Belgian Gp Preview

In any other season the resumption of a championship after the summer break in which the leading driver holds an 85-point lead could give rise to a sense of inevitability regarding the remainder of the campaign, but such has been the breathless nature of the racing so far in 2011 that both the main challengers, and the sport’s fans, are craving the return of the action.

With the first phase of the season having undoubtedly shown 2011’s rules package to be an unqualified success, the prospect for exciting, wheel-to-wheel racing has suddenly almost become a given and should mean the final eight races between now and the final throes of the season in Brazil in late November continue to light the blue touch paper irrespective of whether Sebastian Vettel wraps up his second successive title with room to spare.

The legendary Spa Francorchamps circuit has invariably fallen into the ‘action-packed’ category in many a duller season and is braced to do so once more as Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari prepare to recommence a battle that became increasingly closely-matched prior to the break.

McLaren went into the holidays on a high after back-to-back wins in Germany and Hungary and that form has given rise to suggestions that it is the Woking outfit who now hold the competitive balance of power.

Encouragingly for both them and Ferrari, Spa is one of the few circuits Red Bull have yet to win on since the Milton Keynes outfit achieved their breakthrough success in China 2009, despite the circuit’s middle section containing the kind of high-speed corner sequence that an Adrian Newey-designed car is tailor made for.

The first and final sectors of the lap, where all-out top speed is more important, made the difference for last year’s victor Lewis Hamilton and it’s that set-up compromise that is likely to play a key role in determining this weekend’s outcome.

With Force India on the up, and Mercedes, Renault and Williams all in desperate need of delivering improvements as the season approaches the run-in, the Belgian GP is unlikely to be short on incident.

Thrill and spill potential

As mentioned above, F1’s new package of rules has meant that almost unprecedentedly consistent excitement has been seen at all venues so far this season – well, apart from Valencia arguably – so it’s safe to assume that things will continue in that vein at Spa.

In truth, the long, acrobatic circuit invariably offers more than enough opportunities for excitement thanks to several realistic overtaking spots and the likelihood of unpredictable weather, last year’s chaotic 44 laps being a case in point.

Talking points

* Is Red Bull’s domination officially over? – Two McLaren wins, and Fernando Alonso’s impressive Silverstone success, meant Red Bull went into the summer break on an unusual three-race losing streak. The champions’ chief rivals have certainly closed right in, but changeable conditions in both Britain and last time out in Hungary made it difficult to truly assess where the ultimate balance of power currently lies.

* Is Vettel away and gone? - Despite not winning since Valencia, Vettel’s latest second place finish at the Hungaroring meant he actually increased his points lead to its biggest margin yet – 85 points. So with more than three wins in hand and just eight races to go, only a sudden spate of retirements will now surely offer the chasing pack realistic hope.

Spa trends

* A Spa ‘master’ – Since grand prix racing returned to the ‘new’ shortened Spa in 1983, three drivers have shared 15 of the 25 victories between them – Ayrton Senna (five), Michael Schumacher (six) and Kimi Raikkonen (four). With the most recent Spa specialist now to be found on the rallying circuit, and the most successful still not having the equipment at his disposal to even contemplate stretching his record, there’s an opening for a new ‘master’ to emerge – but will F1’s current level of competiveness allow it?

* Fickle weather – When July’s British Grand Prix got underway on a part wet, part dry, circuit some observed what an unusual sight it was – yet such contrasts have been notoriously frequent over the years at Spa. The sheer unpredictability of the climate in the Ardennes region requires both teams and drivers to be on top of their strategy games.

* Pole doesn’t (always) mean prizes – Just two Belgian GPs over the past decade have been won by the polesitter (Schumacher 2002, Raikkonen 2007), showing that qualifying isn’t necessarily the most vital aspect of the Spa weekend.

Winning pedigree

Current drivers who have won at Spa:

Michael Schumacher – Six wins (1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002)
Felipe Massa – One win (2008)
Lewis Hamilton – One win (2010)

Current teams who have won at Spa:

Ferrari – 12 wins (1952, 1953, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009)
McLaren – 11 wins (1968, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2010)
Williams – Three wins (1986, 1993, 1994)
Mercedes – One win (1955)
Renault – One win (1983)

Memorable Spa moments

1967 - Dan Gurney’s Eagle beat Jackie Stewart’s BRM and claimed fastest lap to win by more than a minute. The win was Eagle’s solitary grand prix victory and the first all-American win since 1921. Fittingly, the car had made its debut in Belgium a year earlier.

