Belgian Grand Prix Preview

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WELCOME TO

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THE EDITORIAL TEAM

THE EDITOR & DESIGNER MATTHEW BACON

LEAD WRITER ROBYN BLAKE

WRITER / PROMO DANIEL J MORSE

SALES / WRITER

EDITOR’S LETTER

GARY MARSHALL

Welcome back after the summer break, hope you all enjoyed your break and are ready for the final push to the end of season. We are back with our preview of the Belgian grand prix with some more writers added to the team and a change to styling. In this issue we have a article on the hottest topic in F1 at the moment which is the BBC & Sky coverage deal which was announced just before the Hungarian grand prix and sent the British viewing public into uproar. We take a look at the 1983 Belgian grand prix and Jenson Button’s run of bad luck at Spa. We have a preview on the race and a article on Red Bull’s recent form, also the final image is back. If you have any views on this issue then feel free to drop us a message via twitter.com/finalsector or facebook.com/finalsector we want to hear your views on the articles and the overall look of the magazine. If you would like to get involved in the project then check out page in the magazine offering you the chance to get involved.

GUEST WRITER EWAN MARSHALL

GUEST WRITER

BETHANY ANDREWS

GUEST WRITER JACK LESLIE

GUEST WRITER CHRISTINA EADES

Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading, Matt Bacon

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LAPS: 44 CIRCUIT LENGTH : 7.004KM RACE DISTANCE : 307.052KM LAP RECORD : 1:45.108 K RAIKKONEN (2004) 2010 WINNER : LEWIS HAMILTON One of the most iconic tracks in the calendar, Spa is a fast pace flowing circuit. The mercedes engines should do well here with the straighline speed advantage. This is the race back after the summer break will mclaren and ferrari managed to maintain the speed over Red bull or will they claim the top spot again this weekend?

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Photo Credit : Getty Images

Since 2009, the BBC has been the exclusive broadcaster of Formula One. The move from ITV to the BBC was a move that delighted the fans. The combination of Humphrey, Jordan, Coulthard, Brundle and the rest of the BBC crew, was a match made in heaven. Not only did it make watching the build-up just as exciting as the race, in some cases more so, but they also increased the number of viewers introducing new fans to the sport. It was a contract that was supposed to last till 2013. However, to the dismay of thousands of loyal fans, many were left speechless when it was announced on July 29th that Sky will now have full coverage of free practice, qualifying and races. As most of you reading will probably agree, we were extremely displeased to hear such news. Managing director of Sky Sports, Barney Francis, had this to say about the deal: "This is fantastic news for F1 fans and Sky Sports will be the only place to follow every race live and in HD.

We will give F1 the full Sky Sports treatment with a commitment to each race never seen before on UK television." The only partial good news to come from the announcement was that the BBC will broadcast half of the races along with the corresponding free practice and qualifying sessions in full and the other half, they will provide the fans with extended highlights. This shared arrangement is set to the 2018. At present, it has been confirmed that the BBC will show Silverstone, Monaco and the concluding race live. Bernie Ecclestone’s decision to give Sky the full rights came after years of promising the dedicated fans that the sport will remain free-to-air and that the sport was for the fans and not about the money. OK, so F1 has always revolved around money but what I think he meant was that the fans

were more important. Just a couple weeks before the announcement, Bernie expressed, "It isn't possible that F1 could go on to pay TV, we wouldn't want to do that." Clearly that was not the case and we have been betrayed by the one person we thought that would always stay by our side. Channel 5 was amidst those who were wantwant ing to buy the viewing rights. It was reported that if the BBC decided to not renew their 5 year contract, Ecclestone would approach Richard Desmond, owner of Channel 5. But obviously their offer was nowhere near the offer that Rupert Murdoch offered F1’s top man. For those teams who have publically expressed their opinions on the matter, it seems to be a favoured agreement. Christian Horner, Red Bull team boss believes that this recent deal will “safeguard” the sport “And

Sky opens up new avenues.” Two channels sharing the broadcasting rights will ultimately bring in more revenue for the sport and for everyone involved including teams and sponsors. But for many of us, the BBC has done a spectacular job covering the sport. Sky Sports will have to provide something extraordinary to match the attention that the BBC has provided us for the past two years. "The sport has never been more popular with TV audiences at a 10-year high and the BBC has always stated its commitment to the big national sporting moments.” said Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport. Regardless of the fact that they themselves are one of the major reasons why the F1 fan base is ever growing, they still felt the need to bail out of their contract. Photo Credit : Getty images

