Formula One’s mid-season break couldn’t have come at a better time for Ferrari, according to current world champion Kimi Raikkkonen.

Ferrari, and Raikkonen in particular, have had a lot of setbacks in recent races with Felipe Massa’s engine failure three laps before the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix their most recent disappointment. Before that, the team struggled to match McLaren’s pace in Germany and Britain while Raikkonen’s woes in qualifying have also not helped.

“I don’t want to deny that the last races didn’t go as I wanted. Every time something strange happened and we didn’t manage to find the best possible set up for the car,” the Finn said. “We tried to find a good compromise, but it didn’t help. We’ve got to solve that problem now for the upcoming race at Valencia. The qualifying was the decisive moment also at Budapest, in a negative way.”

“This short break comes at the right time. We have to recharge our batteries after six months of giving it all, racing and testing, so we’re ready for the next race and for the finale of the season.”