Belgian Gran Prix qualifying - Spa 2011 Q3 1. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 1m 48.298s 2. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1m 48.730s 3. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 1m 49.376s 4. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 50.526s 5. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 50.552s 6. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 50.773s 7. Bruno Senna Brazil Renault-Renault 1m 51.121s 8. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 51.251s 9. Sergio Perez Mexico Sauber-Ferrari 1m 51.374s 10. Vitaly Petrov Russia Renault-Renault 1m 52.303s Q2 11. Sebastien Buemi Switzerland Toro Rosso-Ferrari 2m 04.692s 12. Kamui Kobayashi Japan Sauber-Ferrari 2m 04.757s 13. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 2m 05.150s 14. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Williams-Cosworth 2m 07.349s 15. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes 2m 07.777s 16. Pastor Maldonado Venezuela Williams-Cosworth 2m 08.106s# 17. Heikki Kovalainen Finland Lotus-Renault 2m 08.354s Q1 18. Paul di Resta Britain Force India-Mercedes 2m 07.758s 19. Jarno Trulli Italy Lotus-Renault 2m 08.773s 20. Timo Glock Germany Virgin-Cosworth 2m 09.566s 21. Jerome d'Ambrosio Belgium Virgin-Cosworth 2m 11.601s 22. Vitantonio Liuzzi Italy HRT-Cosworth 2m 11.616s 23. Daniel Ricciardo Australia HRT-Cosworth 2m 13.077s 24. Michael Schumacher Germany Mercedes-Mercedes no time 107 per cent time: 2m 10.339s # denotes five-place grid penalty for collision with Lewis Hamilton at the end of Q2
It's a shame, I know. Unfortunately we will never see a race like Spa 1998 again the drivers and race control seem unwilling to race whenever it rains hard enough for the wet tyres to be used. They should just get on with it! We don't want to end up like NASCAR and just forget about racing in the wet.
I understand the safety concerns but its pointless having wet tyres if you're not going to race on them. I can't remember the last proper wet race where it was properly wet, not just a bit to damp for Inters. Maybe they need to make the wets have a even bigger profile if aquaplaning is still a problem. Silverstone 2008, Fuji 2007 spring to mind as wet races with relatively similar cars. Maybe I'm bias but I enjoyed those races a lot
SPA DRIVER STATS • Sebastian Vettel has finished in each of the three podium spots in Belgium, but only once in each. He won in 2011, was second last year and third in 2009. In qualifying, he set pole in 2011, but last year failed to make it to Q3 (though a gearbox penalty for team-mate Mark Webber meant he still started 10th). The start at Spa has proved tricky for Vettel - of his six races here, he's lost places on the opening lap each time bar 2010. • Mark Webber's only Belgian podiums are second places in 2010 and '11. This was despite having to make up ground both times after fluffed starts when his anti-stall kicked in. In his first two races here, with Minardi in 2002 and Jaguar in '04, he retired. Since then (seven races) he has always finished in the top nine, but never led a single lap. • Spa is one of two 'traditional' tracks where Fernando Alonso has never won. The other is Interlagos (of the newer venues, he's also failed to triumph at Austin and Buddh). He's never started from the front row here, and only twice been on the podium - neither time for Ferrari. He was second in 2005 and third in '07. In the past four years, he's retired three times due to accidents. • Felipe Massa won at Spa in 2008 after his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen crashed out and Lewis Hamilton was penalised. Massa was second in 2007, but aside from those two occasions he's never finished on the podium here. The only years that he's started from the front row (both times in second place) are 2007/08, and the latter is the last time a Ferrari driver was on the front row here. The Brazilian has retired only once from his eight Belgian races (in 2002 with an engine failure). Apart from that, he's always finished in the top 10. • Jenson Button dominated last year, taking pole (his last to date), the win and leading the whole race. He was also on the podium in 2005 and '11 (third both times). Button has often been the victim of bad luck in Belgium, retiring in six of his 11 GPs. • Sergio Perez and Romain Grosjean have one thing in common when it comes to Spa: they've both started twice, but retired due to accidents. Grosjean, in fact, has yet to complete a racing lap of the Belgian track. • Kimi Raikkonen is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Belgian GP, with four wins – the same as Jim Clark. Ahead of them are only Michael Schumacher with six wins and Ayrton Senna with five. Raikkonen's victories came in 2004/05/07/09. Last year, he was third. In all his other races here (2001/02/08) he's retired. His wins in 2004 (McLaren) and '09 (Ferrari) were arguably his most special because they were in uncompetitive cars, neither of which won again during their respective seasons. • Nico Rosberg's best result here is a sixth place (he finished in that position in 2007 and '10-11). His highest qualifying spot is fifth (2007 and '11). He's never retired here. • Lewis Hamilton has not seen the chequered flag here since his victory back in 2010 (when he led all the way). He's crashed twice (with Kamui Kobayashi in 2011 and with Grosjean last year). He did cross the finish line here first in 2008, but was demoted to third after being adjudged to have gained an advantage by cutting a chicane. • Nico Hulkenberg was fourth at Spa last year, which is his best career result.
Gone for Vettel... people say Kimi goes well here but Vettel LOVES this track (check out his record over the last few years) and I just can't see Mercedes putting their tyre issues completely behind them because Spa's a totally different kind of racetrack. Also, if it rains... who's our rain-master again?
