Fantasy Racers Belgium 2009 Update	Points Scored Team/Driver	Race Result Position	Overall Position Championship
BlogF1 Racing	299	2940th	963rd
Adrian Sutil	54
Jenson Button	4
Lewis Hamilton	2
Nico Rosberg	84
Sebastian Vettel	154
Budget Remaining	1
Team Finitalia	526	357th	4105th
Giancarlo Fisichella	164
Heikki Kovalainen	104
Jarno Trulli	26
Kimi Raikkonen	194
Budget Remaining	38
Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate	472	705th	2194th
Heikki Kovalainen	104
Nico Rosberg	84
Robert Kubica	124
Rubens Barrichello	94
Timo Glock	64
Budget Remaining	2
Blogger’s Dog Racing	566	187th	1690th
Adrian Sutil	54
Giancarlo Fisichella	164
Kazuki Nakajima	52
Nick Heidfeld	114
Robert Kubica	124
Sebastien Buemi	53
Budget Remaining	5
Inner Pickle Racing	370	1921st	1186th
Kimi Raikkonen	194
Lewis Hamilton	2
Mark Webber	74
Rubens Barrichello	127
Budget Remaining	6

BlogF1 Racing and Inner Pickle Racing had a disastrous weekend, collecting 299 and 370 points respectively. Hoenstly, it couldn’t have any worse even if I had tried. Oh wait, I did try. Hmmph! Conversely though, didn’t Team Finitalia do well, picking up a mighty fine haul of points (526). Much thanks to Kimi Raikkonen, Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen all scoring, and Jarno Trulli did well in qualifying, although retired from the race.

Interestingly, it was the team made up of the cheaper drivers that did the best, Team Blogger’s Dog collecting 566 points, Giancarlo Fisichella, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld being the big scorers there. It isn’t much of a consolation prize though, as BF1R slip down to 141st in the Sidepodcast League, and rest in 963rd overall.

Fantasy Racers is a fantasy Formula One competition. It is free to sign up but if you wish to have more than team you will need to make a donation to the site. You can also join private leagues, and currently BlogF1’s set of squads race in the Sidepodcast League.

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2009: Fantasy Racers Update

Giancarlo Fisichella – the experienced Italian pilot – came alive this weekend and after taking a sensational pole position on Saturday, Fisichella managed to keep pace with Ferrari which was only ahead due to KERS at the restart. But although it wasn’t a win, Fisichella’s eventual second place was still the first points for Force India, their first podium, and Giancarlo Fisichella’s first podium since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix.

Raikkonen’s and Fisichella’s race can be summed up very easily. The Finnish pilot had a great start and was helped by Rubens Barrichello almost stalling on the grid. After the first incident which saw Lewis Hamilton, Jaime Alguersuari, Jenson Button and Romain Grosjean crash out and encourage a safety car period, many drivers took the opportunity to pit. Raikkonen and Fisichella stayed out and at the restart, Raikkonen was trailing the Force India, but with the KERS deployed, Raikkonen was able to take the lead.

It wasn’t plain-sailing for Raikkonen though, as even though we expected Raikkonen to cruise off into the sunset, Fisichella kept him honest and the gap remained at about 1s for the rest of the race. It was clear in the final stint that the VJM02 was the faster car, but it simply wasn’t enough, and with KERS being enabled on the F60, Fisichella could only sit and read the rear wing of the leading Ferrari.

Conversely, the team mates of the leading duo had very different races. While one Ferrari crossed the finish line first, the other crossed the line last. Luca Badoer was the last of the runners and has probably hammered the final nail in the coffin that is now known as his Formula One career. Performing better, but still in the shadows, Adrian Sutil completed the Belgian Grand Prix in P11. It wasn’t the greatest of performances from the German pilot, but at least Adrian finished where he started.

Sebastian Vettel has managed to claw out a few points from championship leader Jenson Button and the German driver overtakes his team mate in the title race. It wasn’t a great weekend for Red Bull Racing though, after a poor qualifying performance left both drivers out of position. While Vettel was able to move forward in the race and take Robert Kubica in the pitstops, Mark Webber just went backwards, and after receiving a drive-thru penalty resulting from an early release from the pitstops into the path of Nick Heidfeld, the Australian had nothing left to give.

Red Bull’s only saving grace from the weekend was the fact tha Brawn didn’t score big points, and with a first lap retirement from Jenson Button, it was left up to Rubens Barrichello to collect for the team. Unfortunately, the Brazilian’s anti-stall kicked in on the grid and Barrichello’s race only got marginally better. Two points from seventh is not good enough for the championship leaders, but it is also good enough through sheer luck, as their rivals failed to score as well.

