Belgium 2009 was the scene of an unexpected duel between Kimi Raikkonen and Giancarlo Fisichella.

The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps has always provided entertainment worthy of the greatest motor races, and 2009 was no exception. Giancarlo Fisichella secured pole position and a podium finish in a stunning Force India, while Kimi Raikkonen made an unexpected comeback.

The 2009 Formula 1 season was marked by numerous oddities. A clever interpretation of the rules governing diffusers allowed a few teams to quickly gain an advantage, notably Williams, Toyota, and the new Brawn GP team.

Brawn, born from the ashes of Honda after the Japanese manufacturer's sudden withdrawal, capitalized on this initial momentum to win the championship, securing both the drivers' title for Britain's Jenson Button and the constructors' title. The team was then bought by Mercedes, which transformed it into the modern Mercedes-F1 team we know today. Meanwhile, traditionally powerful teams such as McLaren and Ferrari, long at the forefront, found themselves outpaced from the start. Ferrari's season proved disastrous, ending with Felipe Massa's horrific accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix, which sidelined him for the rest of the year.

The mood was gloomy within the Scuderia as the next races in Valencia and Belgium approached. Luca Badoer, recruited at the last minute to replace the injured Brazilian, was simply not up to the task. Kimi Raikkonen, who had announced his retirement at the end of the season, seemed increasingly indifferent to the team's misfortunes.

Yet Spa-Francorchamps had always been the Finn's playground. Before 2009, he had already won three times there, and the August weekend offered him another chance. Qualifying saw Raikkonen only manage fifth place, reflecting his lack of enthusiasm. To everyone's surprise, Giancarlo Fisichella, in an equally unexpected Force India car, snatched pole position from the usual favorites. The first lap was chaotic, relegating Raikkonen to second place behind Fisichella, who retained the lead. Several big names, including Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, were eliminated at Les Combes, resulting in a safety car period. When the race resumed, Raikkonen's KERS-equipped Ferrari overtook the Italian's Force India. He fought hard, closing the gap to less than a second, but Fisichella never relinquished the lead and celebrated Force India's first-ever podium finish. Raikkonen, meanwhile, salvaged his season and gave Ferrari a respectable result in what would be the final Grand Prix of 2009. No one could have guessed it at the time, but the two protagonists of this Belgian race would become teammates in the next race in Italy. After a series of mediocre performances, Ferrari fired Badoer and called on Fisichella, a decision undoubtedly influenced by his brilliant performance at Spa. Although the Roman driver's brief stint with the Reds ended without him scoring a single point at the wheel of the F60, Ferrari showed generosity: Fisichella remains with the team for endurance races under the prancing horse, and Raikkonen will return to the Scuderia in 2014.