You can put forward all the usual caveats about Kimi Räikkönen being on a softer tyre than his rivals when he set fastest FP1 time at Spa and yet it is typical of this F1 enigma that he should be on top at the start of a weekend when his credentials are being questioned.
The scrutiny of Räikkönen's form has been prompted by Ferrari retaining him for a fifth successive season, his eighth in total at Maranello. Critics say he's nothing like the man they first signed for 2007. Well you wouldn't be at the age of 37, would you?
The point is that Ferrari consider him to be the perfect fit for current plans that clearly focus on Sebastian Vettel winning the championship, not just next year but also this, the re-signing of Kimi guaranteeing the continuation of his support.
Räikkönen is no fool. He understands the position perfectly and, besides, where else is he going to earn what we assume to be a handy retainer in the twilight of his career?
But is he still quick? It will be timely if he gets a decent result this weekend because Spa-Francorchamps is one of those tracks that allows a driver to exhibit skill and fire his adrenalin. Detractors -- particularly those pushing for Ferrari to help the younger generation come through -- will tell you that Räikkönen had his last win for Ferrari at this track way back in 2009.
Such a statistic could be turned on its head by pointing out that Spa happens to have provided more wins (4) for Räikkönen than anywhere else. His victory in 2005 was among seven others during a season when McLaren-Mercedes finally got round to giving Räikkönen a car to match his innate speed, only to be let down by unreliability.
For many Kimi fans, the win in Belgium the previous year was one of the best at a time when Michael Schumacher and Ferrari were in their pomp. Schuey won no less than 13 races in 2004 -- but Spa was not one of them. He seemed to be on course, starting from the front row and having to deal with the Renaults of Jarno Trulli (on pole after reading the conditions on a drying track) and Fernando Alonso.
Räikkönen, starting tenth, was not in the reckoning, even more so when a collision with Felipe Massa's Sauber caused minor damage to the McLaren's radiator. Schumacher had been in the wars too at that chaotic first corner, the Ferrari and the McLaren emerging fourth and fifth.
An aggressive move into Eau Rouge saw Räikkönen take the Ferrari on lap 5, Kimi then moving ahead of team-mate David Coulthard and finding himself in the lead when the Renaults ran into trouble.
But this was not a done deal thanks to two safety car periods, with Schumacher sticking right with the McLaren. On each occasion, Kimi timed the restarts to perfection and, quite simply, left Schuey standing before setting fastest lap to beat Michael by three seconds on a track that Schuey, with some justification, considered his personal fiefdom.
Those who talk about the current F1 being boring should note the second place on that August day meant Schumacher had become champion for a record seventh time. But you would never have known it as he stood on the podium. Michael's mildly bemused look may have been due to the enormity of his achievement finally sinking in. More likely for the man who hated being beaten, it could have been because he had just been mugged by Kimi at his brilliant best.
That was only Räikkönen's second F1 victory. In many ways, it would be appropriate if he could score number 21 this weekend -- team tactics permitting, of course.