The decision to share the rights was due to the BBC’s ever growing financial issues. It costs Beeb around £60 million a year to cover Formula One to the extent they do. BBC 4 which was also in talks to be removed as a channel costs the BBC around £40 million a year. In my opinion, what does BBC 4 really bring to the table besides abysmal programmes which are not even remotely good enough for the likes of BBC One or Two?! In the end, they chose BBC 4 over a sport which may cost them millions of pounds but at the same time, brings in much more revenue. Because of their coverage, they became one of the first ports of call with regards to anything F1 related. They increased viewers by the thousands with each new race. However, although we were outraged at this new deal, ultimately as fans, we will find a way to watch our beloved sport. Let’s face it, for many of us, F1 runs in our blood.

We would feel empty not having the pinnacle of motorsport in our lives. At the end of the day, the deal has been done. We now have to accept that. What we need to remember is that we have been extremely lucky that Formula One has remained free-to-air for as long as it has. It has now run its course. The sport is more to do about money than the fans these days. I do have reservations as to whether the 2012 Olympics will persuade the BBC to hand over the exclusive rights to the Murdoch empire. All we can do now is sit back and hope that the BBC retains the deal they have agreed upon.

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JENSON’S SPA TREATMENT Words: Bethany Andrews Photos: Mclaren

J

enson Button must have had numerous days in his career where he stood back and wondered not only if he would ever have a win within his sport, but also whether he could win the coveted World Driver’s Championship trophy at the end of a year. Button was in the sport for seven years and part of three different teams before he won his first grand prix in 2006 at Hungary. Despite winning the World Championship he craved in 2009 with his fifth team, Button faced his only retirement of the year at the Belgium Grand Prix as he was cruelly removed from the race in a four car pileup. The crash was in fact two separate incidents, that of Romain Grosjean who ran into the back of Jenson Button, and that of Jaime Alguersuari who ran into the back of Lewis Hamilton following Hamilton’s slowing down to avoid the first incident. It produced not only a wave of shock and anger through Jenson’s fan base but also a well known image of the future Vodafone Mclaren teammates standing behind a barrier, helmet in hands, with no one anyone the wiser that the two Brits would team up the following year. As if this wasn’t enough of a sore point for Button, he was sensationally taken out of last year’s race by soon to be World Champion Sebastian Vettel. What I am trying to convey is that Jenson Button has had almost no luck at this track and his six retirements to one podium ratio supports this. Since driving a reliable car, Button has proved time and time again that he is able to not only navigate the car to a firm position but also to win races. He just hasn’t quite found the luck at Spa.

Button has quite possibly got one of the strongest mindsets within the sport. Though he had almost nothing to show for his talent, he drove through years of racing to get the almost perfect year in 2009 (excluding Spa). Button’s mental strength led Brawn to believe in him and bring the Honda drivers across to Brawn when he brought the F1 company in 2009. Brawn handed Button one of the best cars we as the fans have ever seen; it may have looked simple, but it drove to the finish line time and time again winning six races out of seven at the start of the year. Over the course of the year he had a further three podiums, one second and two thirds. It was with Brawn that Button was able to show his critics what he had always been capable of had he been given a car able to cope with world championship worthy talent.

yet no one was expecting what happened next. Having run wide into the corner Vettel got onto some standing water and lost control, his nosecone hit Button’s side pod and destroyed his radiator. Button’s race was over, Vettel was handed a penalty after his recovery and despite his attempt to recover finished fifteenth.

Whilst researching Button’s luck at McLaren a very interesting fact presented itself - out of the four retirements Button has been subjected to over his two years, none have been his responsibility. At Monaco 2010 a McLaren engineer left a bung in an air intake valve leading to the engine overheating and Button’s race being over on only the second lap. This event being a complete U-turn on the year before when he had to sprint to the podium having parked his car in park ferme with the other drivers. The next incident is the aforementioned 2010 retirement featuring Sebastian Vettel and possibly what most will class as one of the worst moves of his career. Watching Vettel weaving everyone could see his frustration,

When McLaren announced they had employed Jenson Button for 2010 many pundits, journalists and fans commented on how Button was walking into the lion’s den. He was walking into the team that had nurtured and produced Lewis Hamilton, another Brit. It was this speculation that Button wouldn’t be a true part of the team that took away from the fact that Britain was getting a complete British team again. The rumours couldn’t have been further from the truth, the duo seemed to gel well and get straight into their job with minimal fuss. Of all the team mates on the track they were one of the few teams that didn’t have to firmly reprimand their drivers for ramming each other off the road. They participate in various PR events together and seem to genuinely care that one another had won. Only recently has there been an example of their good nature, when Lewis crashed out at Canada he was one of the first at the podium to congratulate Button on his win. The pair quite simply get on well.

