Belgian GP Thread - Contains Race/Qualifying/Practice Spoilers

[Fernando]

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps will host the 12th round of the 2012 Formula One World Championship as the Grand Prix of Belgium signals a return to racing following the series’ summer break. The track, which winds up and down through the Ardennes, has its reputation built on speed. At around 20 seconds, the section from La Source to Les Combes is the longest duration an F1 car will spend on full-throttle in 2012 – should the driver take the Eau Rouge/Raidillon combination flat-out.

Despite this, and another long flat-out run down to the new Bus Stop chicane, Spa is a more technical challenge than perhaps its high-speed reputation suggests, with the ten corners of the twisting middle sector often being where fast laps are crafted. Because of the challenges of Rivage, Blanchimont, Stavelot and especially Pouhon in this middle sector, Spa doesn’t demand the ultra-low downforce aero packages seen at Monza. Instead it falls into the medium-low category similar to those used in Montreal. It isn’t a race that heavily taxes suspension or braking, but it does see high tyre-wear and, with a longer lap – 7km in total – than any other grand prix, pitting at the right moment carries a greater premium.

Another factor is the weather: rare is the year when it doesn’t rain at some point over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. This, in combination with the distance travelled around the lap and its elevation changes, make Spa notorious for inconsistent conditions, with showers falling on some parts of the circuit while others remain dry.

Fernando Alonso goes into the race leading the Drivers’ World Championship by 40 points. History looks kindly on drivers in his position with 8 out of the last ten World Championships being won by the driver top of the standings at this stage of the year. Spa, however, is not Alonso’s best circuit: he hasn’t won here since driving in F3000.

Length of lap:

7.004km
Lap record:

1:45.108
(Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren, 2004)
Start line/finish line offset:
0.124km
Total number of race laps:
44
Total race distance:

308.052km
Pitlane speed limits:
60km/h during practice; 100km/h during qualifying/race



Changes to the circuit since 2011


► The series of drains and connecting gullies on the right between turns nine and 10 have been re-worked in order to make them flat and level with the surrounding verges.
► A section of artificial grass two metres wide has been laid behind the painted ‘kerb’ on the right between turns 10 and 11.
► An opening has been provided in the guardrail on the right of the run-off area around the outside of turn 9.
► All white lines that border the track will be painted with FIA approved, skid-resistant paint.
► A debris fence has been installed in the guardrail and wall on the right of the pit entry.

► The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps traces its origins back to the inter-war period. In 1920, the first formal racing layout used public roads between the towns of Malmedy, Stavelot and the village of Francorchamps. By the start of the F1 World Championship era, this had developed into a 14.1km circuit. After many fatalities and serious injuries, that was drastically reduced to a c.7km circuit in the late 1970s. There have been several updates to the circuit since, with many of the faster corners being reprofiled to bring the race track up to the safety standards expected of a modern grand prix circuit.
► Spa-Francorchamps was one of the venues used in 1950 for the inaugural F1 World Championship season. It has been the circuit used for the bulk of Belgian Grands Prix, hosting the race for 44 of its 56 runnings.
► The race has also been held at Nivelles (1972, ’74) and Zolder (1973, 1975-82, ’84). Spa-Francorchamps has hosted the race in all other years, barring 1957, ’59 , ’69, ’71, ’03 and ’06, when no championship Belgian Grand Prix was held.
► No driver has won the race at more than one of these venues.
► Twenty-one Belgian Grand Prix winners are also World Champions. Those drivers have never won World Championships in the years the Belgian Grand Prix has been held at circuits other than the one where they were victorious.
► Ferrari are the most successful constructor at the Belgian Grand Prix. They have 16 victories against 12 wins for McLaren.
► Kimi Räikkönen has an unusual record at Spa: in his seven attempts he has either won or failed to finish. Victories came in 2004, ’05, ’07 and ’09. In 2004 and 2009 his victories at Spa were the only ones taken by his team during the season. DNF’s were caused by engine failure in 2002 and a spin while battling for the lead in the closing stages of the 2008 race. His Spa debut in 2001 ended with a technical DNS when transmission failure ensured he did not take the grid for a restart after an early red flag.
► That same race in 2001 saw Michael Schumacher take his 52nd F1 victory, surpassing the standing record set by Alain Prost in 1993. Schumacher’s new record currently stands at 91 wins, of which six have come at Spa, making him the most successful driver in the history of the Belgian Grand Prix. Behind him come Ayrton Senna (5), Jim Clark (4) and Räikkönen.
► Schumacher also made his F1 debut at Spa, and this weekend sees him take part in his 300th Grand Prix.
► While the Belgian Grand Prix has held this end of August/start of September slot for over two decades, the calendar around it has changed dramatically. Ten years ago it was very much towards the end of the season with only three races to follow it. In 2012 it is a mid-season race, with a further eight races to come.

