Formula 1 2012: Round 12 - Belgium Grand Prix

frostie500

It’s been five weeks since Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix and Formula 1’s summer break is coming to an end. In that time the teams have recharged their batteries and started to prepare themselves for a gruelling conclusion to the 2012 season. With eight races in 13 weeks the battle for the championship looks set to be a test of endurance as well as speed.
This weekend sees the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit play host to the Belgium Grand Prix and it’s clear that the paddock is raring to be let off the leash again and get back to racing.

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit

Spa is a circuit filled with fast flowing corners that require precision and bravery and has long been regarded as the ultimate driving test. Having hosted Formula 1 since the inaugural season of 1950 and while it has been modified extensively over the last 60 years the challenge remains the same.
Caterham’s Heikki Kovalainen takes us on a driver’s eye view of the track:
“Spa is a legendary circuit, one of the greats and a race that every driver looks forward to. The track has changed over the years but it still retains a lot of the characteristics that make it so special. It’s quick, the weather almost always makes it a real challenge and the fans are hardcore F1 supporters so the atmosphere is always good.
“Spa’s also home to Eau Rouge, possibly the most famous corner in F1. It’s still feels good as you head down the hill and start feeling the compression as you head back out onto the straight, but in all honesty it’s not the challenge it used to be. You can go through there flat without any major issues and compared to what it must have been like when the cars had less downforce it’s relatively tame. Despite that, you still have to get the line right and if you do and you’re close enough to the car ahead you have a good chance to overtake on the run down to Les Combes.
“Before Eau Rouge you’re on the throttle for about 20 seconds out of the hairpin and down the hill. You need to make sure you have a good exit out of the hairpin to have maximum speed through Eau Rouge and onto the first long straight or you can lose time and track position in the first sector. We then head down into turns five, six and seven which are taken in third gear and through which you can be pretty aggressive, using the kerbs to save lap time and pushing on into Rivage which is taken in first or, at best, second gear. Rivage is slightly off-camber so the cars tend to fall off the track a bit and you can’t really attack other cars into there. Sometimes you see the front rights locking up into that corner as the cars struggle for grip and there’s a bump on the exit to deal with. The key is to carry as much speed as you can out of Rivage and down the hill through turn nine and into Pouhon which is another of Spa’s most famous corners.
“Inside the cockpit Pouhon is a good test. You head into it on full power, lift off a tiny bit and then you’re straight back on the throttle. It’s quite tight on the entry but then it opens up on the exit so you can carry a fair amount of speed through it and out onto turns 12, 13 and 14 which are pretty similar to five, six and seven. After that you’re into turn 15, pretty much at the bottom of the valley and on your way back up to the start / finish straight. Turn 17 is Blanchimont, the third of the famous Spa corners and another one that these days we take flat. Like Eau Rouge it’s not quite what it was a few years ago, but you still need to have the car set up right to go in and out of there flat and carry the speed through to the final chicane at turns 18 / 19. Braking into there is crucial – you need to make sure you don’t lose time through the final two turns and back out onto the run down to turn one.
“That’s a lap of Spa. It’s rightfully one of the great races and even though it usually rains for at least half the race weekend it’s still one everyone looks forward to. After a good break and the move to our new home in Leafield the whole team is up for it and we can’t wait to get back on track.”

