Kimi Räikkönen - King of Spa

Kimi Räikkönen - King of Spa

They say every driver has a favourite circuit, but in the Iceman’s case it seems the Belgian hills have a favourite driver... 

Finding a race on the Formula 1 calendar which has yet to be conquered by the Iceman is quite a challenge, but on the flip side there is one particular venue at which the name Räikkönen reigns supreme. He may be a man of few words, but when it comes to this place our enigmatic Finn is happy to wax lyrical...

"I bet every driver likes Spa and I have so many good memories there. For me it is the greatest racing circuit in the world and it has been my favourite place since my first ever visit there in 2000 with Formula Renault. It’s great to go racing with a modern car at a proper circuit which has such a great tradition. You can’t get the same kind of feeling anywhere else."

That enthusiasm for this legendary circuit is well justified too. Kimi currently occupies joint third position in the list of all-time Belgian Grand Prix winners with 4 victories to his name thus far; equalling the total of Jim Clark and trailing just Michael Schumacher [6] and Ayrton Senna [5] in the standings.

It could have been more too; with torrential conditions sending the Iceman spinning out of a battle for the lead with just 2 laps remaining in 2008 to dash hopes of yet another win in the Belgian hills. Last year’s race was in fact the first time the Finn had finished in any position other than the top step at Spa, but he still managed to maintain his impressive run of results with a podium appearance.

This sees Kimi sit an equal third in the list of all-time Belgian Grand Prix podium finishers too with 5 champagne moments to date; matching the totals of Nigel Mansell and Bruce McLaren and trailing just Michael Schumacher [9], Alain Prost [7] and Ayrton Senna [6] in the hall of fame.

Can the Iceman continue his reign at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps this weekend? Keep your dialled locked on Lotus F1 Team to find out... 

Kimi’s Belgian Grand Prix Record: 

8 Races, 5 Podiums, 4 Wins, 2 Fastest Laps, 1 Pole Position

2001: DNS 

2002: DNF 

2004: P1 [Fastest Lap] 

2005: P1 

2007: P1 [Pole Position] 

2008: DNF [Fastest Lap] 

2009: P1 

2012: P3

Fonte: www.lotusf1team.com

Pronto, já nem liguei mais para o resto do texto quando li o subtítulo... rsrsrs: "Eles dizem que cada piloto tem o seu circuito favorito, mas no caso do Iceman parece que as colinas da Bélgica têm um piloto favorito..."

Tão bom ler estas coisas!!!! Que texto agradável e leve!!! Finalmente algo bom nesta semana de rumores que não me agradam!!! #fiqueifeliz

Kimi e Spa é magia pura senhoras e senhores!!! Ele é o Rei de Spa!!!! #LongLivetheKing

Beijinhos, Ludy