Source: FIA

[GSC]

<3 Spa. Favorite race of the year

[Critical_mass]

Same here GSC closely followed by Montreal. That last 4 weeks wait doesnt seem to have been to bad.

Less that 24hours til FP1 :-)

[Critical_mass]

I hear its raining at Spa and will be all weekend. That could put a stop to the victory people were saying Kimi would get. Still think they'll be strong though.

[Fernando]

It's suppose to be dry for Qualifying and Race but id never rule it out at Spa

[Critical_mass]

Just adds another layer of unpredictability given this years grid

Exciting

[Fernando]

Ive been tipping a Force India podium all week so shall stick with that

Usually do well at Spa even when a massive gap between the top 6- rest of field

[Critical_mass]

i really dont know who to tip to be honest. Obviously like Lewis to take the win, but no idea where Mclaren or anyone is at performance wise at the mo. The rain just makes it harder.

Alonso praying for rain suggests ferrari arent as strong as they could be and we know Lotus performs better in the hotter temperature which we wont have in Spa. So i'll commit as far as saying either RB or Mclaren for the win.

[Trebs]

If it rains, Alonso will win the race, no argument. If not, I reckon it'll be Vettel for the win.

[Critical_mass]

Why is Alonso guaranteed a win if it rains? (genuine question)

[Guest]

I think he's going on the fact that the last two wet qualifying sessions have ended with Alonso on pole both times in Silverstone and Hockenheim. The Ferrari is regarded as the superior car in those conditions, however seeing as Lewis has the momentum, has won here before and will be striving to win and dedicate the result to his aunt, who sadly passed away over the summer, means my favourite for this race is Lewis.

[Critical_mass]

I just dont buy it tbh, he's good but a wet rain specialist.... not imo, certainly not after 2 poles.

[Fernando]

World Championship contender Mark Webber has been handed a five-place grid penalty for this weekend's Belgian GP.

The punishment has been imposed against the Red Bull driver due to an out-of-sequence gearbox change. Webber was forced to change his power unit two races ago at the German GP - which also prompted a penalty. Under the terms of the regulations, an engine must be used for five consecutive races before it can be changed without a grid demotion being meted out.

[Critical_mass]

tut shame.

[SteveG]

Well well well. Button on pole (??) and Hamilton EIGHT tenths off.

Mclaren split the setup on their cars and its obvious who got the poo end of the stick. Shelve that contract Lewis - the've just blown your title chances - again.

[dyrewolfe]

Fantastic performance from Button...his first for something like 60 races!

Obviously got the setup spot on for quali. Hope conditions don't change too much tomorrow. Also hope Hamilton's setup pays off better in the race than it did today.

Amazing performance by Sauber, with Kobayashi 2nd and Perez 5th. Wonder if they'll be able to stay up there? Likewise Maldonado who will start 3rd.

Expect a tough race for Raikkonen and Alonso, starting 4th and 6th respectively. They'll have their work cut out to improve their positions. Same for Webber and Hamilton who are down in 7th (thanks to a gearbox penalty) and 8th.

[monty junior]

Boohoo, stop moaning. Whitmarsh clearly said before they were struggling and decided to split the strategy, can't you just be gracious and say well done on Buttons first pole for Mclaren.

Great session, good fun to see some new faces battling for pole.

[monty junior]

Fantastic performance from Button...his first for something like 60 races!

Obviously got the setup spot on for quali. Hope conditions don't change too much tomorrow. Also hope Hamilton's setup pays off better in the race than it did today.

Amazing performance by Sauber, with Kobayashi 2nd and Perez 5th. Wonder if they'll be able to stay up there? Likewise Maldonado who will start 3rd.

Expect a tough race for Raikkonen and Alonso, starting 4th and 6th respectively. They'll have their work cut out to improve their positions. Same for Webber and Hamilton who are down in 7th (thanks to a gearbox penalty) and 8th.

Webber will be 12th.

[dyrewolfe]

Well well well. Button on pole (??) and Hamilton EIGHT tenths off.

Mclaren split the setup on their cars and its obvious who got the poo end of the stick. Shelve that contract Lewis - the've just blown your title chances - again.

Don't be so hasty. As the drivers always say, you get no points for qualifying. Lets wait and see what happens tomorrow.

With the weather being how it was, it made a certain amount of sense to split the setups.