McLaren too were relying on only one driver for the race as Lewis Hamilton was taken out in the same incident that saw Jenson Button retire. The half-lap that Hamilton did complete was pretty hectic though, and from onboard footage we can see the Briton getting sandwiched at La Source and receiving quite a knock on the right side of the car. Seemingly undamaged, Hamilton was able to continue only to be caught up in the spinning Button following a tag from Romain Grosjean. Jaime Alguersuari was also involved, and although the drivers were investigated, no punishment or penalty has been handed out. Zero points for Hamilton though is penalty enough.

Heikki Kovalainen fared better today though, and although the Finn had a poor qualifying performance, he was able to battle his way through to finish in P6 and collect three points for himself and the team.

Having a better weekend were the team that only recently announced they wouldn’t be racing next year due to poor performances this year. BMW had a stellar race in comparison to the previous so far and a double points finish will have certainly buoyed the team from Hinwil. Robert Kubica was running third for much of the race although was out-pitstopped by Sebastian Vettel towards the end. Nick Heidfeld also collected well, despite having the brake heavily to avoid Mark Webber in the pitstops. P4 ad P5 is a good day for BMW.

Renault had a disasterous Belgian Grand Prix, with Romain Grosjean retiring on lap one and Fernando Alonso being retired after a bodged pitstop. The Spaniard received some damage to his wheel on the opening tour, but was able to continue. However, when the double world champion pitted for the first time, the severity of the impact suddenly became a problem. It seems the wheel-fairing was damaged and the tyre-changer simply couldn’t get the new tyre on properly. Fearing another investigation after Alonso’s wheel came off in Hungary and almost saw the team banned from racing in Valencia, Alonso was called back to the pitlane and retired.

And so that really leaves Toyota to mention, the team who have no idea why their car is behaving the way it is. Jarno Trulli is often quoted as saying that he doesn’t know why the TF109 is slow, and equally so, the Italian often says he does not know why it is fast. This weekend was a case of the latter, but it still didn’t help his race after he retired (an early pitstop due to a damaged front wing paid an end to his victory chances early on). Timo Glock remained fairly anonymous, although he seemed to have an okay car under him. P10 was all the German could muster.

The championship therefore only changes slightly, with Kimi Raikkonen receiving a welcome boost in points and the Force India score meaning that all ten teams have now got points in the constructors championship. Button maintains a 16 point lead over team mate Rubens Barrichello, and with five races to run, it will be interesting to see how the Brawn pilot manages the finale to his season. Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are still very closely matched as are Raikkonen, Rosberg and and Hamilton.

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2009: Kimi Raikkonen Wins From A Very ‘Appy Giancarlo Fisichella

Belgium 2009 Pitstop Strategies	Stint 1 (Start Tyre)	Stint 2 (Lap)	Stint 3 (Lap)	Stint 4 (Lap)
Ferrari
Luca Badoer	Soft	Medium (25)
Kimi Raikkonen	Soft	Medium (14)	Soft (32)
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton	Medium	DNF (1)
Heikki Kovalainen	Soft	Medium (27
BMW
Robert Kubica	Soft	Medium (12)	Soft (31)
Nick Heidfeld	Medium	Medium (14)	Soft (33)
Renault
Fernando Alonso	Medium	Soft (25)	DNF (27)
Romain Grosjean	Medium	DNF (1)
Toyota
Jarno Trulli	Medium	Medium (1)	Soft (21)	DNF (22)
Timo Glock	Medium	Soft (12)	Soft (33)
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Jaime Alguersuari	Medium	DNF (1)
Sebastien Buemi	Medium	Medium (21)	Soft (31)
Red Bull Racing
Mark Webber	Medium	Medium (14)	Drive Thru (18)	Soft (35)
Sebastian Vettel	Medium	Medium (17)	Soft (35)
Williams
Nico Rosberg	Medium	Medium (18)	Soft (34)
Kazuki Nakajima	Medium	Soft (29)
Force India
Adrian Sutil	Medium	Medium (1)	Soft (27)
Giancarlo Fisichella	Soft	Soft (14)	Medium (32)
Brawn
Jenson Button	Medium	DNF (1)
Rubens Barrichello	Soft	Medium (1)	Medium (28)

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2009: Pitstop & Tyre Strategies