2013 Belgian Grand Prix - FIA Preview CIRCUIT DATA SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS Length of lap: 7.004km Lap record: 1:47.263 (Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing, 2009) Start line/finish line offset: 0.124km Total number of race laps: 44 Total race distance: 308.052km Pitlane speed limits: 80km/h throughout the entire event weekend. CHANGES TO THE CIRCUIT SINCE 2012 ► The tyre barriers around the outside of Turns 3 and 4 have been renewed. ► Additional kerbs, 50mm above the existing kerbs, will be installed behind the kerbs on the apex of Turns 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 and 15. DRS ZONES ► There will be a two DRS zones in Belgium. The detection point for the first zone will be 240m before Turn 2, with the activation point 310m after Turn 4. The second detection point will be 160m before Turn 18, with the activation point 30m after Turn 19. please log in to view this image
Maybe this will help..lol http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/109352 The form guide for the leading drivers from the last five races, which runs from the Monaco Grand Prix to the last race in Hungary, is as follows: 1. Sebastian Vettel 83 2. Lewis Hamilton 74 3. Mark Webber 63 4. Nico Rosberg 62 5. Fernando Alonso 61 6. Kimi Raikkonen 49 7. Romain Grosjean 23 8. Jenson Button 22 9. Felipe Massa 16 With Red Bull and Mercedes drivers having locked out the top four positions in the form guide, the scores of the two teams shows how much they have dominated affairs recently. Looking at the points scored over the same five-race period from Monaco, Red Bull has delivered almost as many points as Ferrari and Lotus combined: 1. Red Bull 146 2. Mercedes 136 3. Ferrari 77 4. Lotus 72 5. McLaren 28 6. Force India 27
Sorry about pasting this whole article, but I have a question to ask.. How is this Renault engine being tested at Spa? Which car/s, is/are it being tested on? Can anyone shed some light on this for me place? Maybe Tom Tom, Concaive, BrightLampShade, SilverCheese, StoneRosesRam...anyone? Spa 'the hardest track' for Renault http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/461162/Spa_the_hardest_track_for_Renault/ Renault Sport F1 head of track operations Remi Taffin says Spa-Francorchamps is "the hardest track of them all" for the engine manufacturer. The high-speed nature and length of the track at Spa sees the engines at full throttle for nearly three-quarters of the lap, making engine efficiency crucial. Taffin said the circuit is the toughest test of Renault's engines and that most teams will opt for new units for the Belgian Grand Prix as a result. "Straight after the summer break we go to the hardest track of them all, Spa-Francorchamps: a circuit that gives us the 'most' of everything," Taffin said. "It's the longest, potentially the most changeable weather conditions, but from an engineer's perspective it's the most enjoyable as it's so much of a challenge. "A massive 70% of the 7km track is spent flat out, equating to almost 5.5km, or the length of a standard F1 circuit. Over one lap the engine will have a total wide open throttle time of over 75secs, making it an incredible test for engines. Outright power and top speed are therefore crucial and any gains will be twice as effective in reducing lap time compared to a less power sensitive track such as Monaco. As a result, almost all our partners will use fresh engines for this race to give as much power advantage as possible." Taffin even revealed Renault's 2014 engine was being tested at Spa due to the demanding nature of the circuit. "Even though Monza sees the RS27 at full throttle for a longer time, it is the combination of this wide open throttle with the compressions and steep gradients that gives such an awesome workout. Having the right balance between reliability and top end power is always a juggling act so, for these reasons it's one of the circuits we use as a control circuit. In fact the Energy F1-2014 Power Unit is being put through its paces at Spa as we speak."
As far as I know they're not allowed to mount the 2014 engines to a mule chassis and so it can't be road tested till the January tests. I assume its being tested on a dyno that mimics the drag an engine will feel around a lap of the circuit?
Taffin even revealed Renault's 2014 engine was being tested at Spa due to the demanding nature of the circuit. I think they should explain the above a little better, or people will get the wrong impression.
"In fact the Energy F1-2014 Power Unit is being put through its paces at Spa as we speak." People are already asking how is that possible. This is one of he questions a fan asked: Where in the article does it say anything about using a dyno simulator? I would like to know which team (Red Bull) is doing the testing and with which chassis.
I don't think the circuit would be available for cars at the moment, they'll be to busy driving trucks with supplies around it and painting the sponsorships etc (I'd assume). If its going round spa as we speak surely its on a computer? Although who knows in F1 these days, Ferrari have been pushing their luck with tests in a 'old' car almost monthly this season.
lol..I hope someone isn't pulling another Testgate..lol... I hope it is as you said.... on a computer or something of that nature.
What I want to know is who this "Concaive" person is supposed to be I'd like to know when that interview was conducted, for instance, I would think it strange for Taffin to say "straight after the summer break" if it was conducted today, implying that Renault could have tested it over the summer break. As for the actual rules on the engines' being tested ahead of time, that I'm not clear on. If the suppliers aren't allowed to test the engines in anger before January then that seems odd. Nevertheless, I'm sure that even if they were to get Chilton to test the engine in a replica of the original Renault turbo chassis someone would be able to twist that into an advantage for Red Bull
Sorry..my apologies..I meant our senior member "Cosicave"...I was hoping for a reply from him too to get his take on this...Sorry. again.
