Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen have celebrated a different type of world championship this week. Image: XPB Images
Raikkonen, the 2007 Formula 1 champion with Ferrari, guided Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre to the FIM Motocross World Championship at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin.
Febvre, who held a 47-point lead over his nearest rival heading into the season finale, secured the title after adverse weather led to the cancellation of the second race. It marked Raikkonen’s first championship in a post-F1 role.
“Having raced in and won the Formula 1 world championship, I understand how Romain must feel at this moment,” Raikkonen said.
“I want to add my sincere congratulations to him, the Team, Kawasaki and also all the Kawasaki fans globally. We came into this project seeking to win and, as a team, that is what we have achieved.
“This has been the goal for me and Antti [Pyrhönen] since the day we started – mission accomplished!”
Febvre, celebrating his second MXGP world title, described it as “an emotional moment” and credited Kawasaki and the KRT squad for a challenging but successful season.
Raikkonen, who retired from F1 after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, has kept a low profile since, only occasionally competing in NASCAR events.
He was appointed team principal of KRT in 2022, running the team alongside former Finnish rider Antti Pyrhonen.
Meanwhile, Verstappen also celebrated success as a team owner for the first time.
His Verstappen.com Racing outfit, competing in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, saw drivers Chris Lulham and Thierry Vermeulen secure the Gold Cup championship in Valencia last weekend in a Ferrari 296 GT3.
A combination of consistent performances and a pivotal time penalty for rivals helped the team claim the title.
Vermeulen said the team executed its objectives perfectly on race day. “We had only one goal when we entered the circuit,” he said.
“We managed to do that well all day. We had a trouble-free race, but also a bit of a boring race.”
Lulham’s strong start in the final race proved decisive in sealing the championship.
“Chris had a flawless start, which helped tremendously, and we secured victory in the Gold class and the championship,” Vermeulen added.
The championship came in Verstappen.com Racing’s first season in the series, and followed Verstappen’s own dominant weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he secured his fourth win of the 2025 F1 season.