Kimi eyeing 2009 Spa repeat

Kimi Raikkonen is hoping history repeats itself and that the Belgian Grand Prix marks the start of a Ferrari recovery this season.

With Mercedes having dominated since the start of the season, Ferrari has managed just two podium finishes in the opening 11 races. Following the mid-season break, F1 returns to racing at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend and Raikkonen recalls his last win for Ferrari – at the same circuit five years ago – coming in similar circumstances to this season.

“Spa is probably my favourite circuit because it’s an old-style track which climbs and drops through the forest and I like the fact it’s fast and flowing,” Raikkonen said. “Also, it usually provides good racing to watch for the spectators. I think you can make a difference as a driver at every part of the circuit, but as with every track, it’s a combination of factors.

“At Turn 1, the hairpin, you can actually lose or gain a lot of time and you need good speed out of it because after it comes the very long straight including Eau Rouge. That corner has been easily flat out for quite a long time now, although actually, with this year’s cars, that might not be the case.

“Last time I drove here in a Ferrari (in 2009) I won, and that was in a year when we had been struggling since the start. But in Spa we managed to get things going a bit more in the right direction and it would be good if the same thing could happen this year. That would hopefully mean the racing would be a bit more fun. It’s always more fun when we get the results!”