Kimi Raikkonen eager to take fifth victory at Spa

Kimi Raikkonen has become somewhat of a master of the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in recent years, winning the race four times between 2004 and 2009. As the 2007 World Champion gears up to return to the Ardennes Forest this weekend, he admits he is eager to take his fifth Belgian Grand Prix victory.

Although Kimi Raikkonen has yet to win a race so far this season, it is unquestionable that the ‘Iceman’ has been one of the most competitive and consistent drivers on the grid. Only four races into his return to the sport, and Kimi Raikkonen was already back on the podium with 2nd at the Bahrain Grand Prix. As the season has progressed, Raikkonen has consistently finished every lap of the season and has is without a doubt on course to win a race sooner rather than later.

The Finn’s last victory around the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in 2009 was incidentally his last victory in Formula 1 to date, back when he was a Ferrari driver alongside Felipe Massa. Admittedly a lot has changed in the sport since then, however Kimi Raikkonen is understandably brimming with confidence ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

“Usually I’ve achieved good results at the Belgian Grand Prix, but what’s happened before doesn’t help me right now.” Explained Kimi Raikkonen, “Obviously it would be great to win at Spa for a fifth time. I haven’t won during the first part of the season and the extra points are always good. Of course, we will do our very best to win this race. I have stood in the middle of the podium a few times and I want to be there again.”

Both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean have come exceedingly close to victory this season, however it’s undeniably true that their lack of performance in qualifying has held the Lotus outfit back when it comes to race day. In this highly competitive and unpredictable season, qualifying has once again become imperative if a driver wishes to take victory. Kimi Raikkonen understands that qualifying has so far been the team’s achilles’ heel, and believes the team is continuing to improve as the season progresses.

“We know the reason though [that Lotus haven’t yet won a race]; we’ve not been so strong in qualifying as we have in the race which makes life harder for ourselves on Sundays.” Admitted Kimi Raikkonen, “Of course we would rather win than come second or third but it’s a long season and I think we’re improving all the time. If it comes then great, if not we’ll keep trying. We’ve been improving our position in the Championships - both for myself and for the team - so as long as we keep doing that hopefully the win will come.”

Kimi Raikkonen is without a doubt overdue for a Grand Prix victory, and Spa-Francorchamps would undeniably be the best location for the ‘Iceman’ to return to his race winning ways. With Lotus preparing to run their own rendition of the Mercedes-pioneered Double-DRS device, expect both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean to be near the sharp end of the field once the Belgian Grand Prix gets underway this weekend.

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