Belgium 2009 Race Results		Laps Completed	Time Race Length	Points Earned
1.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	44		10pts
2.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	44		8pts
3.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	44		6pts
4.	Robert Kubica BMW	44		5pts
5.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	44		4pts
6.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	44		3pts
7.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	44		2pts
8.	Nico Rosberg Williams	44		1pt
9.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	44
10.	Timo Glock Toyota	44
11.	Adrian Sutil Force India	44
12.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	44
13.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	44
14.	Luca Badoer Ferrari	44
15.	Fernando Alonso Renault	27		Faulty Wheel
16.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	22
17.	Jenson Button Brawn	1		Accident
18.	Romain Grosjean Renault	1		Accident
19.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1		Accident
20.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	1		Accident

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2009: Race Result

Build-up
• I love Trulli’s slight British/London accent. He sounds like a cross between an Italian and an extra from EastEnders.
• Button saying his radio wasn’t working initially hence the kerfuffle in the garage prior to joining the grid. It’s okay now though, apparently.
• Jake Humphrey seems to think we are listening to the Spanish National Anthem. Considering we are in Belgium, I would have hoped for The Brabançonne. Although I’m not familiar with it, I’m not entirely sure this is either the Belgian or the Spanish anthem.
• Apparently it was the Belgian National Anthem.
• Softer tyre: FIS, KOV, RAI, BAR, KUB
• Harder tyre: TRU, VET, HEI, WEB

Lap 1

• FIS Leads. RAI good start. RAI passes HEI for P2.
• HAM off. ALG off. Safety car.
• BUT out. GRO out.
• Looks like BUT got tagged by GRO, spun and then caught GRO as he backed into barrier.

Lap 2

• TRU pit. BAR pit (hard tyre). SUT pit.
• BAR terrible start – anti-stall kicked in.
• TRU pits for new nose.

Lap 3

• BAD STILL ON SOFTER TYRE.

Lap 4

• RAI strongly positioned.
• Italian TV, RAI, are saying Fisichella is definitely in the Ferrari for Monza.
• BAR in P15

Lap 5

• Safety car in.
• RAI challenges FIS out of Eau Rouge. Takes lead.
• ROS ahead of VET. VET believes he passed under the yellows.
• VET now ahead of ROS.

Lap 6

• HEI weaving, trying to generate tyre temperature.
• RAI extends lead to 1.4s. Also sets another FL.

Lap 7

• BAR challenging NAK. Breezes past at the top of the hill.
• Field beginning to spread. P1 – P4: 5.5s.

Lap 8

• SUT passes BAD by using all the run-off area. He had a shed load more exit speed.
• TRU now up behind BAD.

Lap 9

• SUT challenging NAK.
• FIS just about keeping up with RAI. Gap 1.6s.
• SUT passes NAK.

Lap 10

• HAM says his anti-stall kicked in at the start. Also says he lost a bit of his front wing at La Source as well.
• RAI to FIS: 2.1s
• RAI, FIS, KUB, GLO, WEB, HEI, VET, ROS

Lap 11

Lap 12

• RAI – FIS: Down to 1.8s. FIS a bit quicker last time around.
• KUB pits. Soft to hard.
• GLO pits. Hard to soft tyre. Fuel rig issues.

Lap 13

Lap 14

• ALO has vibrations, apparently.
• HEI FL.
• RAI pits. Soft to hard.
• FIS pits. Soft
• WEB pits.
• HEI pits. WEB and HEI very close on exit.
• VET FL.

Lap 15

• HEI passes WEB.
• Replays show HEi having to heavily break in pits. WEB should really get a drive-thru for that. Although HEI did pass on track.

Lap 16

• BAR passes WEB.
• WEB now under investigation.
• SUT challenging WEB.
• WEB has a drive-thru.

Lap 17

• VET pits. Stays on hard tyres.
• ROS leads and stays out on track. Yet to stop.

Lap 18

• ROS pits. Stays hard tyres.
• GRO, ALG, HAM and BUT under investigation. Will be investigated after the race. It was the opening lap incident.
• WEB serves drive-thru.

Lap 19

• FIS to RAI gap: 0.9s.

Lap 20

• ALO, KOV and BUE yet to stop.

Lap 21

• TRU pits.
• RAI-FIS gap: 1.0s
• BUE pits. Stays hard tyres.

Lap 22

• TRU retires.
• SUT runs wide, over grass but recovers.

Lap 23

• FIS 0.8s behind RAI. KUB catching both.

Lap 24

• RAI-FIS: 0.7s.

Lap 25

• ALO pits. Hard to soft tyres. Problem with front-left. Wheel-fairing didn’t go on properly. Exits in P14.
• BAD pits.
• Replays show that on the opening lap, ALO suffered a knock and damaged the wheel-fairing. Hence his issue in the pits.

Lap 26

• Despite damaging front wing on opening lap, SUT is in P8.
• ALO coasts. Radioed by team – “Coast back to pits slowly, we are going to have to retire. Problem with wheel.”

