It’s not a stretch to say that more than a few scribes had been readying their ‘Raikkonen career highlights’ pieces in anticipation of the Finn’s retirement from Formula 1.

Instead, in a stunning move that few would’ve predicted, he took to his Instagram page to announce that he would not be leaving the sport and would race for the Alfa Romeo Sauber team not only next year but in 2020 as well. Undoubtedly met by surprise the announcement too would’ve been met with some relief as it keeps the venerable Iceman in the sport for the foreseeable future.

There will also be those that see his move to Sauber as a negative, a step back. Will he be sitting in the cockpit of a race-winning car in 2019? It’s highly unlikely based on what we know of Sauber today. But few had high expectations of the 2012 and 2013 Lotus car either. Not only did Raikkonen rack up two race wins but also secured third place in the driver’s standings while at Lotus.

Despite what many on the outside may think Raikkonen is well known for his astute technical ability. It was F1 presenter Ted Kravitz who spoke about the fact that long after he left most at McLaren still spoke of Kimi Raikkonen with awe. “McLaren engineers still talk with wonder about Raikkonen’s consistent lap times. He was so good, they say, because he would come back to the pits, say what was wrong, they would fix it and he would go out and go faster. Simple.”

In 2009 Ferrari produced one of its worst cars of the decade but Raikkonen delivered several stunning results in the second half of the season including a win at Spa. Prolific F1 writer and author James Allen writes, “His performances from July onwards in a car which Ferrari had stopped developing, were astonishing. Even the Ferrari engineers don’t fully understand how he managed to get some of the podiums he did based on the performance of his car, compared to the opposition.”

This was later echoed by Jonathan Noble also who reported, “One team insider suggested that, looking at the data, Raikkonen has once again been doing things in the cockpit of a very difficult car that they can hardly believe. He is going beyond what, theoretically, the F60 would be capable of in normal hands.”

This technical prowess hasn’t faded. While the 2014 Ferrari was a right mess the car has steadily improved to be, nearly, the class of the field in 2018. Of course it isn’t all down to Raikkonen but some of it is. This is why his move to Sauber isn’t just for the sake of it. He has the ability to rally the team around him in a technical sense and in a manner that many others on the grid can’t. Realistically, Sauber won’t be world-beaters by the time the lights go out in Australia but don’t be surprised if they’re a lot closer than many would predict.

Though he is known for his laconic demeanour Kimi Raikkonen is, arguably, one of the most marketable drivers on the grid. With the monosyllabic Finn comes a mammoth in-built global fan base second to none. But don’t take my word for it. Take yourself to a racetrack and appreciate, but don’t be surprised by, the enormous cheers reserved for Raikkonen, anywhere in the world. Expect Sauber fan gear, and Alfa sales for that matter, to increase come 2019.

In the press conference after the 2007 Brazilian grand prix Raikkonen said that winning the world championship is always what he had wanted and that anything else that happens would only be a bonus. It’s phenomenal to see that eleven years later he still has the hunger and passion for racing and not just headlines.

And probably most important of all is that with this announcement comes the confirmation that Kimi Raikkonen is still motivated, still dedicated, and still having fun. Oh, and he happens to be rather quick too.