Why Raikkonen is delivering for Ferrari

For the first time in four grands prix, Sebastian Vettel moved ahead of Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen in the drivers' standings with sixth place in Belgium.

That Raikkonen had that spell in front was perhaps unexpected by those who were disappointed when it was announced during the British Grand Prix weekend - in which Raikkonen moved ahead - that he was staying put for 2017.

Many felt Ferrari had made the wrong call by keeping a 36-year-old driver who had supposedly lost his speed and was believed to no longer be good enough.

But there should have been no surprise with the decision. Ferrari's policy is clear.

It wants a lead driver that it will back in a title push and a number two that is capable of scoring consistently for the sake of the constructors' championship.

The second driver should push the lead one but not get too close and create the sort of rivalry that Mercedes has and that is brewing at Red Bull.

On the evidence of Raikkonen's recent form he is ticking both boxes.

The Finn admitted at the start of the season that he was happier with the handling of Ferrari's 2016 car, particularly with regards to the front end, compared to last year's machine.

The day before his new deal was announced, Raikkonen said he felt like he's driving as well as ever, and Ferrari is content that he has responded to its demand to step it up this year.

He started 2016 with three podiums in five races and is now on a run of seven points finishes on the bounce that has yielded a tally of 63, only five fewer than Vettel in the same period.

That is his best sequence of results since he scored in 27 consecutive races between the 2012 Bahrain GP and the 2013 Hungarian GP for Lotus.

It is his qualifying form - arguably his weakest point last year - that has been impressive of late.

He may have been outqualifed by Vettel overall 8-5 but he has been ahead in each of the last three 'normal' races - the wet Hungarian GP session excluded.

Overlooking the Hungarian weekend completely, he has scored the same number of points as Vettel and would likely have been ahead had he not dropped from third to last and a lap down after being squeezed between Vettel and Max Verstappen at the first corner in Belgium.

That run coincides with the signing of his new deal, which his boss Maurizio Arrivabene said was in part to take the pressure off and end the persistent questioning over his future.

You could argue that Hockenheim, Silverstone and particularly Spa are circuits that Raikkonen always does well at, and that Vettel will start to pull away later in the season when the calendar moves to tracks the Finn likes less.

It's true that a quarter of his wins and one eighth of Raikkonen's pole positions have been achieved at those three circuits.

But if you look at his top five qualifying performances in each of 2014 and '15, those circuits do not feature in that list.

The same can be said of his top five race performances in 2015 while in '14, only Spa featured.

The stats suggest that since rejoining Ferrari, his performance in qualifying has gradually improved, albeit from a low starting point.

In 2014, his average grid position after 13 races was just 10.2. That improved to 6.8 over the same period last year and is now 5.4.

He has also edged closer to his team-mate in those seasons. In 2014, he was an average of 3.4 places behind Fernando Alonso. That reduced to 2.3 last year against Vettel and is currently 1.2.

His ultimate one-lap pace has improved since he returned to Maranello. In 2014, he was 2.677 seconds adrift on average, dropping to 1.346s last year and rising slightly this campaign to 1.404s.

There is also a sense more progress can be made. At Spa, he was on for a good time on his first run in Q3 but then slid wide at Stavelot and went into the gravel. He delivered on the second run but there is also a sense more progress can be made. At Spa, he was on for a good time on his first run but then slid wide at Stavelot in the gravel. He delivered on the second run but conceded pole position was possible had he got everything right.">reckoned pole position was possible had he got everything right. Vettel, two tenths adrift even with his team-mate's mistake, did not think he could have achieved that.

No Ferrari driver has started on the front row this season, let alone pole. But that lap, good enough for third, is the closest a Ferrari has been to top spot all year, Raikkonen just 0.166s off the pace.

Had Raikkonen achieved the feat, it would have been only Ferrari's second pole since the 2012 German Grand Prix. Raikkonen's last pole came back in the 2008 French Grand Prix.

It wasn't to be, but given how poor his qualifying form was last year, he has been more consistent this term.

If you discount the wet session in Hungary, his average grid position this year before penalties were awarded improves to 4.7 for Raikkonen and with Vettel on 4.1.

Not bad for a number two driver.

When it comes to race performance, Raikkonen has improved his consistency.

Again taking the first 13 races in the last three years, Raikkonen's average race finish was 8.8 in 2014 compared to 5.2 of Alonso.

That came down to 4.8 in 2015 but Vettel, whose third victory of the campaign came in the year's 13th grand prix in Singapore, was impressive with 2.6.

It came down again this year and is closer between the pairm with Raikkonen's average 4.64 compared to 4 with Vettel.

Of the races Raikkonen has finished - 11 - he has scored in them all. He has four podiums compared to two over the same period last year.

In total, he has scored 124 points to 107 last term and trails Vettel by just four compared to 96 at this point last year.

Raikkonen is right with Vettel both in terms of qualifying and race pace. That's a marked improvement on last year and is rewarding Ferrari's faith in him.

Some of that will be down to the fact he feels happier with the characteristics of this year's car in relation to his driving style.

Perhaps the car has moved away from Vettel in that regard. This year's SF16-H has been particularly difficult to set up, with both drivers struggling.

Ferrari has watched Red Bull outdevelop it and move ahead into second in the constructors' championship while pacesetter Mercedes has just drifted away in front.

An engine failure meant Vettel could not start the race in Bahrain, Daniil Kvyat took him out in Russia and then there was a tyre failure while leading in Austria. All three have cost the German points.

Raikkonen has admittedly had fewer mechanical gremlins, the fire in the airbox in Australia that robbed him of a potential podium his only failure, and has made mistakes, such as hitting the barrier in wet conditions in Monaco.

But statistically, Raikkonen has got better. He is delivering. The consistency has improved and he evidently retains a lot of the speed that many feel remains unfulfilled.

He has reduced the mistakes and is enjoying driving as much as he ever has, which in turn appears to be having a positive impact on his form on the track.

There are still eight races to go but up until this point, he has done what Ferrari was expecting and demanding of him. It seems Kimi Raikkonen is not done yet.