Lap 27

• KOV pits. Hard tyre.
• SUT pits.
• ALO pits to retire.

Lap 28

• BAR pits. Stays hard tyres.

Lap 29

• NAK pits.

Lap 30

• RAI to FIS: 1.1s.

Lap 31

• KUB pits. Soft tyre.
• BUE pits.
• RAI to FIS: 1.2s.

Lap 32

• RAI pits. Soft tyres.
• FIS pits. Hard to soft tyres.
• RAI maintains lead.

Lap 33

• HEI pits.
• GLO pits.
• WEB told to stay off the kerb in Eau Rouge.
• RAI to FIS gap: 1.0s.

Lap 34

• BAR and KOV very close on track.
• ROS pits. Hard to soft tyres.
• RAI to FIs gap: 0.7s.

Lap 35

• WEB pits. Soft tyres.
• HEI FL.
• VET pits. Hard to soft tyres. Exits ahead of KUB to take P3.

Lap 36

• WEB and ROS still fighting each other for P8.

Lap 37

• RAI to FIS no change. Still very close.
• VET FL.

Lap 38

• VET catching FIS. Gap to 4.5s. FIS to RAI still 0.8s.

Lap 39

• SUT looking at GLO. Can’t quite get through.

Lap 40

• VET now 4.1s behind FIS.
• HEI and KUB very close on track. 1.5s gap.

Lap 41

• RAI 1.0s FIS 3.5s VET.

Lap 42

• BAR suffering with smoke coming from the back of the Brawn. Engine issue of just lift-off smoke.
• BAR told back off and save engine.

Lap 43

• ROS hounding BAR who has a sick Mercedes-Benz.
• VET backed off from FIS.
• BAR holding on for now.

Lap 44

• Brawn say telemetry is okay. Apparently it is just an oil leak.
• RAI wins the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.
• FIS takes a well-deserved P2.
• BAR puffs his way over the line to take P7.

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2009: Live Race Notes

If we take Williams’s figure of 2.25kg of fuel needed to cover a normalised distance of 5km, we can figure out that a Formula One car will on average use 3.15180kg of fuel to complete a 7.004km lap of Spa Francorchamps. Allowing for a couple of laps for grid formation and margin and taking off the minimum weight of the cars, we can guess when the drivers will first call into the pits for fuel and tyres, assuming the weather is dry and the safety car remains at the end of the pitlane.

Belgium 2009 Post-Qualifying Car Weights		Car Weight Kilograms	Fuel Weight Kilograms	First Stop Estimated Lap
1.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	648	36.7	12
2.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	656.5	45.2	14
3.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	655	43.7	14
4.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	644.5	33.2	11
5.	Robert Kubica BMW	649	37.7	12
6.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	655	43.7	14
7.	Timo Glock Toyota	648.5	37.2	12
8.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	662.5	51.2	16
9.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	658	46.7	15
10.	Nico Rosberg Williams	670	58.7	19
11.	Adrian Sutil Force India	678.5	67.2	21
12.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	693.5	82.2	26
13.	Fernando Alonso Renault	684.4	77.4	25
14.	Jenson Button Brawn	694.2	82.9	26
15.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	697	82.2	26
16.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	685	73.7	23
17.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	704.5	93.2	30
18.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	706.1	94.8	30
19.	Romain Grosjean Renault	704.7	93.4	30
20.	Luca Badoer Ferrari	691.5	80.2	25

From the table we can see that Fisichella is not the lightest of the front runners and in fact Rubens Barrichello should be calling into the pits before him. Fisichella is on par with Robert Kubica and Timo Glock, and only a couple of laps lighter than Jarno Trulli, Nick Heifeld and Kimi Raikkonen. If Rubens is to have an impact on the leading trio, he will need to make up places on the first lap, otherwise he could find himself stuck behind the slower BMW and Toyota.

The top ten all seem to be on a two-stopping strategy (although Nico Rosberg remains flexible), and the bottom ten all seem to be attempting a one-stop strategy. The heaviest driver on the grid is Kazuki Nakajima, closely followed by Romain Grisjean and Jaime Alguersuari. The lightest car starting the race tomorrow is Rubens Barrichello, which just highlights the problems facing the Brawn team at the moment.

