Formula One news

Räikkönen playing the waiting game

Kimi Räikkönen remains patient to return to the top step of the podium but continues to admit that chances for this year's World Championship title are already gone, with Ferrari lying forty-seven points behind leaders Brawn GP in the standings. April 27 marked one year since the Finn's last race victory, which came at the Spanish Grand Prix of 2008.

Bahrain, and Ferrari's first points of 2009

Like Fernando Alonso in 2007 and 2008, Räikkönen has now raced for over a year without registering a Grand Prix win as Ferrari continues to gradually improve; Kimi's sixth place in Bahrain signalled the start to what the Scuderia hopes continues to be an upward curve.

"It's a bit more than a year ago that I won my last Formula 1 race," Räikkönen recalled. "At Barcelona in 2008 I had my best weekend with Ferrari with pole position, victory and fastest race lap. Since then I came very close several times - I'm thinking of Magny-Cours (exhaust problems), Montreal (hit in the pit lane by Lewis Hamilton) and Spa (spun off in the wet) - but for one reason or another I could never make it. Having said that, a driver never loses the lust for winning and I want to have that feeling again as soon as possible."

Although the 2007 Champion admitted early on this season that any chances of the title have already faded, he is looking to 'enjoy' the rest of the racing this year.

Räikkönen's last win came in Barcelona last year

"I really liked hearing from the team that the new aerodynamic package's first signs are positive," Kimi, who celebrates his 30th birthday in October, continued. "It will be really interesting taking the car out during Friday's free practice sessions. "We drove on this track back in March this year, but from tests it's always really difficult to understand who's really strong in the field. Furthermore, many cars have changed quite a lot since then."

Räikkönen was pleased to report the predicted greater amounts of downforce the new Ferrari F60 aerodynamic package should yield; strengths and weaknesses will be clearly shown in Barcelona this weekend as the Circuit de Catalunya chiefly requires large amounts of downforce.

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