Formula 1 ING Belgian Grand Prix: 16 September 2007
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Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Track length: 6.976 km
Lapcount: 44
Race distance: 306.944 km
Fastest lap: 1:45.108 km (Kimi Räikkönen, 2004)
This monster of a circuit is the longest on the calendar and one of the most challenging. Winding through the forests in the Ardennes mountains, it is a firm favourite among the drivers. It has been likened to 'a drive home in the country', as several awesome bends simply follow the natural contours. The names of Eau Rouge, Blanchimont and Pouhon are legendary.
This event was absent from the 2006 season as the bus stop chicane underwent a revision, the pit straight was...erm...straightened, and the facilities were upgraded.
The track sets itself up for exciting racing as it is one of the few where a driver in an inferior car can shine. Most memorably in...
...2000, Mika Häkkinen passed Michael Schumacher and a backmarker (Zonta) simultaneously in one of F1's greatest overtaking manoevers.
...1991, Schumacher made his debut at this track, qualifying 7th before retiring on the starting grid with gearbox trouble. 4 years later he braved the rain on dry tyres to take the win, after starting 16th.
...1998, David Coulthard triggered a 14-car pile-up. After the restart, he and Schumacher collided while the former was about to be lapped. This paved the way for the Jordan team's (now Spyker) first win, which was also to be 1996 champion Damon Hill's last.
...2004, Kimi Räikkönen, in an inferior and damaged car, also passed Schumacher for the lead and set the fastest lap at the finish line.
A medium downforce set-up is used to give a good compromise between speed on the straights and that in the fast bends. Setting up the ride height is also tricky - greater ground clearance favours the sudden gradient change of Eau Rouge but affects the rest of the lap. The weather also presents another challenge. Due to the circuit's length, it can be wet at one end and bone-dry at the other. The teams that think on their feet quickly stand to gain the most.
Räikkönen won the last 2 Belgian Grand Prix, but he is not 18 points behind the championship leaders from McLaren. Massa's retirement at Monza put him a further 5 points behind. At McLaren, Alonso is now just 3 points behind his teammate after the Spaniard won the Italian leg.
Spa is expected to suit the Ferraris more than their homeground as it is fast and flowing. The McLarens rode the kerbs of Monza better but they will have none of this advantage in this race.
We will hear the outcome of a new investigation into the espionage scandal on the preceding Thursday, but I assure you that whatever the outcome it wil not detract from the action on the track! -
Ferrari go into this weekend as the default constuctors champions after the disqualification of McLaren, but there is still everything to race for in the drivers championship!
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Mclaren have been the winner at the past two belgian gp, but ironically won by kimi
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Belgian Grand Prix, Free practice one times
1. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m47.339s
2. HAMILTON McLaren 1m47.881s
3. ALONSO McLaren 1m47.994s
4. HEIDFELD BMW 1m48.052s
5. ROSBERG Williams 1m48.372s
6. KUBICA BMW 1m48.605s
7. WURZ Williams 1m48.920s
8. TRULLI Toyota 1m48.994s
9. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m49.138s
10. BUTTON Honda 1m49.330s
11. FISICHELLA Renault 1m49.380s
12. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m49.548s
13. WEBBER Red Bull 1m49.894s
14. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m49.931s
15. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m50.264s
16. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1m50.482s
17. SATO Super Aguri 1m50.640s
18. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m50.648s
19. SUTIL Spyker 1m50.768s
20. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m51.628s
21. YAMAMOTO Spyker 1m52.379s
22. MASSA Ferrari no time -
Massa and Liuzzi crashed at Rivage, while Yamamoto spun and stalled after misjudging the Bus Stop.
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Belgian Grand Prix free practice session two times
1. ALONSO McLaren 1m46.654s
2. HAMILTON McLaren 1m46.765s
3. MASSA Ferrari 1m46.953s
4. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m47.166s
5. TRULLI Toyota 1m47.491s
6. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m47.946s
7. FISICHELLA Renault 1m48.224s
8. WEBBER Red Bull 1m48.271s
9. KUBICA BMW 1m48.279s
10. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m48.567s
11. HEIDFELD BMW 1m48.606s
12. ROSBERG Williams 1m48.840s
13. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m48.883s
14. BUTTON Honda 1m48.919s
15. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m49.364s
16. WURZ Williams 1m49.393s
17. YAMAMOTO Spyker 1m49.697s
18. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1m49.720s
19. SATO Super Aguri 1m50.168s
20. SUTIL Spyker 1m50.399s
21. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m50.542s
22. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m50.865s -
McLaren all out in practice... great to see them
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cool.... gogo Ferrari
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I could be proven wrong again but we'll have to see.