It wasn’t until the seventh race of the 2011 season, and tragically his home grand prix, that Button was forced into his third retirement for McLaren. After coming in for a pit stop a wheel gun jammed and the mechanic threw it to the side for a replacement. Having mistaken this for the mechanic dropping it as he’d finished the task; the lollypop man let Button go. Button made it to the end of the pit lane where he retired and McLaren were later fined for unsafe release from the pit lane. Given his careful driving no one would have thought that Button would then face a double whammy when an hydraulics failure forced him out of the German grand prix only two weeks later, the only saving grace for the McLaren team being that Lewis Hamilton went on to win.

There’s no question that Jenson Button is perfectly capable of winning races, it just seems that so far Formula One has not been ready to see him win at Spa. Having recently won the Hungarian and his 200th grand prix just before the F1 shutdown, Button looks on form to take another win at Spa. Whether it is at all possible we will soon see, what is certain is that Button seems to be at the peak of his career. Good luck Jenson, I hope you won’t be thinking too much about ‘pit stops’ and we may instead see you ‘winning’.

Mark Webber taking Eau Rouge flat out in the RB6 © Getty Images

BELGIAN GP

PREVIEW BY GARY MARSHALL

We can expect to see everyone nice and tanned back in the paddock for the Belgium Grand Prix, fresh from the summer break as Formula 1’s self imposed sabbatical comes to an end at Spa-Francorchamps. Nestled in the Ardennes forests, the 4.6 mile circuit is a shadow of its of the pre-war 9.3 mile ‘triangle’ road layout but Spa remains one of the hardest tests on the calendar for Grand Prix drivers. The test of tackling iconic corners like Eau Rouge and Blanchimont remain two of the toughest test of nerve for any F1 driver. Four weeks is a long time in Formula 1, especially when questions are being asked about your ability to handle the pressure of leading the championship. Sebastian Vettel went into the month long sabbatical on the back of two less than convincing performances in Germany and Hungary where he made uncharacteristic mistakes. Team boss Christian Horner was quick to refute the doubters "He is hugely impressive under pressure, he has not ceased to surprise me in pressure situations. Monaco was a clear example in the way that he managed to keep the cars [Alonso and Jenson Button] behind him on tyres that were never envisaged to run that long.” The chasing trio of Hamilton, Button and Alonso will again be out to stake their claims on being Vettel’s biggest challenger. The momentum is firmly with the McLaren drivers after two consecutive wins for the Working based team in Germany and Hungary. Jenson Button is in no mood to right off his own challenge despite being 100 points behind the reigning world champion. "There are 200 points up for grabs and I enter all of the races believing I can win them," he said. "We're about to visit some really special venues: Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Suzuka and Interlagos are some of the greatest tracks in the sport. You really feel their soul and their history. We're going to these tracks with three teams battling with similar pace at the top, it's going to be a competitive and dramatic run down to Brazil and the end of the season." On Monday it was revealed that Bruno Senna will be replacing Nick Heidfeld at Renault for the Belgium Grand Prix and possibly the rest of the season. It has been widely reported that the team have being suffering from a shortage of funding and have asked title sponsors Lotus for cash advances, which the team have strenuously denied. While Heidfeld is on a salary, Senna brings several million pounds in sponsorship with him and bringing the Senna name back in a black and gold ‘Lotus Renault’ could attract new partners to the team. Renault, after losing several weeks of wind tunnel time during a facility upgrade are ready with a raft of new upgrades for Spa. Before Mondays news, Heidfeld was calling this make or break for Renaults season. "If it doesn't work, then we are in trouble," Heidfeld told AUTOSPORT about the major update package coming for Belgium. "Since we found out our problems we have made some small things. But we have made some big improvements in the wind tunnel now, and it was not that easy to bring all the parts to the circuit yet. So Spa is a very important place for us to go in the right direction." Force India will go into the Belgian Grand Prix weekend with the weight of expectation on their shoulders following Giancarlo Fisichella’s surprise pole position and second place finish in 2009. Adrian Sutil is confident of another strong showing at Spa for Force India as they now set their sights on catching Sauber after taking 7th place in the constructor’s championship from Torro Rosso in Hungary. “We're aiming to catch a lot of points still. Looking to Spa and Monza, these are tracks that favour us. It could get even better.” He added, "It's a good sign that our downforce is improving and the general stability [of the car] too. This will help us at Spa. We are still one of the fastest cars in a straight line. The switch of the DRS is very good, so it should be even better at Spa and Monza than at other races." Pirelli have announced that the teams will be provided with their Medium (white) and Soft (yellow) compounds for the weekend. Motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “We’re learning more and more with every race in our first year of Formula One, and fine-tuning our compound choices to benefit from the valuable information that we are accumulating. We’ve got three of the most thrilling races on the entire calendar coming up, and we believe that we’ve arrived at some tyre nominations that are very well-suited to the characteristics of these very different but equally exciting circuits. Of course there will always be some unknown factors – such as the weather – but the choices we have made are designed to help teams maximise both their performance and their race strategy.” Pirelli also confirmed that the hard compound will not be used again this season. Friday 26 August: Practice one - 0900-1030, Practice two - 1300-1430 Saturday 27 August: Practice three - 1000-1100, Qualifying - 1300-1400 Sunday: Race - 1300