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2009: Post-Qualifying Car Weights

Belgium 2009: The Grid Inclusive of penalties given.
1		Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1m46.308s
			Jarno Trulli Toyota 1m46.395s		2
3		Nick Heideld BMW 1m46.500s
			Rubens Barrichello Brawn 1m46.513s		4
5		Robert Kubica BMW 1m46.586s
			Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m46.633s		6
7		Timo Glock Toyota 1m46.677s
			Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m46.671s		8
9		Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1m46.788s
			Nico Rosberg Williams 1m47.362s		10
11		Adrian Sutil Force India 1m45.119s
			Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1m45.122s		12
13		Fernando Alonso Renault 1m45.136s
			Jenson Button Brawn 1m45.251s		14
15		Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1m45.259s
			Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m45.951s		16
17		Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m46.032s
			Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1m46.307s		18
19		Romain Grosjean Renault 1m46.359s
			Luca Badoer Ferrari 1m46.957s		20

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2009: The Grid

Both Force India drivers performed well in qualifying, and Adrian Sutil was hot on Fisichella’s heels initially, but couldn’t quite better the pace of those around him in the second stint. Sutil starts the race in P11 though, and is primed for a good race providing he can make up a couple of places at the start and hang on to those ahead. The field spread tends to be quite big at Spa Francorchamps, but if the cars are running well, then both Sutil and Fisichella could disrupt the usual running and provide an interesting race.

Two of the sport’s biggest names fell by the wayside early on in qualifying, and Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will start tomorrow’s grand prix in P12 and P14 respectively. Although only 0.003s shy of Sutil, Lewis Hamilton couldn’t quite make it out of Q2, but the most surprising performance came from Button, who once again has lost out to his team mate.

Rubens Barrichello fared better around Spa Francorchamps and the European Grand Prix winner starts in P4. Although not the best position to capitalise on his recent upsurge in pace, Barrichello is at least ahead of Red Bull Racing and McLaren, and only has a BMW, Toyota and Force India ahead of him. Assuming the experience of Barrichello can keep him out of trouble tomorrow afternoon, and depending on how much fuel is in the Brawn, Rubens is primed for a stellar race.

Like Force India, BMW have come alive as well, and although the grid looks like it should be indicating a wet qualifying session, the Belgian circuit was dry throughout and the results we see are genuine. Nick Heidfeld struggled in Q3 and seemed to have lost his way despite having hauled his F1.09 into the third run. However, on his last run Heidfeld popped in a surprising P3 lap and leads a resurgent BMW team into the race. Robert Kubica finished his Saturday running in P5 and following on from Kubica’s point-scoring European Grand Prix, the Hinwil team must surely be looking forward to another haul of points from the race tomorrow.

Toyota have both their cars in the top ten as well, with Jarno Trulli reveling the Spa Francorchamps circuit. Trulli sits alongside his compatriot on the front row of the grid and with his team mate in P7, both Trulli and Glock are taking the fight to McLaren in the constructors championship, the teams separated by only 2.5 points.

Both Red Bulls did manage to qualify in the top ten, but looking at the final positions, it isn’t much to write home about. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber completed their afternoons in P8 and P9, and although they are ahead of Button, they are also a fair distance behind Barrichello. It isn’t obvious why the team suffered so much in qualifying, but both drivers will struggle to score any meaningful points in the race and will be hoping for a bit of bad luck to fall Barrichello’s way.

Elsewhere on the grid, the Scuderia Toro Rosso and Williams had fairly anonymous sessions, with only Nico Rosberg again showing consistency with a top ten position, but seemingly down on pace in comparison to his Valencia outing last weekend. Renault too are struggling, Fernando Alonso only getting as high as P13 and Romain Grosjean only bettering the Ferrari of Luca Badoer.

And so Luca Badoer has indeed failed to improve his performance from the European Grand Prix, the Italian bringing up the rear after his qualifying ended early with a trip across the grass and thump with the barrier. Although not a heavy accident, the back of the F60 sustained damage and perhaps provided the final nail in his Formula One career.

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2009: Giancarlo Fisichella Storms To Belgian Pole

Fernando Alonso, Hamilton’s team mate last year at McLaren, feels the penalty is fair. The Spaniard came into the pits at Spa last weekend to change to wet weather tyres and had a storming final lap. Alonso believes he could have won the race had it been one lap longer, although seeing as Nick Heidfeld was ahead and also on wet weather tyres, I feel Alonso would have only managed second. That said, Hamilton’s penalty didn’t effect the outcome of Fernando’s race, so one can presume that the double world champion is speaking without looking for advantage.

Lewis had an advantage by doing that [cutting the chicane]. If he did the chicane properly, he would never have crossed the line one metre behind Kimi. You lose five or ten metres and then you cannot overtake in Turn 1.

There were two or three laps to the end, many more corners to overtake at with the condition of the circuit. It was clear for me that it was not the right moment to overtake. The stewards take their decisions and they have been very strict this year. They are very hard but consistent. Fernando Alonso.

