Spa can revive Raikkonen's title challenge

Kimi Raikkonen can revive his flagging Formula One title hopes this weekend with a flat-out 'pedal to the metal' performance at his favourite Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

The fast and flowing Belgian Grand Prix circuit has favoured the Finn more than any driver in recent years and Ferrari's world champion desperately needs to conjure up some of his old magic on Sunday.

Raikkonen has won the last three grands prix at the 7km Ardennes track, a run dating back to 2004 with McLaren, and another victory would show he is still very much a contender.

"This is the one that I've been waiting for," Raikkonen said on his website
www.kimiraikkonen.com

"The weekend of Spa is always a certain highlight of the season for me.

"You cannot get the same kind of 'pedal to the metal' feeling anywhere else."

Without a win since the end of April, and with team mate Felipe Massa seven points clear of him with six races remaining, Raikkonen knows that it is otherwise a matter of time before Ferrari declare his title defence over and order him to help the Brazilian.

Raikkonen scored 29 points from his first four races of the season but has taken just 28 from his last eight starts amid increasing speculation about his motivation.

Massa, who drew a blank in his first two races, has come on strongly and is now just six points behind McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton. He won the last race in Valencia while Raikkonen retired with a blown engine.

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali made clear last week that there would come a point when a decision had to be made.

"Kimi will help Felipe if necessary," he told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "We talked about it at the start of the year. But before that happens, let's see how things develop."

FAVOURITE CIRCUIT

Spa, with its capricious climate, should give the Finn every opportunity to make his point before Ferrari's home race at Monza a week later closes out the European part of the season.

"Obviously we need that positive result," he said. "The previous race (in Valencia) was the one to forget as quickly as possible. It's never nice to be in the middle of all kinds of negative stories but it just happens.

"Back in the old days at school it was not that nice to bring home a bad grade from an exam. You only could try to do better the next time. That's how to react, still," added the 28-year-old.

Raikkonen can take comfort in the knowledge that he was 17 points behind Hamilton with two races remaining last season and yet still won the title.

The 23-year-old Briton has learned a lot since his astonishing rookie season, however, and will not be making the same mistakes twice.

Hamilton made clear after finishing a strategic second in Valencia that he was playing a 'long game' now.

"Clearly, I want to win all the time, but I've learned that sometimes it's more advantageous to score as many points as possible and live to fight another day," he said.

"My aim is still to win the world championship and you don't do that by ending up in the barriers after making an opportunistic move."