1970 - In the last grand prix to be held on the fearsome 8.76-mile old Spa-Francorchamps, Pedro Rodriguez and Chris Amon staged a riveting race-long battle which the Mexican won by just 1.1s. Amon took the lead at the start in his March, Rodriguez got his BRM ahead on lap five and thereafter the two were locked in combat. For the last 14 of the 28 laps both men ran consistently under their fastest practice laps, with Amon setting a new lap record at an average speed of more than 152mph in 1970!

1983 - After over a decade away, both fans and drivers rejoiced as the Belgian GP returned to its spiritual home. To the delight of purists, the new, shorter track incorporated some of the most exciting parts of the original, including the famous La Source hairpin, the spine-tingling Eau Rouge compression and the blast through the woods at Blanchimont. The new section, linking Les Combes and Stavelot, wound down the valley in a flowing series of curves. Alain Prost dominated the race with the turbo Renault while Keke Rosberg provided a fine spectacle as he manhandled his underpowered Williams-Cosworth to a hard-earned fifth place.

1991 - One name was on everyone’s lips after the 1991 Belgian GP: Michael Schumacher. After his regular driver Bertrand Gachot was imprisoned for assaulting a London taxi driver, Eddie Jordan called upon the services of the promising 22-year-old Mercedes sportscar driver. Schumacher’s qualified a sensational seventh but his race came to an early end after he burnt out the clutch at the start. He had shown enough star quality though and was soon poached by Benetton.

1995 - Tempers boiled over as Schumacher and Damon Hill locked horns in famous race. Both started a long way down the grid after a wet-dry qualifying (Hill eighth, Schumacher 16th) but made rapid progress up the order on race day. Schumacher held on for the win but was given a one-race suspended sentence for over-aggressive driving while defending the lead from his arch rival on slick tyres in the rain.

1998 - A huge downpour had left the track sodden at the start but the sheer carnage witnessed at the first corner was still something of a shock: 13 of the 22 starters were damaged on the run towards Eau Rouge after an almighty pile-up. After the restart, ‘rain meister’ Schumacher had opened up a virtually unassailable lead but plunged into the back of David Coulthard’s McLaren while trying to lap him and lost his rag as he went to find the Scot in the pits and had to be restrained. Meanwhile, 1993-1994 winner Hill claimed Jordan’s first grand prix victory, leading team-mate Ralf Schumacher home in a glorious 1-2.

2000 – In what was widely regarded as Mika Hakkinen’s greatest victory, the Finn outdueled Michael Schumacher in a no-holds-barred fight that on a couple of occasions threatened to end in a huge accident. Hakkinen’s, who had earlier lost the lead to the Ferrari through a spin, piece de resistance was a breathtaking double pass of Schumacher and backmarker Ricardo Zonta at the top of the hill before Les Combes – a move that still has to be seen to be believed!

2008 - Felipe Massa inherited victory after Lewis Hamilton was handed a controversial penalty for short-cutting the Bus Stop chicane while dicing with Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen appeared set to be cruising to a fourth straight Spa win when a typical Ardennes shower caused havoc in the final three laps. The last few minutes defied description as the lead changed hands several times and both Hamilton and Raikkonen flirted with disaster. Lewis settled the duel with an incisive pass at La Source, then Raikkonen slammed into the wall. But the stewards ruled that Hamilton had gained an unfair advantage by cutting the chicane, and imposed a 25s penalty that demoted him from first to third place.

2009 – Giancarlo Fisichella and Force India came close to pulling off the biggest dry-weather underdog upset for many a year after a gripping duel with Ferrari’s Raikkonen. After claiming an amazing pole position in a car that had yet to even score a point that year, Italian veteran Fisichella was powerless to prevent his KERS-assisted rival slipping past him in the early stages of the race but then determinedly harried the Ferrari for the remainder of the 44 laps, but just couldn’t find a way past.

2010 – Hamilton claimed his first Spa win after a thrilling, and often chaotic, race in changeable conditions which saw Sebastian Vettel crash into the side of Jenson Button at the Bus Stop and Fernando Alonso uncharacteristically crash out on a damp kerb late on.

For those who want to see the weather forecast click here : http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/5005

source: itv.com

For those who want to see the weather forecast click here : http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/5005

Doubt that will be of much use going on past races!