Räikkönen ends the day on tires… waiting for the sun

Today, the Spa circuit in Belgium hosted the free practice sessions on Friday, ahead of the 13th Formula 1 event. The weather, rarely summery at this time of the year in Belgium, unsettled many drivers. Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen was among the most affected and hopes to find better conditions tomorrow.

Despite a good start this morning by positioning himself in second place, 0.339 seconds behind his teammate Felipe Massa, the rest of the day was not really favorable for him.

The weather was still threatening, but Kimi quickly hit the track along with the other drivers to start their afternoon program as soon as possible because a few showers were expected shortly after 2 p.m. Promises made, promises kept, the rain appeared on the beautiful Belgian circuit, leading to off-track excursions, including that of the reigning world champion.

« When I went wide at turn 9, I clipped the edge of the pavement and the surface was a bit slippery because of the rain », Räikkönen said.

The Finnish driver still managed to reach his pit despite his rear wing being destroyed by hitting the safety barrier, specifically the tire barrier.

The F2008 was nevertheless too damaged to be repaired before the end of the session. Räikkönen therefore set the 5th fastest time after a small dozen laps.

« A light rain like that had already happened earlier, when I was on new tires, it started to rain again and I lost a bit of time. Hopefully tomorrow morning there won’t be any rain so I can perform more consistently on dry land. »

« In the morning, with the exception of a few small electrical issues, the car wasn’t bad. Tomorrow, we’ll see what we can do and obviously the weather will be a key factor. » Commented the Ferrari driver.

Tomorrow, and throughout the weekend, weather conditions should improve. Räikkönen’s wish should be granted.