[monty junior]

Oh dear Eddie think before you speak man..

[Guest]

Oh dear Eddie think before you speak man..

What's Eddie said?

Look the wet practice sessions obviously meant limited running and McLaren always split their cars on setup when situations like this occur. Button maybe on pole but lets look at the bigger picture. The front three on the grid are nowhere in contention for any world title, all this does is make JB and his fans even more delusional that he's back and ready to challenge, which he clearly isn't. Hamilton is one spot behind Alonso, all he has to do is stick with Fernando and hope this setup which should be more kind to his tyres tomorrow pays off. It's not all bad news the Red Bull's are in an even worse situation.

Of course this situation is not ideal but we've got used to McLaren foul up's.......so nothing's new. Tomorrow is another day, qualifying scores no points and guarantees nothing.

Superb from Sauber & Maldonado.

[Fernando]

To be fair there's barely anything between Hamilton/Button - Hamilton has a word with engineers before Qualifying and decided not to run the skinny wing which is quicker in a straight line as he was going for the pace through the middle section.

In the long term Hamilton should be better off on a high fuel load just a matter of getting through the field

[SteveG]

Looking at the bigger picture its Alonso who's happiest after quali as all his main rivals start behind him. A win for Button or the Saubers tomorrow and he's laughing.

[Guest]

Exactly. Alonso is in a good place once again but I think people are getting too carried away with comparing Lewis & Jenson. Lewis' rivals are not JB, there Alonso, Kimi & the Red Bulls. Lewis is sitting in between them all and has a setup which could possibly be much favourable to that of his rivals tomorrow than what it was today.

The start will be crucial and keeping it out of danger on the first lap but I still think Kobayashi, Maldonado & Perez all have the capability of causing incidents and crashes early on, which Lewis could benefit from as being slightly further back.

Also the weather, what is the forecast?

[Trebs]

Expecting Raikkonen and Alonso to push through the field and join Button on the podium personally.

[monty junior]

I think Kimi's really well placed, he was quick all day and we know the Lotus races considerably better than it qualifies.

@John ,Eddie said to Paul Di Resta post qualifying about the final session and basically said why don't you try and get yourself in to the top 5?! PDR then told him they did try and they basically just matched their Q2 time to which Eddie replied well i thought you could have gone quicker

[monty junior]

Exactly. Alonso is in a good place once again but I think people are getting too carried away with comparing Lewis & Jenson. Lewis' rivals are not JB, there Alonso, Kimi & the Red Bulls. Lewis is sitting in between them all and has a setup which could possibly be much favourable to that of his rivals tomorrow than what it was today.

The start will be crucial and keeping it out of danger on the first lap but I still think Kobayashi, Maldonado & Perez all have the capability of causing incidents and crashes early on, which Lewis could benefit from as being slightly further back.

Also the weather, what is the forecast?

I don't think anyone has gotten carried away, but fact is when you dominate qualifying like he did then your going to get a lot of praise and rightly so. Tomorrows totally different and if he messes up he will be rightly critisized, give him his due Hamilton fans, can't always be top dog in the team

[SteveG]

TBH its not Jenson v Lewis that got me so riled. If this was near the start of the season I'd be happy to praise his pole - but its not and it was crucial that Lewis hit the ground running after the break if he was to have any chance of catching Alonso (Button is too far back. Period).

It may be too early for Button to support Hami on track but sometimes it just seems that Mclaren's persistance of splitting resources down the middle no matter what costs them. Apparently the new wing wasn't working in P3 but then miraculously comes to life on Buttons car in quali. It all just seems too much finger in the air stuff and thats not going to help Hami catch Alonso. And it was obvious in Hami's post quali interviews that he was thinking "what the heck is going on" !! (but not quite those words)

As some have already said I'm clinging to the hope that with higher downforce Hami's tyres perform better over a race distance. However it seems that he himself doesnt share that optimism and fully expects his teamate and his new wing to disappear down the road tomorrow at a rate of half a second per lap. And as has already been said the only person who won't mind that one bit is Alonso.

[Guest]

Yer, I'm thinking the first stint could be incredibly difficult for Lewis and will ultimately damage any challenge for a podium. Being in the dirty air and having to negotiate past drivers or fighting with Alonso in the first stint will negate any advantage his setup may of offered. I would expect Button to be lapping well over half a second on Lewis in clean air.

Just infuriated with the whole situation really. Button will possibly win and Hamilton having a disastrous weekend is the complete opposite to what the team needs. The contructors is gone, therefore the driver's title must be the priority. They must of known that Button's setup was going to be the most advantageous during qualifying, so why risk Hamilton with a setup that would ultimately send him into the pack?

