Kimi Raikkonen is the longest-serving driver in Formula 1
11/27/2020
Kimi Raikkonen (41) is the longest-serving F1 driver with 327 Grand Prix starts. He is currently four starts ahead of the Brazilian Rubens Barrichello (323).
Three more will be added by the end of the year, by which time the Swiss-based Finn will have 330 races under his belt. As he will be back next season, the number will rise to an incredible plus-minus 350 races (depending on coronavirus).
In comparison, Jackie Stewart drove 99, Niki Lauda 171, Nigel Mansell 187 and Michael Schumacher 307 Formula 1 races.
Of course, Raikkonen's F1 career did not start before the war, together with Hans Stuck or Bernd Rosemeyer in the Auto Union. So why these photos?
The optical illusion is the reason, because who exactly is sitting in the car? It's definitely not Raikkonen, but the driver (pictured above) resembles him like an identical twin brother. The pictures were taken at the Klausen race in 2002.
The car was driven up the mountain by Martin Tomczyk (pictured with helmet), but Raikkonen's doppelganger (with white dust cap) was responsible for transporting it back.
Incidentally, the Klausen Race celebrates its 100th birthday on August 27, 2022 (it was first held on August 27, 1922). Unfortunately, all efforts to celebrate the big birthday in two years' time have been neglected over the years.
After all, a memorial event was held in 1993, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2013, but since then the racing engines have remained silent on the Klausen. At least the first four events had the potential to compete with the Mille Miglia or the Le Mans Classic. After all, there was no other place in the world where so many top-class pre-war racing cars gathered to compete on such a long and difficult mountain course.
The lack of a continuation is also sad for the entire Glarnerland region, which would have a first-class tourist attraction with the Klausen Race.