Milestone weekend for Schumacher

Michael Schuamcher makes his 300th Grand Prix start this weekend at Spa. The German has been victorious at the Belgium venue seven times and armed with the best car since returning to sport with Mercedes hopes are high for another strong finish.
“Spa is like my living room; for me, it’s clearly the number one race track in the world,” said the seven times champion. “It’s uncanny how I always seem to have special moments there – my debut, my first win, a world championship victory and many great races. The fact that I will also take part in my 300th Grand Prix at Spa was somehow almost inevitable and we will have to celebrate it in the right way. I’m proud to be just the second driver in the history of the sport to reach this milestone and there’s no question that we are looking to have a particularly nice weekend. We delivered a good performance in Spa last year; I’ll be doing everything possible to drive a strong race.”
Mercedes have struggled for form in recent races and have clearly fallen behind their rivals in the development race but on a circuit like Spa, and next weekend at Monza, their powerful engine and double DRS could give them a decided advantage over some of their rivals.
Challenging for a race win looks beyond the performance of the team but giving Schumacher a strong weekend as he joins Rubens Barichello in the “300 club” is well within reach for the team.
Team principal, Ross Brawn, has been alongside Schumacher for most of his 91 race wins, and all seven titles, and he is keenly aware of the importance of this race:
“For the second year in succession, Spa will be a special occasion for Michael and the team as we follow his 20th anniversary last year by celebrating his 300th Grand Prix this time around. It is a fantastic achievement which has so far only been matched by one other driver, and we look forward to celebrating with him, and hopefully a strong weekend.”

Can Lotus finally fulfill their promise?

Lotus has been on the cusp of a race win all season. From the opening race of the season in Melbourne it has been clear that they have had a very fast car. Last time out in Hungary Kimi Raikkonen showed that his determination and nerve have not been diluted to any extent by his time away from the sport.
This weekend Raikkonen has been victorious four times in Belgium and racing at the track this weekend is something that he is clearly looking forward to:
“For me there have only been good memories from Spa and it’s great to go racing there,” said Raikkonen. “You can’t get the same kind of a feeling anywhere else. It’s great to race with a modern racing car at a proper circuit that has such a great tradition.”
After enduring a turbulent number of seasons the Enstone team is finally ready to win races again and with Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean clearly driving at a very high level this weekend’s race should play to the strengths of the E20.

Red Bull and McLaren looking to catch Ferrari

With Fernando Alonso enjoying a commanding championship lead the remainder of the season will see Red Bull and McLaren look to close the gap on the Spaniard in the title chase.
At the start of the season Ferrari were clearly outmatched by their rivals in terms of single lap pace but in recent races this has no longer been the case. With an improving car, and a team that has minimised mistakes, Alonso and Ferrari have penned a perfect start to the season.
Now however with the season starting to come to a conclusion the pressure is growing on everyone. Two years ago, in his first season with the team, Alonso was in a great position to win the title at the final race of the season but a tactical error cost the team dearly and Sebastian Vettel walked away with the title.
For McLaren and Red Bull the key for the rest of the campaign is to make sure that they have both cars starting in the front three rows of each race to put as much pressure as possible on Ferrari. With Lotus improving all the time it is essential for McLaren and Red Bull to ensure that Alonso spends the rest of the season in wheel to wheel battles. If the they can do this there’s a chance that Ferrari might start to the feel the pressure and mistakes could start to creep into the Italian squad.

Car setup at Spa

Compromise is key at Spa. Even though it is one of the fastest laps of the season cars will use a medium downforce configuration so that the drivers have enough downforce to tackle the high speed corners.
Another challenge presented by Spa is that the track features a number of compressions, such as the entry to Eau Rouge, and as a result the ride height and suspension settings are crucial for the handling of the car. To put this into perspective Eau Rouge sees a vertical load of 1000kg placed on the car.
In addition to the strain placed on the suspension and tyres the engine is also stressed to a tremendous degree. From the opening corner, the La Source Haripin, drivers are full throttle for over 2km until Les Combes. Overall drivers are at full throttle for 75% of the lap.
To illustrate the strains placed on the engines by the track Remi Taffin, Reanult’s head of F1 operations, said:
“The driver will encounter every sort of corner possible so we have to get the RS27 to perform over all levels of torque and revs. The engine needs to deliver good top end power for the long straights, yet a smooth power curve through the flowing corners like Blanchimont. Response is also key out of the slower hairpins and chicanes. We actually use Spa as a control circuit on the dyno to test an engine’s reliability as it puts so much stress on the internal parts. With such huge demands exerted, we’ll be introducing fresh engines for this race.”
Sauber’s Giampaolo Dall’Ara, the Swiss team’s head of track engineering, discussed the issues acing teams at the legendary circuit:
“For drivers as well as for engineers Spa-Francorchamps is quite a challenging track,” said the Italian. “The downforce level is lower than on most other tracks, which is due to the long full throttle sections as well as the layout of the corners, which are mainly high speed with only a few low speed ones. With regard to set-up, it’s not an easy track, and it’s also quite demanding on the tyres, which this time will be the two hardest compounds – medium and hard. This is a logical choice, because the surface is quite abrasive, and there’s a lot of load on the tyres in the high speed sections.
“But then you have this unpredictable weather. In the morning the track is often damp, and the conditions can change very quickly, which you have to consider when preparing for the weekend as well as during the race, when you might have to adapt the strategy. We will obviously use the medium downforce wings, and there will be some minor modifications to the car in view of the configuration we are running.”