Alonso is in the minority of current drivers, as most feel that while Hamilton did gain an advantage, the penalty was harsh.

I think it is very clear, the rules are clear. Maybe the penalty is very hard but he has made the same mistake twice, he did in Magny-Cours and he did it in Spa. I don’t really understand why there is such a mess around it, there is a rule book and everyone has to obey the same thing. The penalty is rough but it is up to you to give the position back. Sebastien Bourdais.

What happened is that he took an advantage by cutting the chicane. You can ask drivers how many overtaking moves you see there. None between the last corner and the first corner, because there is such a small straight there. That is my opinion and it doesn’t change. Felipe Massa.

I actually don’t get Massa’s comment at all. The Brazilian states that because other drivers haven’t passed between the final turn and the first, that Hamilton shouldn’t have attempted it. Which, in my humble opinion, reads: racing needs to be dumbed down, the drivers need to agree on corners which they can pass beforehand, and to take one step further, permission needs to sought before making any move. I’m sorry Felipe, but just because other drivers may not have been able to pass at La Source, it doesn’t mean all can’t. Of course, the general opinion among drivers is that Hamilton was only able to pass because of the advantage he gained, but despite that, Massa’s comments are quite shocking to me.

I agree the penalty was quite big but I am not a steward. But it is also clear he got an advantage. The rules are very clear, if you cut the chicane you get the advantage you have to drop it and lose advantage, in Lewis’ case he should not attack in the first corner that is it. Jarno Trulli.

I just seen pictures so difficult for me to say if it is right or not what happened. For sure maybe he took a small advantage that is why he had the possibility to overtake him again in braking for Turn One, but obviously 25 seconds penalty was quite a strong penalty. Giancarlo Fisichella.

He did have an advantage because he would not be so close if he had not cut the chicane but the penalty was a bit harsh as it did not have a big result in the end result. But it won’t stop us from trying to attack definitely. Nico Rosberg.

So the general consensus among drivers – those people who fully understand exactly what it is like to drive a Formula One car in the conditions we saw in Belgium – is that Hamilton gained an advantage by doing what he did, but the penalty was quite harsh.

A slightly different view came from Renault’s Pat Symonds. Symonds took the opportunity while recording the team’s podcast to speak about the effect this will have on the sport as a whole.

As it happened in real time, we were talking on the intercom and said: ‘Wow that was definitely a situation where he has to give the place back’. I guess we weren’t that surprised when the stewards were found to be investigating it. Having looked at it again, I feel very, very sorry for Lewis. I think he has been very hard done
by.

It raises lots of interesting questions, and I am not talking about ‘Are the FIA on the side of Ferrari?’ We have to believe that they are impartial, the sport would not exist if we didn’t believe that. But I think it does call into question [the sport's] philosophy, because everyone is saying we need more overtaking in Formula One, we need more excitement, and we need more personalities. And yet it seems to me that everything that actually happens seems to be against that.

Here we had a great race with people really challenging each other and for why? If it’s taken away, then why take that risk?

To me the facts are quite clear in retrospect. I have had a look at the videos, I’ve had a look at the published data which shows that Lewis was nearly 7 km/h slower than Raikkonen across the line, you can quite clearly see on the in-car camera that he lets him get completely in front, and in my view Raikkonen just braked very early.

Lewis went inside him, and if you look at the in-car camera stuff, Lewis drove around the hairpin very easily. He didn’t have a big slide, he didn’t have to correct it, he hadn’t gone in too deep and come out wide, it was a perfectly legitimate manouevre, and it wasn’t that much later that Raikkonen went past him.

This is racing, this is what we want. Pat Symonds.

While attempting to diffuse the situation regarding the FIA and Ferrari, Symonds basically says that we all want to see great racing, and in the final few laps at Spa Francorchamps, that is exactly what we saw. However, the superb race has now been tarnished by the stewards who, according to Symonds, have potentially stifled racing. Renault’s Director of Engineering also went on to say that he feels the decisions made by the stewards need to happen faster. This is something I too feel strongly about, and if the previous posts about this on BlogF1 are read properly, you will see that the crux centres around this very fact. The result of a race should not be changed two hours after the supposed winner has sprayed the champagne on the podium.

I think motor racing should be like football, not like cricket. Let’s have action, let’s know what is going on in real time, not wait for two days to find out the result. Pat Symonds.

I understand that when something happens at the very end of the race, little can be done to penalise the driver or team before the chequered flag is taken. However, the stewards need to find a way to speed up decisions. It shouldn’t take two hours to come to a conclusion, it should take a matter of minutes. And it is my belief that if this delays the podium celebration, then so be it. I would want to see the winner on the podium, hear the winner’s national anthem and see the team collect the winning constructors trophy. I do not want, as Lou from F1Break put it, go to make a cup of tea only to find after returning the result has since changed.