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Belgian Grand Prix free practice session 3
1. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m46.137s
2. MASSA Ferrari 1m46.388s
3. ALONSO McLaren 1m46.507s
4. HAMILTON McLaren 1m46.782s
5. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m47.065s
6. TRULLI Toyota 1m47.218s
7. ROSBERG Williams 1m47.251s
8. HEIDFELD BMW 1m47.359s
9. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m47.454s
10. WEBBER Red Bull 1m47.527s
11. FISICHELLA Renault 1m47.564s
12. BUTTON Honda 1m47.767s
13. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m47.806s
14. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1m47.838s
15. WURZ Williams 1m47.902s
16. SATO Super Aguri 1m48.129s
17. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m48.163s
18. SUTIL Spyker 1m48.348s
19. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m48.528s
20. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m48.955s
21. YAMAMOTO Spyker 1m49.179s
22. KUBICA BMW no time -
Kimi Raikkonen heads Ferrari 1-2, while Alonso & Hamilton are 3rd & 4th. Kubica will drop down to 15th due to an engine change.
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That was an exciting qualifying session. Rosberg scored Williams' highest grid position this season, while Webber was back in Q3 as well.
Starting grid for the Belgian Grand Prix
1. RAIKKONEN Ferrari
2. MASSA Ferrari
3. ALONSO McLaren
4. HAMILTON McLaren
5. ROSBERG Williams
6. HEIDFELD BMW
7. WEBBER Red Bull
8. TRULLI Toyota
9. KOVALAINEN Renault
10. SCHUMACHER Toyota
11. COULTHARD Red Bull
12. BUTTON Honda
13. LIUZZI Toro Rosso
14. KUBICA BMW *
15. WURZ Williams
16. VETTEL Toro Rosso
17. BARRICHELLO Honda
18. SATO Super Aguri
19. SUTIL Spyker
20. DAVIDSON Super Aguri
21. YAMAMOTO Spyker
22. FISICHELLA Renault **
* after 10-place penalty for engine change
** after penalty for post-qualifying engine change -
Update: Fisichella will start 22nd & last after post-qualifying engine change
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Belgian Grand Prix result, Spa, 44 laps
1. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1hr20:39.066s
2. MASSA Ferrari +4.6s
3. ALONSO McLaren +14.3s
4. HAMILTON McLaren +23.6s
5. HEIDFELD BMW +51.8s
6. ROSBERG Williams +76.8s
7. WEBBER Red Bull +80.6s
8. KOVALAINEN Renault +85.1s
9. KUBICA BMW +85.6s
10. SCHUMACHER Toyota +88.5s
11. TRULLI Toyota +1 lap
12. LIUZZI Toro Rosso +1 lap
13. BARRICHELLO Honda +1 lap
14. SUTIL Spyker +1 lap
15. SATO Super Aguri +1 lap
16. DAVIDSON Super Aguri +1 lap
17. YAMAMOTO Spyker +1 lap
R. BUTTON Honda +8 laps
R. WURZ Williams +10 laps
R. COULTHARD Red Bull +15 laps
R. VETTEL Toro Rosso +36 laps
R. FISICHELLA Renault +43 laps -
Kimi Raikkonen underlined his status as the modern-day Spa master by chalking up his third consecutive victory at the majestic Belgian track and keeping his world title hopes alive.
The Finn delivered a flawless lights-to-flag performance to lead home team-mate Felipe Massa in a 1-2 finish for Ferrari that was every bit as resounding as McLarenÂ’s tour de force at Monza a week earlier.
The MP4-22 was no match for the F2007 around SpaÂ’s fast sweeping corners and Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton had to settle for third and fourth places.
By winning the intra-team battle Alonso made further inroads into HamiltonÂ’s dwindling championship lead, whittling it to just two points with three races remaining.
Raikkonen’s victory means he retains a slim chance of wresting the title away from the McLaren duo, cutting his deficit to Hamilton to 13 points with 30 still up for grabs – although he will have to hope that the Mercedes-powered team’s impressive reliability falters.
After McLaren was stripped of all its points by the FIA last Thursday, Ferrari only had to beat the BMWs at Spa to seal its 15th constructors’ title – which it duly achieved.
After a spectacular start and some action-packed opening laps, much of the excitement in the race fizzled out and it all became rather processional.
Both Ferraris got away well from the front row, while the McLarens fought a pitched battle over third.
Hamilton tried to go round Alonso around the outside of La Source but was given short shrift, the Spaniard running him very wide across the asphalt apron on the exit.
Even so, Lewis got a better slingshot off the hairpin and drew level with Fernando as they turned into Eau Rouge.
The pair then proceeded to drive side-by-side through the first two parts of Formula 1Â’s most awe-inspiring corner, Alonso finally forcing Hamilton to cede on the right-handed climb through Raidillon.