Formula 1 revolves around Pirelli tyres….

Pirelli will take their medium and hard compound tyres to Belgium.
Pirelli motorsport boss, Paul Hembery, is looking forward to returning to Spa and the challenges that are brought by the high loading of the unrelenting series of fast corners.
“The Spa circuit is a personal favourite of mine,” said Hembery. “I recently visited the 24-hour race there: the configuration of the track and the variety of the weather always seems to produce some great racing. From a tyre perspective, it’s certainly one of the most demanding circuits that we face all year, because of the high speeds and extreme forces involved, which are often acting on the tyres in more than one dimension.
“The nomination of the hard and the medium tyres will allow drivers to push hard from start to finish, which is what Spa was designed for. The first half of the season began with the most close and competitive start to a year ever seen in Formula One’s history, so I am looking forward to seeing how the rest of 2012 pans out, and which teams have made which steps forward over the summer break. Currently the grid is so closely-matched – particularly in the midfield – that it’s impossible to predict.”

Weather for this weekend

Spa has a micro climate all of it’s own and the weather can change in an instant. Even in the modern era of high tech weather systems provided to the teams’ it is still not unknown to place a “weather spotter” a few miles upwind of the track.
These spotters have given teams a tremendous advantage in the past and given that last year saw a wet start to qualifying before a dry line emerged later in the session they could play a role once again.
Local forecasts are expecting a cloudy Friday with possible scattered showers before a drier weekend with a sunny race day expected.

Jordan 199

Spa-Francorchamps, best track on the calender without a doubt.

Would like to see Lewis win this one.

Will also be interesting to see what teams have upgrades for the race. Ferrari are one team that will be bringing updates.

ratedR

It's been a long 5 weeks !

Kimi has always gone pretty well in Spa. And the track might just suit the Lotus, especially if this double DRS is going to be used to full effect.

It's impossible to predict winners this year though, especially with upgrades coming. I'm just looking forward to the race after that break.

freestyla

Jordan 191 wrote: »

...
Will also be interesting to see what teams have upgrades for the race. Ferrari are one team that will be bringing updates.

Interesting to see can Merc do any better on this (and Monza), if they had any advantage with super DRS.
Must be last races for them to decide if should concentrate fully on the next season.

I believe Lotus have done better job with DRS. They could be easily on the front as long engine is reliable also.

af_thefragile

Really would love to see Kimi get his 5th Spa win!

antomorro-sei

Buzzing for this. Long aul' 5 weeks!

Another Alonso win please :cool:

losthorizon

Best race of the season by a country mile.

Read Schumachers comments about this race a few weeks ago somewhere and he seemed very confident.

Jordan 199

freestyla wrote: »

I believe Lotus have done better job with DRS. They could be easily on the front as long engine is reliable also.

I read here that Lotus are deciding whether they will or won't run the DRS for the race in Spa.

Also, here's some reading about the Lotus DRS or f-duct as Lotus call it.

freestyla

Jordan 191 wrote: »

I read here that Lotus are deciding whether they will or won't run the DRS for the race in Spa.

Also, here's some reading about the Lotus DRS or f-duct as Lotus call it.