Original article by BlogF1.

What Others Have To Say On That Penalty

The incident, which saw Hamilton attempt a move to pass Raikkonen, run over the run-off area and rejoin ahead of Kimi, has brought the world of Formula One to the fore as fans voice their shock at changing a result and their annoyance that the FIA once again look to be giving an advantage to Ferrari. However, in this case McLaren believe they have enough evidence to claim the decision by the stewards was wrong. Should the decision stand though, McLaren could face an even larger penalty, such is the way the FIA operate.

The official decision is that Hamilton received a post-race drive-thru, which because it happened after the completion of the grand prix, means 25 seconds was added to the driver’s total time. This demoted Lewis down to third, promoting Ferrari driver Felipe Massa to the victors position and Nick Heidfeld into second. Here’s what some of the key people involved had to day on the matter…

What is really the advantage that you are taking in such conditions that can be used in the second situation at the first corner? That, in my view, is the most important thing. But this is racing. Stefano Domenicali.

Ferrari deny making any complaint to the stewards at the time, indicating (and only indicating at the time) they felt Hamilton fairly returned Kimi to the lead before re-attacking the position. It is also interesting that Domenicali states “this is racing”. A fair point, I believe, and if I may add; it is not a political battle, it really is just racing.

We looked at all our data and also made it available to the FIA stewards. It showed that, having lifted, Lewis was 6km/h slower than Kimi as they crossed the start/finish line. Having passed the lead back to Kimi, Lewis repositioned his car, moving across and behind Kimi to the right-hand line and then outbraked him into the hairpin. Based on this data, we have no option other than to register our intention to appeal. McLaren Spokesperson.

McLaren now have eight days to write to the FIA and officially lodge their appeal, the outcome of which will not be heard until a meeting has been scheduled. The final, final result of the 2008 Belgium Grand Prix will not be known until after this hearing.

Original article by BlogF1.

McLaren Lodge Intention Of Appeal To Stewards Decision

Belgium 2008: Race Results

Timo Glock was also handed a 25s penalty for passing under yellow flags. His openalty was given after the race and pushed him out of eighth place. Mark Webber has been promoted into the points-paying position.

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2008: Amended Race Result

And neither am I, but not for the reasons you may think. I am absolutely disgusted that the result of a race has once again been changed after the podium ceremony. Everyone at the saturated Spa Francorchamps circuit saw Lewis Hamilton lift the winners trophy and spray the victory champagne. Yet, when they get home later this evening, they will learn that in fact Massa has won. That, in my mind, is completely wrong. It is so wrong, it nothing short of ridiculous. If the stewards cannot decide after an incident if any punishment should be handed out, then quite simply, no punishment should be handed out. And certainly not a punishment that affects the result of the race.

Do you agree with me, or do you think the penalty is perfectly reasonable for the infraction and also for the sport? As ever, the comments are open…

Poll Result:
Lewis Hamilton’s penalty is…

• Completely Disgraceful – 137 votes (75%)
• Perfectly fair – 31 votes (17%)
• He should have been punished, but in another way – 14 votes (8%)

Total Votes: 182

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2008: Hamilton Loses Victory, Massa Now Winner

With rain earlier in the day, the track was damp at the start and the teams were gambling on their choice of tyres. Just prior to the five minute cut-off point, only Nelson Piquet Jr took to intermediates as the rest of the field started on dry tyres. When the lights faded, Lewis Hamilton maintained his lead through La Source and Kimi Raikkonen closed right up on team mate Felipe Massa and found a way pass. Heikki Kovalainen went backwards after a poor start and both Renault’s left the line well, Alonso getting into fourth and Piquet Jr getting into seventh.

Lap two proved to be just as exciting as Hamilton spun into the first corner, allowing Raikkonen to go through and take the lead. Kimi, now with a clear track ahead, set about creating a margin between himself and the McLaren, setting fastest laps in the process. It wasn’t long though before Hamilton gathered himself together and settled into an improving pace, closing down the gap to Raikkonen little by little. Further back, Heikki Kovalainenhad a poor race back in eighth. The Finn managed to pass Robert Kubica coming out of Eau Rouge and along the straight, but as he appraoched his next target, Mark Webber, the pass didn’t go so smoothly. Kovalainen made a late charge on the brakes at the Bus Stop and clipped the Australian’s Red Bull. The result of Heikki’s bold, but ultimately silly move was a drive-thru penalty.

