Fans launch petition asking Ferrari to keep Kimi Raikkonen. Fans want Kimi Raikkonen to stay at Ferrari .

Ferrari is ready to replace Kimi Raikkonen with rising star Charles Leclerc in its Formula 1 driver line-up for 2019, according to multiple sources. Kimi, who turns 39 in October, earned a one-year contract extension with the Italian team last year, as now the choice will be between the Finnish driver, who is still Ferrari’s most recent world champion but is yet to win a race since rejoining the team in 2014, and Charles Leclerc, who is contesting his rookie F1 season with Sauber.

Formula One is enjoying a boom in young talent. Drivers such as Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, all in their early 20s and the formative stages of their careers, are poised to become the new stars. Yet it is the oldest man on the grid, Kimi Raikkonen, 38, of Finland, who continues to stand out as one of Formula One’s most interesting drivers, breaking with convention through his character and demeanor.

Even with the wave of junior drivers, children of the internet age more suited to understand and capture a young fan base, Raikkonen, who is very private, created a social media presence only last December and has already become the fifth most-followed Formula One driver on Instagram. He is one of Formula One’s best-loved figures.