“(In a race) you can only use DRS at one point on the circuit, where they’ll have this straightline speed boost at pretty much any point over 150mph,”

Pretty big effort from Lotus if the device was going to be banned in 2013.

I read somewhere apparently Mclaren will also have one tested in Spa and debute in Monza.

Can't wait for Scarbs to draw some yellow lines and airflow directions on the device

Rascasse

freestyla wrote: »

Can't wait for Scarbs to draw some yellow lines and airflow directions on the device

He had his illustrations on the Flying Lap last night. Show should be uploaded later today (episode 81). Quite a neat system and will not be banned under the 2013 regs as they stand (and Scarbs thinks it would be very hard to ban it at all).

http://smibs.tv/the-flying-lap

Edit: Youtube link for the channel - show will be uploaded there too at some point for ipad users etc.

Rascasse

frostie500 wrote: »

Milestone weekend for Schumacher

Michael Schuamcher makes his 300th Grand Prix start this weekend at Spa.

Interesting fact that I just saw from Edd Straw is that while this is his 300th GP weekend, this isn't actually his 300th start as many have reported.

His Ferrari expired on the formation lap in France 1996

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkdgXaRzy-4

And in Britain 1999 he famously broke his legs after going straight on at Stowe. This start didn't count as cars had stalled on the grid so the race was red flagged as soon as it started (sadly the drivers hadn't noticed the red flags).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfxODwrEjyI

At least Michael can get some more cake in Monza.

thegoth

Massa is 101-1 for a win. Just put €25 each way on him.

I know he is not likely to win, but its not out of the question, definitely not 101-1 unlikely

the culture of deference

Schumi all the way.

Pole and win.

antodeco

Should be an interesting setup for the Lotus cars. Hopefully Mercedes can get the best use of their front DRS wing on the straights.

Jordan 199

freestyla wrote: »

“(In a race) you can only use DRS at one point on the circuit, where they’ll have this straightline speed boost at pretty much any point over 150mph,”

Pretty big effort from Lotus if the device was going to be banned in 2013.

I read somewhere apparently Mclaren will also have one tested in Spa and debute in Monza.

Can't wait for Scarbs to draw some yellow lines and airflow directions on the device

The long Kemmel straight is where the DRS will benefit Lotus the most so.

Will be interesting to see what speeds the Lotus can achieve when the DRS is enabled.

I think the speed trap is right at the end of the Kemmel straight just before they turn into Les Combes is where the cars will be hitting their highest speeds.

EireIceMan

Howdy folks,
Been a long 5weeks. My F1 weekends are back:D
Hope Lotus do well, Kimi to finish on podium:)

frostie500

Rascasse wrote: »

Interesting fact that I just saw from Edd Straw is that while this is his 300th GP weekend, this isn't actually his 300th start as many have reported.

His Ferrari expired on the formation lap in France 1996

And in Britain 1999 he famously broke his legs after going straight on at Stowe. This start didn't count as cars had stalled on the grid so the race was red flagged as soon as it started (sadly the drivers hadn't noticed the red flags).

At least Michael can get some more cake in Monza.

A formation lap should count as a race start. When the Michelin teams refused to race at Indy in 04 they had to "start" the race otherwise they would have not adhered to the terms of the Concorde Agreement and been heavily penalised financially. So all the teams started the formation lap and pulled into pitlane at the end of the lap leaving Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi to race.

As for Silverstone he took the race start. Just because it was red flagged after doesnt make it a completely new race. There's lots of examples of red flag races so I wouldnt agree with Straw on this one

Rascasse

frostie500 wrote: »

A formation lap should count as a race start. When the Michelin teams refused to race at Indy in 04 they had to "start" the race otherwise they would have not adhered to the terms of the Concorde Agreement and been heavily penalised financially. So all the teams started the formation lap and pulled into pitlane at the end of the lap leaving Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi to race.

Well that's a completely different situation. They completed the formation lap, lined up on the grid, and passed the green light.