Heikki Kovalainen made an excellent getaway to vault from ninth to sixth, which put him in a strong position as he was on a one-stop pit strategy.
The penalty of carrying extra fuel and weight is greater at Spa than at any other track, however, and the Finn was unable to avoid back into the clutches of his pursuers.
Mark Webber was the first to pounce, getting a run on Kovalainen on the long drag up the Kemmel straight and edging him towards the inside on the approach to Les Combes to grab the preferred line into the chicane.
By lap 11 both BMWs had got past too, courtesy of rather fraught outbraking moves into the Bus Stop chicanes, demoting Kovalainen to ninth.
Raikkonen soon stamped his authority on the race, edging steadily away from team-mate Massa with each passing lap.
After six tours he was 2.4s to the good; by lap 12 he had doubled that margin, giving himself a comfortable cushion ahead of the first round of pit stops.
The McLaren duo simply had no answer for the FerrarisÂ’ pace, Alonso falling 9.7s behind Raikkonen by lap 12 with Hamilton a further 2.5s adrift.
Raikkonen and Alonso pitted together at the end of lap 15, and their team-mates followed suit after one more circuit – but it made little difference to the order or gaps.
The middle stint progressed in much the same fashion. Ferrari, and Raikkonen in particular, had the race by the throat, leaving the McLaren drivers to wage a private duel for the final rostrum place.
Raikkonen relinquished briefly the lead when he initiated the second round of stops at the end of lap 31.
Massa and Alonso followed him in on successive laps, but Hamilton – who had taken on more fuel at the first stops and was on a longer middle stint – stayed out until lap 38.
The British rookie wasnÂ’t fast enough to capitalise, however, and after taking on service he rejoined more than five seconds behind Alonso.
The closing stages were enlivened by the shrinking gaps between the two leading Ferraris and the McLaren pair as Massa and Hamilton mounted last-gasp charges.
With a couple of laps remaining Massa had got Raikkonen’s lead down to two seconds, but Kimi the ‘Iceman’ remained unflustered and coolly increased the gap back to 4.6s by the chequered flag.
Hamilton threw caution to the wind in his pursuit of Alonso – until a big scare on the penultimate lap when he got out of shape in the middle of the 160mph Pouhon corner and had to drag the McLaren back into line.
As so often this year, Nick Heidfeld finished ‘best of the rest’ behind the habitual top four, albeit a whopping 52 seconds shy of the winning Ferrari.
After running wide at La Source on the first lap, the German the opening stint behind Webber and Nico Rosberg, but leapfrogged both with a later first stop.
Rosberg drove another yeomanÂ’s race for Williams to finish sixth, which finally hauled him above team-mate Alex Wurz in the driversÂ’ points standings.
Webber capped a strong weekend by taking seventh for Red Bull, although his team-mate David Coulthard fell victim to yet another hydraulic problem with 15 laps to go.
KovalainenÂ’s one-stop strategy didnÂ’t really pay dividends, although a bigger problem was the Renault R27Â’s lack of raw pace.
Nonetheless the rookie drove well again to fend off a marauding Robert Kubica for eighth – his sixth consecutive points-paying finish.
Kubica paid heavily for the engine change penalty he incurred on Saturday, which dropped him from fifth to 15th on the grid.
The Pole made good initial progress but lost ground behind the one-stopping cars in the middle stint.
One man deserving a more than honourable mention is Adrian Sutil, who performed superbly in the much-improved B-spec Spyker.
Helped by a fairly light fuel load, the young German made a cracking start, making up four places on the opening lap.
He climbed as high as 12th – giving the likes of Coulthard all the pressure he could handle – before ultimately slipping to 14th.
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The rest of the pack had no answer to the speed of the top 4 cars... Yesterday quali saw a 1second different
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Apparently Ron Dennis was pleased that his drivers went wheel-to-wheel like that on the opening lap.
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1st Ferrari One Two this year right?
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i seriously doubt kimi has a chance in the title race.
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3 races left and 30 points for kimi or alonso to collect to prevent rookie hamilton clinching the title... next week there will be jerez testing before the japan/chinese gp and brazilian gp
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2nd place might still be possible...Originally posted by dragg:i seriously doubt kimi has a chance in the title race. -
No, they also finished in France and in Turkey.Originally posted by sand king:1st Ferrari One Two this year right? -
It'll take some serious Mclaren misfortune for that to happen. 13 points to make up in 3 races against 2 almost-bulletproof silver cars. Fingers crossed for something close.Originally posted by dragg:i seriously doubt kimi has a chance in the title race.
It'd be hilarious if Alonso wins and then leaves - next year's Maccas will have numbers 22 and 23.