(Motorsport) While the headlines for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix are largely dominated by the title race between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, former world champion Kimi Raikkonen will be making his final appearance in an F1 car at the Yas Marina Circuit for his 349th race after a 20 year long career. The Finnish racing driver made his debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix for Sauber and the 42 year old is looking forward to a life away from Formula 1 after the season concludes.

Speaking ahead of his final race, Raikkonen said “Obviously I have family, I have reasons to be home, you know? Obviously the end is completely different in many ways: it’s different circumstances… I’m at a different point in my life also. But [F1 has] never been the main thing in my life and it might be different to many others, you know? My life outside has always been the most important thing for me and yes, it has taken most of the time in the last 20 years, but it hasn’t been the most, let’s say, important thing, in many ways. Yes I enjoy racing and this otherwise I wouldn’t have done it for so long but I appreciate my own time much more. Like, it’s more important for me than anything else."

Raikkonen will retire as the most experienced Formula 1 driver of all time with 21 race wins, a World Championship crown and more than 18,000 laps under his belt. He has previously retired from the sport in 2009 to pursue a career in NASCAR and the World Rally Championship but the Iceman has claimed that he will not return to the grid this time around. The Finnish driver came to the spotlight after leaving Sauber for McLaren in 2002 and finished runner-up twice, behind Michael Schumacher in 2003 and Fernando Alonso in 2005.

For Raikkonen, replacing Schumacher at Ferrari in 2007 will always be the highlight of his career and last won a Grand Prix in the United States in 2018 while racing for Ferrari in his second stint with the team. He refers to Michael Schumacher as his toughest opponent in his career, claiming "I raced against him many years, we had a lot of good fights”. Speaking about his career, Raikkonen said “I had a good run and I wouldn’t change a single thing. Even if it would mean more wins and more championships, I’m happy with what I achieved and I cannot complain, really. I’m happy how I did it, because I did it many, many ways on my own terms."

When asked about the possibility of a future role in Formula 1, the Finn said “I’d rather be president of Finland than the president of F1. F1 is too political. Look at what we did in Saudi Arabia. What talks is money.” His Ferrari team mate Sebastian Vettel paid tribute to Raikkonen by saying “Time goes one way, and at some point, time comes for him, and at some point, time will come for me and at some point even time will come for Lando, even though that's a long way to go. It's probably the most natural thing. Will he be missed? Yes. I think he was a true character, and I enjoyed the time I had with him as a teammate.

"But to be fair, I got to know him already before, and he's probably one of the very few drivers I've met from day one until today that hasn't changed in the sense that he has been very, very open, welcoming me as a young kid when I entered F1, and at that point he was probably the most established Formula 1 driver. Great respect. I don't think you can have an argument or a problem with Kimi. If you do, then the problem is not him, the problem is you. He's a great person, and I'm sure we'll stay in touch. I wish him all the best and I will miss the silence."

Also read: A battle for the ages: How Verstappen and Hamilton made Formula 1 exciting again