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Round six of the 1983 Formula One World Championship saw the teams and drivers return to the daunting Spa-Francorchamps circuit, after a thirteen year absence. Following a barrage of criticism from drivers over safety, the venue had lost the right to hold the Belgian Grand Prix to rivals Zolder. Subsequently, this led to organisers embarking on a raft of changes to help modernise the venue and try to resurrect its chances of bringing back premier motor racing. Central to this was the alteration of the track itself, which saw the original 14.10km layout more than halved to a smaller 6.9km configuration. Instead of continuing on the Francorchamps to Malmedy road, the circuit now swung right at Les Combes to join a completely new section which would not join the old layout until Blanchimont – where drivers hurtled down to a new ‘Bus Stop’ chicane and pits facility.

All in all there was little change to the field which lined up in Monaco. Nelson Piquet’s Brabham led Renault’s Alain Prost by twenty-one points to nineteen; with Rene Arnoux a further two back for Ferrari. Prior to the opening practice session it had been announced that Arrows would replace Chico Serra with the up-and-coming Theirry Boutsen, with the local hero proving to be quick in a recent young driver test at Silverstone and having attracted sponsorship. Ford also came to Spa with great expectations; bringing two of its new DFY engines for Tyrrell’s Michele Alboreto to test. It was hoped that the new electron cylinder heads and revised valves would help improve the driveability but also the output of the new power plant. However it proved to be a frustrating experience throughout Friday, with the Italian forced to compromise on set-up time to try and overcome the various issues which plagued his engine. Meanwhile at the front three men quickly emerged as the contenders for pole position. These were Prost’s Renault, Tambay’s Ferrari and Euroracing Alfa Romeo’s Andrea de Cesaris – who had been mighty in testing prior to the weekend. Although de Cesaris set the pace early on, he could do nothing to stop Prost and Tambay from eclipsing his efforts – with the former setting a time of 2m 04.615s to edge the latter by just 0.011 of a second. Championship leader Piquet was a second down to complete the second row of the grid. Heavy rain on Saturday meant that the grid was set in stone; however this did not stop drivers from venturing out in the second qualifying session, in an attempt to gain as much knowledge in case race day was wet. Astonishingly, despite having qualified two and a half seconds off his team-mate after losing engine power, Eddie Cheever was quickest by nearly

five seconds – the American clearly at home in the slippery conditions. Race day would be dry, yet overcast and as the drivers lined up to take the start at approximately 2.30pm it was understood that the majority of the front runners had opted to take fuel out of their car to stop for fuel and tyres half way through. However before that stage could be reached there would be drama at the start when Marc Surer (Arrows) and Andrea de Cesaris (Euroracing Alfa) both gesticulated widely out of their cockpits as they found themselves stranded on the grid. This led FISA starter Derek Ongaro to switch on the amber lights - to void the start - but this could not contain the field charging off into turn one before being met with waving marshals flags. Consequently the minutes leading up to the restart would be greeted with controversy as an incensed Frank Williams lodged a protest after Ferrari and Renault, after mechanics from both teams stepped over the pit wall with churns of fuel – a move which was against the rules. After much pleading by Ferrari’s Marco Piccinini – who claimed he had called back his Ferrari mechanics – Williams would drop his protest against the Scuderia, but would still push on to see Renault fined $5,000 for their part in the affair (which was even more shambolic when race officials ruled that the distance would be cut by two laps from forty-two to forty). Fifteen minutes later and it was finally underway, with de Cesaris squeezing by Tambay and Prost into La Source to steak away. While there were no major incidents into turn one, the race would come to a premature end for Riccardo Patrese as his BMW engine expired on the run up to Eau Rouge – leaving de Cesaris to lead Prost by a few car lengths with the two Ferraris , Piquet, Winkelhock and Rosberg hovering behind.

