Raikkonen will move from Ferrari to Sauber for 2019

After eight seasons with Ferrari and the last man to win a Scuderia rider title, it was confirmed that Kimi Raikkonen would not wear red for the Formula 1 season in 2019. F1 debut in 2001.

Ferrari announced that Raikkonen would "leave his current position" for 2019 and that Sauber confirmed that the Finn would return to the Swiss team for two years. The event actually marks an exchange between Raikkonen and the current Sauber driver, Charles Leclerc. Monegasque, 20, is expected to become one of the youngest drivers in Scuderia history.

"Kimi Raikkonen's signing as a pilot represents an important pillar of our project and brings us closer to our goal of making significant progress as a team in the near future," said Frédéric Vasseur, director of the team. Sauber.

"Kimi's unrivaled talent and his immense experience in Formula 1 will not only contribute to the development of our car, but will also accelerate the growth and development of our team as a whole. Together, we will begin the 2019 season with a solid foundation, motivated by the determination to fight for results that matter.

The announcement ends months of speculation about the future of Raikkonen, confirming that the Finn will not lead a ninth season for Ferrari in 2019.

Raikkonen joined McLaren for the first time in 2007, winning the driver's title of his career the same year his former team was imploding under the weight of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

After a mediocre 2009 season in which he finished sixth in the drivers standings, Raikkonen moved away from Ferrari and Formula 1. He returned with Lotus in 2012, winning two races for the underfunded group before joining Ferrari in 2014.

After struggling with Ferrari in the hybrid era of Formula 1, the Finn is ranked 12th in the 2014 standings, two places less than in his first season with Sauber. Raikkonen is more and more present in the Scuderia in recent seasons. , and is currently enjoying its most successful period since returning to Ferrari, ranking third in the drivers standings.

Last week, at the Italian Grand Prix, Raikkonen hinted that he would like to stay on the grid for 2019, revealing that he thought he was driving as well as he did when he claimed his title.

"I do not think I drive differently from 10 years ago," he told reporters. "I think I drive quite well, at least in my books, and that's enough for me. I would not be here if I did not think I could drive as well as I thought … People always say that the speed will disappear, but until now I feel that it has not disappeared for me.

Announcing the news of his return to Sauber on his official Instagram account, Raikkonen wrote, "Guess who's back ?! The next two years with @ sauberf1team coming! Feels extremely good to get back to where it all started!