Hamilton and Raikkonen pitted one lap apart, the former coming in on lap eleven and the positions maintained as they threaded themselves back into the action. Nelson Piquet became the first retiree as he spun into the tyre wall at Fagnes. The Scuderia Toro Rossos managed to keep themselves in the race and both drivers put in sterling efforts, while at the front Kimi Raikkonen started to put the hammer down, popping in fastest lap after fastest lap and extending the lead over Hamilton to around 6s.

Rubens Barrichello became the second driver to retire, the Brazilian being pulled into his garage on lap 21 by the Honda team. Barrichello had lost sixth gear and this caused his engine to over-rev. Wanting to save the power-plant for Monza next weekend, Honda retired Barrichello. Jenson Button brought his Honda home in fifteenth after a fairly anonymous race.

On lap 25 the leaders came in to the pits for their second stops and for harder tyres. Knowing the McLaren works better on this set, Hamilton set about closing the gap to Raikkonen. As Lewis closed up to Kimi, the skies darkened and rain was predicted for the final few laps. By lap 29 the gap between the McLaren and the Ferrari had shrunk to 1.9s, while Massa remained in third and Alonso fourth.

Fernando Alonso reported drops of rain on lap 37 and the race started to come alive again. Although the cars were still lapping the circuit in decent time, it was clear that rain was falling on some parts, most notably on the start/finish straight. As the charge at the front intensified, Lewis Hamilton attempted a pass on Raikkonen going into the final chicane. On the outside the Briton simply ran out of road and took to the run-off area. Not sure if he was actually in the lead before running off, Hamilton allowed Kimi to re-take the position going over the timing beacon. However, on the run down to La Source the pair jinked wildly around as Raikkonen attempted to defend his position. Hamilton managed to claim the inside line and passed Kimi.

The battle didn’t end there though as Hamilton ran wide later on the penultimate lap and Raikkonen re-passed. As they both come across Kazuki Nakajima in the much slower Williams both drivers scrambled to control their own vehicles and avoid the Japanese driver. Raikkonen ran wide, Hamilton re-took the lead, and in desperation to catch up with the McLaren again, Raikkonen threw his Ferrari off the track and into the barrier. The conditions were wreaking havoc and the Finn fell foul of the slippery track. Hamilton cruised around lap 44 on incorrect tyres and managed to take the victory.

Further behind, some drivers pitted for wet weather tyres and one driver who really benefited from new treaded rubber was Nick Heidfeld. On the final lap the German driver managed to pass at least two cars to haul himself up into third. The end of the race was absolutely manic and ultimately very hard to follow (as was modding the live blog), but it was sensational to say the least.

Hamilton’s win puts him further ahead of Felipe Massa in the title championship, now eight points clear of the Brazilian. Kimi Raikkonen is now 23 shy of Hamilton and it seems as though his title defense is now pretty much over. Between Kimi and Felipe is Robert Kubica, who had a relatively poor race in Belgium. Although the Pole managed to get three points from Spa Francorchamps, he now rests on 58 in total, one ahead of Raikkonen.

In the constructors championship, McLaren have closed up to within six points of Ferrari, who still lead the fight with 129. BMW pass the century mark and now have 105 points while the battle for fourth gets more exciting with Toyota on 42, Renault on 36 and Red Bull Racing on 24. The dual between Toyota and Renault looks set to go on through the final phase of the championship.

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2008: A Sensational Race From Start To Finish

Belgium 2008: Race Results

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2008: Race Result

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2008: Live Blog

The 2008 Belgian Grand Prix Grid

Inclusive of penalties given – so far, none.

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2008: The Grid

A full report will follow later this evening.

Belgium 2008: Qualifying Results

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2008: Qualifying Result

Renault powered Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber (in the Renault and Red Bull respectively) were the top four’s closest challengers, Alonso taking fifth and Webber sixth. Just behind the Australian were both Scuderia Toro Rossos, with Sebastien Bourdais ahead of his team mate Sebastian Vettel. Although both Rossos are showing good pace at the moment, Vettel had some sideways moments and Bourdais’s car ground to a halt at the end of the 90-minute session after the teams had practiced some starts.

BMW are once again holding their cards closely and both drivers finished just outside the top-ten. However, as with most grand prix weekends this season, they will likely improve this afternoon and tomorrow. Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil displaced the Williams of Kazuki Nakajima and all three lapped the challenging circuit quicker than the Hondas. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello rest in nineteenth and twentieth.

Belgium 2008: Friday Free Practice One

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2008: Friday Morning Practice

Original article by BlogF1.

Hakkinen & Schumacher: 2000 Belgian Grand Prix