The fight to get a prodigy on the F1 grid
As Kimi Raikkonen's career enters its twilight with a return to Sauber, it's easy to forget the storm a then 20-year-old driver caused when he first arrived in Formula 1. Those who guided his career recall that 2001 season.
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Kimi Raikkonen's career path has been unusual in many ways, but no element of his CV is as special as the jump he made from Formula Renault to Formula 1 in 2001 with just 23 car races under his belt.
Thanks to ever-stricter superlicence requirements, such a move has never been repeated. In 2000 the 20-year-old Raikkonen stormed to the Formula Renault UK title, under the guidance of his management team - the late David Robertson and his son, Steve.
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