile (5.148-kilometer) road course in Nürburg, Germany was the 323rd start of his career, which goes back to the 2001 season. His career spans 18 seasons, as he did not compete in 2010 and 2011. He returned to the sport in 2012.

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Raikkonen, who is in his second season at Alfa Romeo Racing after wrapping up his second stint at Ferrari in 2018, broke the record that was previously held by Rubens Barrichello, who competed in 322 races from the time his career began in the 1993 to when it ended in 2011.

Raikkonen is the oldest driver currently on the 20-driver Formula 1 grid by more than five years (Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton turned 35 in January), and he is in a contract year. He is set to have competed in 329 races by the time the season ends, with this season being a 17-race season. His plans for the 2021 season are still up in the air, but he could end up extending this record by quite a bit if he opts to return.

Next to Raikkonen, the most experienced driver in Formula 1 among the active field is Hamilton, whose 261 starts rank seventh on the all-time list. Hamilton is more than five years younger than Raikkonen, so there is a chance that he will break Raikkonen’s new record at some point before he retires.

In how many races will Kimi Raikkonen have competed when he retires from Formula 1, and will the new all-time starts record, whatever it ends up being when he does step away, ever be broken?