2009 BELGIAN GP

SPA FERRARI F60 (1ST)

“We definitely were not the fastest but we managed to win,” is Raikkonen’s summary of his

2009 Belgian GP performance, one he picks out as a career highlight.

The 2009 F60 was not one of Ferrari’s finest. Fifth quickest on average across the season, it was also tricky, as the poor form of Luca Badoer and later Giancarlo Fisichella showed when they stepped in to replace Felipe Massa, injured at the Hungaroring.

Without Massa, Raikkonen stepped up, scoring four consecutive podiums in the second half of the season, with victory in the Belgian GP the highlight.

Raikkonen often shone at Spa – he’d dominated for Ferrari two years before – and gave himself the best chance with a feisty attack on lap one. He made a good start and then headed for the runoff area at La Source as things got busy on the inside. He emerged third, then used the boost of his Ferrari’s KERS to power past Robert Kubica’s BMW Sauber on the drag to Les Combes. The Ferrari ran wide when it got there, but Raikkonen did just enough to hold on to second.

The after-effects of that defence contributed to clashes behind, bringing out the safety car. And that gave Raikkonen an opportunity against the Kers-less Force India of surprise poleman and leader Fisichella.

At the restart, as they went through Eau Rouge and Raidillon, Raikkonen closed inexorably. “With perfect judgement, balls of steel and zero imagination, he stayed flat, judged that he would just be shy of the rear [of the Force India] by the time the track straightened and he could flick left to pass,” said Autosport’s report. “It was a briefly terrifying but thrilling moment.”

Raikkonen made it past and, though Fisichella kept the pressure on for the rest of the race, held the edge to win by 0.9s. “I knew he was faster,” said the 2007 world champion, “but I also knew that as long as I made no mistake he couldn’t pass.”

Raikkonen had technically left the track twice and benefited from a safety car he had helped cause, but winning a race in the F60 during one of

F1’s most competitive seasons is enough to earn this drive a high spot on the list. “As great a victory as he’s ever delivered,” concluded Autosport.