Raikkonen: "That's why the first race of the season is always so special"

It's been 20 years since Kimi Raikkonen made his debut in Formula 1, but it doesn't look like he's had enough for a while. On Sunday he will start a Grand Prix for the 331st time in his career.

It is well known that the 41-year old Raikkonen doesn't see the point of statistics. However, he does think the first race of a new season is always special. "The first race of the season is something special for every driver, for the simple reason that we all miss the races in the winter so much," said Raikkonen in conversation with Speedweek. "Driving a Formula One car is always fun, but the icing on the cake is having wheel-to-wheel battles with your opponents."

Raikkonen draws no conclusions from test times

Then again, the time sheets from the winter test don't tell him much. "I haven't even looked at the opponents' lap times, there's no point in drawing conclusions about the ratios there," Raikkonen continued.

"It's Saturday soon, and after qualifying we'll know where we really stand and who our direct opponents are. There's only one thing really important at this stage: Concentrate fully on your own work and make the most of every opportunity," said Raikkonen.