De Cesaris was clearly fired up and after five laps he had pulled out a lead of more than two seconds over his French rival. By then team-mate Baldi had already parked his car as had Thierry Boutsen with a broken rear suspension arm. Ten laps in and there was no further change in the order with de Cesaris now almost five seconds ahead of Prost with Tambay a comfortable third after team-mate Arnoux began to drop back with engine issues began to find himself under considerable pressure from Piquet and Rosberg – who was doing a wonderful job in the normally-aspirated Williams. After a strong start Manfred Winkelhock’s race soon began to turn sour when on the eleventh lap his engine began to pop, forcing him to pit a lap later and lose mountains of time as his team replaced a broken fuel injector pipe. While the ATS would re-emerge, on lap eighteen the German would be involved in a terrifying incident when his right rear wheel fell off while in the middle of Pouhon, sending him into the catch fences. Thankfully Winkelhock was uninjured and as he began his long walk to the pits, those at the front began to make their planned stops for fuel and fresh rubber. This moment would prove dramatic for de Cesaris who pitted on lap nineteen and found himself delayed by more than twenty-five seconds due to the inefficiency of his crew. Once the pit stop phase was completed the Italian found himself in second, but now ten seconds behind Prost. De Cesaris would attempt to respond and take the fight to the Frenchman; however his hopes would be in vain as on lap twenty-six

his Alfa Romeo engine expired, ending a valiant effort from the young Italian. This left Prost with an easy run home, now over twentytwenty seven seconds off Piquet who was beginning to encounter gearbox issues. After losing fifth gear, the Brazilian found himself a sitting duck on the Kemmel straight and would be passed by Tambay and then Cheever on lap thirty-four and thirty-eight respectively. So as Prost crossed the line to record the seventh victory of his career, Piquet would see himself lose the title lead with an unsavoury fourth place – only eight seconds behind Rosberg, with fellow Williams’ driver Jacque Laffite rounding off the top six. Elsewhere Derek Warwick, who had suffered a number of issues throughout the weekend, found himself seventh following a late charge in his Toleman and a late spin by team-mate Bruno Giacomelli. Nevertheless as the dust settled there would be yet more controversy when Brabham launched a protest against Renault for the use of its revised exhaust system. It was argued that the design, which had been introduced in Monaco, was being used to blow hot air over the rear of the car in a bid to reduce turbulence – therefore acting as a ‘moveable aerodynamic device’. However the politics did not end there with Renault also lodging its own protest against Williams, claiming that neither of its drivers had completed a slow-down lap, due to a lack of fuel, and their cars had not been taken to Parc Ferme for scrutinizing. Although stewards would later throw out both protests it would be a bitter way to end a weekend which had been largely successful and one which once again put SpaFrancorchamps on the motor racing map.

Final Standings 1. Alain Prost (Renault) 1:27:11.502 2. Patrick Tambay (Ferrari) + 23.182 3. Eddie Cheever (Renault) + 39.869 4. Nelson Piquet (Brabham) + 42.295 5. Keke Rosberg (Williams) + 50.480 6. Jacques Laffite (Williams) + 1:33.107 7. Derek Warwick (Toleman) + 1:58.539 8. Bruno Giacomelli (Toleman) + 2:38.273 9. Elio de Angelis (Lotus) + 1 Lap 10. Johnny Cecotto (Theodore) + 1 Lap 11. Marc Surer (Arrows) + 1 Lap 12. Danny Sullivan (Tyrrell) + 1 Lap 13. Raul Boesel (Ligier) + 1 Lap 14. Michele Alboreto (Tyrrell) + 2 Laps Ret Niki Lauda (McLaren) Gearbox Ret Nigel Mansell (Lotus) Gearbox Ret Andrea de Cesaris (Alfa Romeo) Injection Ret Roberto Guerrero (Theodore) Engine Ret René Arnoux (Ferrari) Engine Ret Corrado Fabi (Osella) Wheel Ret Manfred Winkelhock (ATS) Wheel Ret John Watson (McLaren) Collision Ret Jean-Pierre Jarier (Ligier) Collision Ret Thierry Boutsen (Arrows) Suspension Ret Mauro Baldi (Alfa Romeo) Throttle Ret Riccardo Patrese (Brabham-BMW) Engine DNQ Piercarlo Ghinzani (Osella) DNQ Eliseo Salazar (RAM-Ford)