Schumachers Ferrari expired on the formation lap. A very clear DNS and is recorded as such.

frostie500 wrote: »

As for Silverstone he took the race start. Just because it was red flagged after doesnt make it a completely new race. There's lots of examples of red flag races so I wouldnt agree with Straw on this one

In this case it is less clear. The fact that the race was red flagged as soon as it began does technically make the subsequent start a new race. To all intents and purposes that single lap did not happen.

I respect Edd's knowledge of F1 entirely but I think the statto's have awarded Schumi a start here. If anyone has access to forix that would settle it.

It is kind of funny how they are making a big deal of this being his 300th race. Back in the good ol' days you counted starts not entries. Probably a marketing exercise to maximise the serendipitous fact it happens at Spa. I'm sure the fact his 300th start is at monza, Ferrari country, has nothing to do with it.

frostie500

Rascasse wrote: »

Well that's a completely different situation. They completed the formation lap, lined up on the grid, and passed the green light.

Schumachers Ferrari expired on the formation lap. A very clear DNS and is recorded as such.

I dont have forix anymore so cant check for the Indy drivers but I cant see any difference in the situation. They didnt take the start. They pulled into pitlane before they formed onto the grid. In 96 Schumi took the green light to start the formation lap and was unable to make it to the grid and didnt take the start.
In 2005 at Indy the Michelin drivers did not make it to the grid either. They pulled into pitlane and just like Schumi were unable to complete the formation lap. I personally cant see any difference.
On the other hand something like Timo Glock getting injured in qualifying at the 2009 Japanese GP is a clear example of someone taking part in a Grand Prix weekend but not starting the race.

Rascasse wrote: »

In this case it is less clear. The fact that the race was red flagged as soon as it began does technically make the subsequent start a new race. To all intents and purposes that single lap did not happen.

I respect Edd's knowledge of F1 entirely but I think the statto's have awarded Schumi a start here. If anyone has access to forix that would settle it.

I agree that it is technically a new start but I dont see how they can penalise a driver a start if he has taken one start and been unable to restart the red flagged race. Some examples of this would be Spa 98 with the huge crash. Panis, Rosset and Barrichello did not restart that race. Or in Australia in 99 when Barrichello and Herbert's Stewart's expired on the grid with an engine wiring issue and with Barrichello taking the spare car should Herbert couldnt start the restarted race

Frank Bullitt

Only a few hours till practice starts, been ages since an wheel has turned in anger!!!

Jordan 199

'92 & '93 races are on BBC red button.

Rascasse

frostie500 wrote: »

I dont have forix anymore so cant check for the Indy drivers but I cant see any difference in the situation. They didnt take the start. They pulled into pitlane before they formed onto the grid. In 96 Schumi took the green light to start the formation lap and was unable to make it to the grid and didnt take the start.
In 2005 at Indy the Michelin drivers did not make it to the grid either. They pulled into pitlane and just like Schumi were unable to complete the formation lap. I personally cant see any difference.

I'm home now and I can see that the guys at Indy were DNS'd too so it is consistent with France 96.

On the '99 British GP I think it one of those situations where its both a start and not a start. A bit like the Andrea de Cesaris situation where he is known for the most retirements in a row (a whole seasons worth) back in the 80's and yet he was classified third in one race (at Spa) after running out of fuel on the last lap. So both retired and came third in the same race.



For those who wanted to know about Lotus' new DRS/rear wing staller from Scarbs; the Flying Lap is on Youtube now. Its about 20mins in after the Jules Bianchi interview.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB0uIToEiI4

freestyla

How wet fp1

antodeco

Anyone got a working video stream for it? The ones Im trying arent working

ratedR

Scarbs sounds and looks exactly like you'd think he would doesn't he, complete egg head

Pretty wet FP1, doubt we'll see much today.

freestyla

antodeco wrote: »

Anyone got a working video stream for it? The ones Im trying arent working

Www.coolsport.tv always works in SD quality

it's on channel 3 now

antodeco

freestyla wrote: »

Www.coolsport.tv always works in SD quality

it's on channel 3 now

Thanks! Should have said its for the mobile, so doesnt work

freestyla

Rains like hell, they not driving! there goes Lotus precious DRS testing time FFS!

