Is Kimi’s return to Sauber good for F1?

After 18 years Kimi Raikonnen will be driving for Sauber again next year. Is this a good thing for Sauber and F1 or is Kimi just trying to hang on a bit longer with whoever would sign him?

When Kimi lost his drive at Ferrari in 2018 to newcomer Charles Leclerc many thought that Kimi would retire. Nobody would blame him since he’s had a very successful career in F1. Kimi won the Driver’s Championship in 2007 during his first stint at Ferrari and has spent time at Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus and Renault.

Kimi has been a staple figure in F1 for as long as many fans can remember, having joined F1 in 2001 and has been a regular points or podium finisher for much of his career. He’s got a ton of experience and claims to still have the drive to be in the gruelling world of F1 because of his love for driving. It has been noted about just how good Kimi is at developing the car, so this is nothing but good news for Sauber. Last year Sauber, with their partnership with Alfa Romeo, was able to take their car from a backmarker to a regular points contender with Charles Leclerc and Marcus Erikson. With Kimi involved for 2019 Sauber will likely be able to move up to the front of the midfield and possibly even challenge near the front.

Financially 2019 will look very different for Kimi and he has likely taken a massive pay cut to go to Sauber from Ferrari. According to reports, he was making around £20M plus endorsements in 2018, although I can’t see Sauber paying anywhere close to this. A recent report is showing his 2019 pay to be $4.5M from Sauber, which still ties him for the 6th highest paid driver in F1.

Luckily for us, we will get another 2 years to enjoy his entertaining press conferences. Maybe there will be enough new quotes to make second edition of the haiku book, Winnow your Words.

I’ll leave you with my favorite Kimi quote haiku from the book and you can decide whether Kimi staying in F1 another year is good for F1 and Sauber.

The right words

do not need others

to mean something