vettel WINS! vettel WINS! vettel WINS! BY CHRISTINA EADES

“And Sebastian Vettel wins!� Those were the words exclaimed by Martin Brundle six out of the eleven races so far this season. After their success last year, Red Bull has continued to prove they are the best team on the grid. Vettel has remained very dominant this year, carrying on from the successes of last year. From the beginning, it looked to be another Red Bull year. Until now. McLaren and Ferrari have kept the hopes of their fans alive by bringing the fight to Vettel. The Italian and British teams have recently found speed and perfect set ups putting huge amounts of pressure on the reigning world champion. The German was fast to create a huge gap from the outset. Only his team mate in the same car was only able to keep pace. The likes of McLaren and Ferrari were left to fight between themselves because any hopes of getting close to Vettel, were slim to none. But for McLaren, their upgrades for the Spanish GP allowed them to close the door to Red Bull and allow them to remain close.

Photo Credit : Getty Images

Christian Horner blamed the tyres for their lack of pace during the race yet, the tyres were perfect for three of the previous races so why would he question the tyres? The simple answer is that McLaren were able to pick up the pace quite dramatically to match the RB7. It has been conveyed that the Red Bull is much harder on the Pirelli tyres than the McLaren and therefore high degradation means they are enable to go for as long. HamilHamil ton expressed after the race that had he got past Vettel, he would have created a substantial lead. Vettel was lucky to fight off the advanced MP4-26.

.As it stands, Red Bull are the only team with 100% reliability this season. With eight races remaining, this could still change. However, not only will they most likely win the championship if they remain 100% reliable, they will also become the first team in the history of the sport, to compete in a full season with no reliability issues. McLaren and Ferrari also have high reliabilities but after three retireretire ments, they are prone to mechanical failures. Should this happen again, they will most likely lose all hope of the 2011 championship title.

Another aspect which needs to be taken into consideration is DRS. During qualifying; the drag reduction system is allowed to be used freely during the sessions. So, whilst Red Bull enjoys their phenomenal qualifying times, ultimately it is during the race where it counts. And with specified areas of use at each track, Red Bull initially loses a lot of advantage to their rivals. In a DRS activation zone, Red Bull shine bright and are able to use it to their advantage. But, once outside of that zone, the McLarens are bringing it up the rear and continue to edge closer waiting for an opportunity to arise.

Many people are wondering if this is the beginning of Vettel’s downfall this season whilst thelikes of Alonso and Hamilton battle for the wins. In my opinion, Alonso and Hamilton will continue to eat each other’s points allowing Vettel to continue to maintain a healthy points gap. Vettel could technically retire from three races and still have a lead which gives him a huge advantage whilst every race is extremely valuable to Ferrari and McLaren. With the three week holiday about to end, the Belgian Grand Prix weekend will show us who has progressed in development and who has lost valuable seconds.

Red Bull enjoyed the fantastic start to the season but maybe they did so a little too soon. In doing so, they let down their guard assuming they had the title in the bag and did not expect their title rivals to match their speed. It has also become evident that Vettel seems to be buckling under the pressure to retain the world championship title. His uncharacteristic mistake in Canada cost him the win even though he is a rain master. At his home grand prix, he failed to even make it on the podium for the first time in eleven consecutive races finishing in fourth. What was expected to be an allGerman weekend, it was Hamilton who dominated fighting off Vettel in what could only be described as a more superior car during the weekend. Vettel fell victim to the charging Ferrari of Alonso and his own team mate in the other RB7.

?ZZ4ZG Alonso's been on the podium since Valencia, and his recent resurgence has Ferrari firing on all cylinders as they aim to echo the trail being blazed by the McLaren duo. They should be heartened by the loss of the hard tyre which both Alonso and Massa struggled with at times, and by starting the second half of the season at a track that has been good to the pair.

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Back in 2009 Force India found themselves both on pole position and on the podium with Giancarlo Fisichella, and although they have yet to recapture that glory Vijay Mallya is much happier with the car overall. They'll be relying on the straightline speed they uncovered in Germany, and a good level of downforce to tackle the corners in the hope of another good result to close the gap between them and Sauber.