I still haven't heard the weather forecast, any news?

[monty junior]

They obviously didn't know nor did Lewis otherwise why on earth would they have put them on different strategies? the way people on here go on about Mclaren's intro team battle it's like they'd rather fook someone over than win which for a team who runs off hundreds of millions of dollars a year, it's nothing short of moronic. It's whenever Button does a better job, do you honestly think anyone would have given a second thought if it was Hamilton 8 tenths ahead of JB and he'd complained of going to an old rear wing, such hypocrisy.

It's supposed to be clouded over tomorrow John with the chance of rain.

[Fernando]

Maldonado dropped to 6th due to a penalty

[Guest]

Looks pretty dry at Spa today.

In my eyes it's a Button vs Kimi duel for the win. Kimi has gone the same way as Lewis in setup, so for the good of the race and for Kimi's prospects, it is vital he jumps Kobayashi and gets clean air. The Lotus will go longer than Button and with a setup more friendly to the tyres should be able to leapfrog JB.

Prediction - Raikkonen - Button - Alonso.

Tough day for Lewis coming up. With absolutely no straight line speed at all, I can see Lewis actually being picked off by Grosjean, Vettel & Webber. We could be about to see Alonso's grin get even bigger.

[monty junior]

I have a feeling this will be a crash fest!

[dyrewolfe]

I'm intrigued as to how Webber and Vettel will get on, especially with Mark ending up behind Seb after his gearbox penalty.

I'm getting all tingly...this should be a good one!

[liverbnz]

Maldonado surely false started.

[SteveG]

thats exactly what I thought. And what the hell was Groj doing !! Amature.

[dyrewolfe]

Christ almighty!

Grosjean clips Hamilton off the start and carnage ensues!

Alonso and Perez also out. Koba's race ruined too.

Just seen the onboard footage from Alonso's car...bloody scary! Roman's Lotus goes right over him.

[GSC]

What on earth was Grosjean doing. Stewards won't be impressed with him I suspect

[dyrewolfe]

Looked pretty hairy from Hamilton's point of view too.

Thank god it looks like no-one was seriously hurt.

[GSC]

Alonso very lucky not to get smacked in the side of the head. Purely Grosjean's fault, gave Hamilton no option.

[dyrewolfe]

Maldonado out - had some sort of collision. Under investigation for jump starting too.

[Trebs]

Michael Schumacher to get a podium?

[SteveG]

Groj has had a few incidents this season in particular at the start when eveyone is bunched up. He may be quick but this is the problem of inexperience married to a fast car.

Always needed Alonso to have a DNF but obviously means nothing if Lewis is sat in the pub with him.

Come on Shumi.

[dyrewolfe]

Hulkenberg's overtaken Raikkonen for 2nd place...on the hard tyres too. Di Resta looking in good shape too.

[dyrewolfe]

Looks like Red Bull have set their cars up wrongly for Spa. Both Vettel and Webber running out of steam (hitting the rev limiter) on the main straight attempting overtakes.

[SteveG]

Alonso out and Reb Bulls struggling. This is just soooooo frustrating for Lewis fans and the WDC. Damn you Groj !!

[SteveG]

Just park up Heiki you're having a mare.

[SteveG]

Oh shut up. I hate this podium interview bull, Just go straight to the press conference for gods sake. Is this got anything to do with SKY by any chance ?

[monty junior]

I have a feeling this will be a crash fest!

Great performances by Button, Vettel and Hulkenburg today, really superb from all three.

I'm pleased none of the guys got hurt, it was much to close for comfort with Alonso's head. They all seem ok though.

[dyrewolfe]

Perfect drive from Button, never in trouble and led from lights to flag. I expected Kimi or Vettel to catch him at some point, but today the McLaren was the class of the field.

Great drives from Vettel and Webber for a podium and points finish. The Red Bull suffered to an extent from the gearbox setup but still looked good through the slower sections.

Brilliant drive from Hulkenberg - is 4th a best ever result for Force India? Shame Di Resta couldn't finish higher up, it looked like he was compromised by his tyre strategy as he looked quick enough on fresh tyres.

Decent points finish for Massa, salvaging something for Ferrari after Alonso was taken out.

Another disappointing race for Mercedes. As with Force India it looked like they were compromised by tyre strategy as much as anything, with Schumacher looking well set for a podium finish at one point.

A good weekend for Toro Rosso, with Vergne and Ricciardo finishing 8th and 9th.

[Sponsored content]