Kimi Raikkonen won the Belgian Grand Prix, to give Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro its first win of the season, and Kimi his fourth podium of 2009.Luca Badoer finished 14th. It is the fourth time the Finn has won at this classic track.

Kimi started from the outside of Row 3 and Luca from the back row of what was the most unexpected grid of the year, with the Force India of Giancarlo Fisichella on pole and the Toyota of Jarno Trulli alongside him. It was dry with some sunshine and an air temperature of 17 degrees.

There was drama right after the start, with Kimi going very wide using the run off after the hairpin, but he powered through to second on the run up the hill after Eau Rouge, but then a multiple collision brought out the Safety Car, with four cars already out of the running, Button, Grosjean, Hamilton and Alguersuari.

The order behind the SC was Fisichella, Kimi, Kubica, Glock, Webber, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Vettel, Alonso, with Kovalainen tenth. Then came Buemi, Nakajima, Luca Badoer up to 13th from last on the grid, Trulli, all the way down off the front row after pitting for a new nose, Barrichello, who got bogged down from fourth on the grid and Sutil, 16th and last, having also stopped for repairs.

As the Safety Car came in at the start of lap 5, Kimi swept past Fisichella after Radillon to take the lead, his F60 still evidently working well, despite tangling with another car in the first lap chaos. The only other change being Vettel getting ahead of Rosberg for seventh. Luca then dropped to fourteenth as he was passed by Barrichello, who also passed Nakajima. Luca lost another place on lap 7 when he was passed by Sutil. Pit stops began on lap 12, with Kubica bringing his BMW in from third place and Timo Glock refuelling his Toyota from sixth. At the front, Kimi led Fisichella in the Force India by 1.8. Webber was now third in the Red Bull, 8.9 behind the Ferrari, with Kimi pitting on lap 14, at the same time as Fisichella, Webber and Heidfeld. These last two nearly collided in the pit lane as they drove out and Webber was given a drive through penalty. Lap 15 saw Kimi third behind Vettel and Rosberg, who were yet to stop. Vettel came in next time round, promoting Rosberg to the lead for Williams.

When Rosberg came in on lap 22, Kimi was now back in the lead, still with Fisichella behind him, closer than before in fact, just 0.9 down. Alonso was third but had yet to stop. Luca was fifteenth. Trulli retired his Toyota in the pits on lap 22, the halfway point of the race. The battle at the front was intriguing as Kimi’s Ferrari was not managing to pull away from Fisichella, the gap now 0.8, going down another tenth on lap 23. Alonso finally brought the Renault in for its one stop from third place on lap 24, but all his hard work evaporated as the pit crew struggled for a long time with the left front wheel, after it had been damaged in a collision at the start of the race. He continued for a short while, but the team retired him as the data showed a problem with the left front corner. Luca also pitted his F60 at this point, on a one stop strategy. Kovalainen was the last of the lead group (5th) to pit on lap 26.

As the one-stop drivers finished their visit to pit lane, the two stoppers returned for a final time, Barrichello first in on lap 27 from sixth place. Lap 31 and Kimi and Fisichella made their final stops together, temporarily promoting Vettel to the lead ahead of Heidfeld. The German BMW driver came in next time around, so that Kimi was back in second, 11.1 behind the Red Bull, with Fisichella 0.7 behind the Ferrari. Vettel came in on lap 35 which meant that Kimi and Fisichella were back fighting for the lead again, the gap between them now 0.6, as Kimi had to push the F60 as hard as he could.

From here on in, despite Fisichella’s best efforts, the order remained unchanged, so the order as a delighted Kimi buzzed the pit wall was Raikkonen, Fisichella, Vettel, Kubica, Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Barrichello with Rosberg the last point scorer in eighth place. Luca brought his F60 home in fourteenth and last place.

Stefano Domenicali: “We are very happy with this win, which is a reward for all the hard work that the entire team has done during such a difficult and at the same time, dramatic season. I wish to dedicate it first and foremost to President Montezemolo, who celebrates his birthday tomorrow. I don’t think he could have asked for a better present. Thanks go to our partners, first and foremost Philip Morris and Shell, who have always stood shoulder to shoulder with us, as have our fans, with their unfailing support. A thought also goes to Felipe who kept in touch from Miami, where tomorrow he undergoes a medical check. Kimi drove an amazing race today: we knew the first lap would be decisive and so it proved. He drove impeccably all race long and the team was at its very best during the two pit stops. In the last four races, we have always got one driver onto the podium and we have picked up a fair haul of points at the highest level, even in unusual circumstances. Today, Luca did the best he could and this win also reflects his contribution within the team: now we will take a few days to evaluate his immediate future, also based on what Felipe’s recovery time might be. Now we look to Monza, our home race, where we will do all in our power to continue down this road, even if we know it will be very difficult.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “A great victory for me and the team. The champagne tastes the same wherever you are on the podium, but the feeling when you win is definitely different. This track has everything a driver could want and it’s a pleasure to drive here, however, there’s no particular secret to explain why I’ve won here four times. We wanted to win at least one race and we’ve done it. Our car was not the best in the pack, but we managed to put everything together and this result comes from all the work done with the team. I got away well, but Rubens was stuck in front of me and I had to avoid him. Then, at the first corner and at the end of the straight, I managed to move up to second. Behind the Safety Car, I thought mainly about keeping the tyres and brakes up to temperature to be able to attack Fisichella at the restart, and that’s how I managed to pass him quite easily. At the first pit stop, maybe it would have been better to stay with the softer tyre but that’s easy to say afterwards. In the final part, when it seemed I might not be able to fight off Giancarlo, I slightly changed the way I used the KERS so as to defend myself on the straight at Stavelot and so I managed to stay in front. Monza will be difficult, because our car is not particularly good over the kerbs, but we will try and do our best.”

Luca Badoer: “Today I did my best. Unfortunately, at the first corner after the start, I flat-spotted the front tyres and so I always had strong vibrations throughout the first stint. Once the tyres were changed, the situation improved, but the performance of the harder compound was not as good as the soft one. I have upped my performance level yet again and I really want to race at Monza, one of the tracks I know best, along with Fiorano and Mugello. I am very happy for Kimi and the team: this is a fantastic victory, which was just what we needed at this point in the season.”

Chris Dyer: “A fantastic result for the team and for Kimi. After qualifying, we knew that we could have a good race if we got a good start. Kimi was fantastic, both on the first lap and then at the restart after the race was neutralised and he managed to take the lead. Fisichella was always right behind him and congratulations also to him for his performance. He and Kimi always pitted together and our guys managed on both occasions to send our driver out on track ahead of his closest rival. In the middle stint, we used the harder tyre but, with hindsight, we might have done better to pick the softer one: not only could we not open the gap over Giancarlo but we then had Vettel closing us down. Fortunately, at the second stop, the positions remained unchanged and Kimi did a good job of managing the situation in the closing laps. Today, the F60 was not the best car, but the team work and the talent of the driver produced the win and that’s what counts.”

Source  - Ferrari Media