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Both drivers and their team principal are sure this circuit has the features suited to their car, acknowledging the higher speed will benefit them as they strive to finish ahead of Virgin and Lotus team. Ricciardo and Liuzzi have fond memories of the Belgian circuit, the former winning the Formula 3 British race in 2009. The latter finishing on the podium back in 2004 during his time in Formula 3000.

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A last minute announcement from the BBC revealed that Nick Heidfeld will not be participating in the race as he has been replaced by Bruno Senna, although Heidfeld is two points clear of Petrov he will sit this one out. This makes it clear that Renault are feeling the heat and are willing to resort to drastic measures to see if they can improve their season.

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McLaren are intent on building on the considerable momentum they gathered leading into the summer break, with the scent of Red Bull weakness in their nose they're pushing hard to catch the front runners. It it perhaps a strategic call that Button now announces that the car 'feels really driveable right now', after the team wins three out of the last five races.

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Schumacher is going to this race with celebration in mind, the trip to Belgium signifies his 20th anniversary, where he first drove in his first Formula One race. Ross Brawn also had fond memories of the occasion as he has worked with Schumacher for seventeen out of those twenty years. Echoing the limitations of the mandatory shutdown others have, the team has had little time to update the car but Norbert Haug believes that their technical package will be better suited to Spa than the last two races.

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Their run up to the summer break was not how the leaders envisioned it would be, Vettel took the win in Valencia and since then Ferrari and McLaren have taken the initiative. So perhaps a return to Spa is not ideal where the momentum is elsewhere as they have yet to occupy the top step. However In 2009 Vettel was 3rd, last year he was 2nd so will he be able to complete the trio of top results this weekend?

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The team are looking forward to getting back to racing at a track they feel they can perform well at, James Key informs that they will be bringing upgrades to the front wing, and a brand new, Spa-specific, rear wing. Perez having won here in both Formula 3 and GP2 last year will be applying that knowledge extensively, but he also revealed that he used the summer break to 'fully recover' from his crash in Monaco.

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With the acquisition of the QPR football team and further expansion of the Team Lotus brand prevalent in the media, Tony Fernandes is also concentrating on ensuring reliability doesn't hinder further results. While also helping the bridge the gap that lies between them and the midfield group they are intent on catching.

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With a total already greater than the pairing managed last year, expectations are high to claim 6th place by the end of the year. 13 points currently stand between them and their closest competitors of Sauber and Force India, to bridge that gap Toro Rosso are bringing upgrades to the race to continue the climb. Buemi is particularly confident that with a well stocked range of upgrades in the garage the strong results will continue until the end of the season.

/GZEGP“'4<GPE The honour of the home race goes to d'Ambrosio this time around, and naturally it's a favourite track of his (among several other drivers) but for the team it's all about maintaining consistency on track. Since Canada their drivers have brought both cars home, and compared to last years finishing record it's one notable area of successful improvement.

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They start the second half of the season with yet more upgrades, this time Williams will be bringing a brand new rear wing and several diffuser modifications. These will be tested out during practice to monitor their success and determined whether they'll be used on race day. Both drivers know the track well, Maldonado having won their last year in his GP2 championship winning year.

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The 2010 Belgian Grand Prix will be remembered by Mark Webber as a lost race, a poor start led him to drop 5 places to 6th as Lewis Hamilton raced into the lead, and to win the race. Key parts of the race: Start, Webber gets a poor getaway as Hamilton leads Kubica, Button and Vettel into the first corner. Carnage at the Bus Stop chicane, as rain falls, Barrichello hits Alonso at high speed as many drivers cut the chicane. Barrichello is out while Alonso carries on unscathed. Only light rain fell so many drivers stayed out as it dried out again. Button and Vettel got past Kubica. Button gets hit by Vettel after the later loses control and hits the Mclarens side pod, Button is out but Vettel pits for a new nose. Many drivers explored the gravel traps as on and off conditions continued. Rain fell heavily at one end of the circuit, catching leader Hamilton out as he brushes the wall at Rivage. Alonso runs wide and crashes at the Les Combes-Malmedy complex. Safety car comes out as all drivers pit, Kubica overshoots pit box gifting second to Webber. Hamilton crosses the line first, with Webber second and Kubica third. Vettel finishes 15th after getting a puncture due to contact with Liuzzi, leaving him to do a while lap limping to the pits.