Couldn't FIA give them extra hour WHEN track is dry?

Rascasse

Not sure if there will be any dry running today. Big load of rain coming from the north that will scupper this session at least.

http://www.meteo.be/meteo/view/en/123361-Radar.html

freestyla

antodeco wrote: »

Thanks! Should have said its for the mobile, so doesnt work

eh?
works here on a Chinese cheap Android 2.3 tablet..

antodeco

freestyla wrote: »

eh?
works here on a Chinese cheap Android 2.3 tablet..

Android supports flash you see! Ive a windows phone and an android, and neither support it!

Daniel S

Looks like Massa has had an engine failure, probably an old engine though.

TheChrisD

frostie500 wrote: »

As for Silverstone he took the race start. Just because it was red flagged after doesnt make it a completely new race. There's lots of examples of red flag races so I wouldnt agree with Straw on this one

Rascasse wrote: »

On the '99 British GP I think it one of those situations where its both a start and not a start.

The red flag regulations prior to 2005 stated that any red flag within the first two laps made that start null and void, and the race would be restarted over the full distance with cars in their original starting positions (if they're able to restart ofc).

The last time this happened was in the 2001 German Grand Prix, since then every red flag has occurred on at least Lap 3 (2010 Korea)

Charlie-Bravo

wow the weather at the mo in Spa is shockingly awful - won't see much happening this session if it continues.

Max_Charger

FP2 just on 10mins now, absolutely riveting stuff so far. :rolleyes:
Rain bucketing down, nothing happening, nobody on track.

antodeco

I had a choice of going to sunny, yet 'boring' Valencia, or go to dull but 'exciting' spa this season. Im glad I picked the former!

Max_Charger

Natalie: Nico Hulkenberg, this is like a local track for you,took you 3 hours to drive here. Tell me, what do you drive?

Nico: A car....

*Cue rolling tumbleweed*

Max_Charger

48 minutes. Thats the time it took for the first car to be on track in FP2.

Ghost Train

looking at lthe live timing there's not much going on, bit of a wash out

Frank Bullitt

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/102094

No magic wing for Lotus then it seems.

Rascasse

Will Buxton just posted this from Lotus' practice press release.

Autosport

I hope it is a better race than the practice, nothing but rain :rolleyes:

Jordan 199

Gintonious wrote: »

No magic wing for Lotus then it seems.

Indeed. Looks like they will have to wait until Monza. Shame, as I was looking forward to see how it would perform.

Rascasse

Rascasse wrote: »

Will Buxton just posted this from Lotus' practice press release.

No Magnums?


Watchin the GP2 qualifying replay, the commentator made my point, what's the point in wet tyres and red flags if they're just going to go quicker on inters. ****in send them out.

It's gonna be a dry Saturday and Sunday I know :P

freestyla

Rascasse's radar says DRY practice at least

http://www.meteo.be/meteo/view/en/123361-Radar.html

http://www.spa-francorchamps.be/en/images/carte-belgique.jpg

This year weather is playing big part, many friday practices lost when can't test new parts.

Ghost Train

4 Ferrari engines in the top 6 for practice 3
4 Renault engine in top 10
2 Mercedes engines in the top 10

Looks like Mercedes team didn't have good practice

Jesus Button looked really old/jaded on that little bit of slo-mo.

Ghost Train

Ghost Train wrote: »

4 Ferrari engines in the top 6 for practice 3
4 Renault engine in top 10
2 Mercedes engines in the top 10

Looks like Mercedes team didn't have good practice

Ridiculously close practice though, there'll probably be pretty big track evolution through qualifying as well.

EDIT: Are Lotus running the fancy wing?

Max_Charger

I'm hoping there was some sandbagging going on with Lewis this morning, want him to do well here this weekend. Jenson is picking up where he left off from the summer break, not happy with the car at all.

Ghost Train

Button just went fastest

Mercedes Team 17th and 18th

Ghost Train

And Rosberg out