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The 2009 Belgian Grand Prix sprung a surprise result as Giancarlo Fisichella took pole and came second behind the improved Kimi Raikkonen. It would be his last of 4 wins at Spa. Key parts of the race: Start, Fisichella leads into the first corner, Raikkonen went from 6th to 3rd and then overtook Kubica for 2nd on the way to Les Combes. Barrichello had a bad start and dropped places, while team mate Button made up some time. Romain Grosjean hits Button which causes Hamilton to slow and get hit by Jaime Alguesuari, all 4 cars are out. Safety Car is out, when it came in Raikkonen used his KERS to fly past Fisichella on the long back straight after Eau Rouge. Fisichella keeps up with Raikkonen but is never more than a few seconds behind. However he can not get past. Raikkonen wins from Fisichella, Vettel after a strategic race, Kubica and Heidfield.

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The 2008 Belgian Grand Prix will be remembered by Lewis Hamilton very well, after a dramatic fight with Kimi Raikkonen which led to him cutting the chicane to get victory. Hamilton was given a penalty dropping him from 1st to 3rd, but it was his lap long battle with Raikkonen on a damp track, with dry tyres which is remembered. Key parts of the race: Start, Track drying after rain, Lewis retains lead but team mate Kovalainen drops many places. Hamilton spins at La Source giving Raikkonen the lead. Raikkonen pits on lap 12, 1 lap later than Hamilton, but retains the lead. Second stops lead to Hamilton closing on Raikkonen, Lap 41 overtakes at chicane, but cuts it, and retakes the Ferrari at the next turn. Rosberg goes off as rain begins to fall, Rejoining in front of leaders leaving Lewis on the grass. Raikkonen takes the lead only to spin a few metres later. Lewis leads as Raikkonen spins and hits the wall after lap long battle. Lewis is left out front alone. Lewis crosses the line first, only to be given a penalty for overtaking Raikkonen 1 corner after cutting the chicane. Dropping him from 1st to 3rd. Massa takes 1st ahead of Heidfeld and Lewis.

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2004 was a Belgian Grand Prix full of incident and surprise. A first corner bumper car session and crashes throughout the race led to many safety car periods. It also marked the first, and only win of the season, for Mclaren and Kimi Raikkonen in 2004. Key parts of the race: Nose cones are lost as concertina effect at first corner causes mayhem. Schumacher loses positions to Alonso and Coulthard of the line as Trulli leads into turn one. Eau Rouge ,Webber, missing a front wing, hits Sato’s BAR spinning him into the barrier, and collecting a Minardi and Jordan in the process. The safety car is deployed. Raikkonen passes Schumacher into Eau Rouge at the restart. Raikkonen passes Coulthard and Trulli after Alonso spins. Coulthard suffers a puncture and falls to the back of the field. Jenson Button suffers a blow-out while in 5th, taking out Baumgartner's Minardi as he lapped him. Safety Car out. Montoya suffers a blow-out and loses 3rd. Coulthard loses nose at 180mph after running along the barrier. Safety Car out, it goes in and Raikkonen crosses the line in first ahead of Schumacher and Barrichello.

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The Belgian Grand Prix of 2000 was one to remember as it was full of drama, incident, and iconic overtakes. Qualifying saw Hakkinen on pole ahead of a surprising duo of Trulli in the Jordan and Button in the Williams while Schumacher was 4th. The race provided great entertainment and gave us one of the most iconic overtakes in formula one. Key parts of the race: Rain drenched the circuit as the race began under safety car. The safety car came in and Hakkinen immediately pulled away. Button gets overtaken by Schumacher at the Bus Stop Chicane. La Source is the scene as Schumacher goes up the inside of Trulli, Button tries to follow but hits the Jordan, spinning it around, and gifting 3rd and 4th to Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher. Dry lines are appearing as Alesi is the first to pit for Dries, the rest of the field follow as Alesi moves up to 4th. Schumacher pits before Hakkinen and closes the gap. Hakkinen half spins giving the lead to Schumacher. Final stops happened at around half distance, Hakkinen is much faster on the new tyres and closes on Schumacher. Schumacher's wet set up proved slow in a straight line, and the track was almost dry, as Hakkinen in his dry race set up closed. Hakkinen has a go at Schumacher at Les Combes but cant get past. Next lap Hakkinen uses the slipstream of Schumacher and backmarker Ricardo Zonta to get past Schumacher in amazing style. Schumacher passes Zonta on the left as Hakkinen passes Zonta on the right, and Hakkinen gets past both as Zonta see’s himself in a leader sandwich. Hakkinen wins by 1 second from Schumacher, with brother Ralf 3rd, Coulthard 4th and Button 5th.

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