[Official] Belgian Grand Prix 2015 - Weekend Thread

[Born Racer]

Formula 1 reawakens from its summer break and is back in the best possible way with a circuit most people relish – Spa-Francorchamps. The Belgian Grand Prix 2015 marks the eleventh round of this nineteen race championship.

‘Spa’, as it is commonly shortened to, despite being much closer to the town of Francorchamps, is set in the Ardennes Forest and its first Grand Prix was held in 1924. Until 1970, it was run on a fearsome, much longer incarnation of the circuit (14.9km at its maximum length) than the contemporary one, which at 7km, is still the longest. It used to consist of many fast public roads which stretched down to the villages of Malmedy and Stavelot before eventually rejoining what we have today and had monster fast straights. The notorious Masta Kink straddled two straights between Malmedy and Stavelot.

In 2015, Spa still features many glorious corners which follow the natural order of the land. It is a track that delights in having Formula 1 cars driven on it. Because of the topography, the majority of the corners just feel right, like that is the way the track is supposed to go. It doesn’t feel designed by anyone but by Spa-Francorchamps itself. This sense of a natural track is compounded by the forces of nature. The element of the weather can add a total twist in the ark of the race by means of rain showers which come out of the blue. The microclimate of this part of the Ardennes means that one moment it is sunny and the next, ominous clouds have swept in and they are pouring, sometimes in only one area. A vital decision to pit or to not pit on a seven-kilometre layout can turn a race here on its head.

Turns here are not merely numbers, but have names, evocative ones, such that they call to mind images of the cars and drivers taking on the challenge.
Turn 1 is La Source. A tricky hairpin, it opens quite wide on the exit and allows for plenty of jostling on the opening lap (and DRS Detection Zone 1 on later ones) as the drivers set themselves up for Turns 2 to 4, the Eau-Rouge – Raidillon combination. Eau Rouge is actually the brief left at the bottom of the hill before the slight right, Raidillon, which climbs to the top and goes further than the eye can see from when you are entering the curve. There is a left as the drivers go over the brow and try to tame the car, gently balancing out any danger and keeping forward motion for the Kemmel Straight. These corners are spectacular to watch in person, where the steepness becomes apparent in a way that is not always the case on television.

The Kemmel Straight is the longest one and features DRS Activation Zone 1. It leads drivers to the magnificent right-left-right Les Combes complex (Turns 5 to 7). Whilst Eau Rouge and Raidillon are a pure thrill, it is these corners that begin to remind you that much of the joy of this track is in just how good the more conventional corners are. It’s a right-left chicane followed by ninety-right with a less angled entry and looks superb to drive. This is where the drivers will really be starting to enjoy the flow. Overtaking opportunities also abound into Turn 5.

The drivers plunge downhill into Bruxelles, which is Turn 8. Perhaps because of the relatively short distance between Les Combes and Bruxelles, it somehow invites drivers to dare to brake late, but it’s a risky thing, easy to put a wheel off and in any event, not so easy to gather traction on the exit.
A quick left takes the drivers 90 degrees through Turn 9 before they approach Pouhon (Turns 10 and 11). A relentless left-hander, this is many drivers’ favourite section. Whereas Raidillon is easier to take flat than it once was, Pouhon is more of a case of fine throttle feathering, a lift usually necessary. The track is so fun by this point that it is difficult for drivers to want to remove any speed, instead seeking to be really fast and ready to barrel through Turn 12 and then slow it down a bit more for 13, Campus.

Turn 14 is Stavelot, a right-hander which sets up the drivers for 15, The Courbe Paul-Frère. It’s crucial to carry as much as speed as possible through here, because they’re now not braking again until the final corners. The left-hand sweeper of Blanchimont (Turn 16) is followed by a slightly tighter one at 17.

Hard braking is called for into the right-left Bus Stop Chicane (Turns 18 and 19), just before which there is the second DRS Detection Zone (activation is on the start-finish straight). It is easy to fumble it through here.

Of the 2015 field, freshly re-signed Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen has the best winning record here with four victories (one fifth of his total number of wins) and one other podium. Last year he was fourth, which is the only time he has made it to the chequered flag and not recorded a podium finish. Raikkonen’s team-mate Vettel has taken the spoils twice and of the other drivers and in chronological order, Massa, Hamilton, Button and Ricciardo have all won once.

It was Massa who took the win after the rather controversial finish to the 2008 race, which staged an epic tussle between Hamilton and Raikkonen when the rain began to fall. The race had not been particularly exciting until that point, but their scrap for victory was enthralling. Lewis was given a post-race penalty which dropped him down the order when after having been edged to the limit of the track at the Bus Stop, he drove over the run-off on the inside and passed Kimi before immediately ceding the place. Because he then passed again into La Source, he was deemed to have gained an unfair advantage in his pass (having gained in the Bus Stop).

1998 was also a hugely rain-affected race, a deluge and soaked track causing an enormous pile-up out of La Source which eliminated many cars and caused a red flag. Michael Schumac her was dominating the re-started race when he drove into the back of David Coulthard, who had slowed but stayed on-line to let him lap him. Damon Hill took his final win and Jordan’s first, with a one-two, Michael Schumacher’s brother Ralf following him home and Jean Alesi completing the podium for Sauber.

Another relatively recent piece of drama was 2000, when Hakkinen, angered by Schumacher’s blocking in 2000, bided his time and used the lapped car of Ricardo Zonta on the Kemmel Straight in the middle of the track to send one down the inside of Schumacher forcing the Ferrari to go to the left while sandwiching the BAR.

Last year witnessed the collision between the Mercedes drivers which left Hamilton out of the race and led Mercedes to disciplinary action on Rosberg, a public telling off and a fine the result. Daniel Ricciardo won the race with Red Bull from Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas in the Williams.

It was Ricciardo who was one of a number of drivers to star last time out in Hungary in a race which also included an excellent performance from his team-mate Daniil Kvyat, a 2nd-place finish his result and victory for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari. The Mercedes drivers messed it up.

This year’s drivers’ and constructors’ championships so far can be viewed here:

http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-...p/drivers.html
http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-...hip/teams.html

Circuit length: 7.004km
Number of laps: 44
Race distance: 308.052km
Dry weather tyre compounds: Soft and Medium
DRS Detection Zone 1: between Turn 1 and Turn 2 (La Source and Eau Rouge)
DRS Activation Zone 1: between Turn 4 and Turn 5 (on the Kemmel Straight before Les Combes)
DRS Detection Zone 2: just before Turn 18 (Bus Stop Chicane)
DRS Activation Zone 2: Start-finish straight
Lap Record: 1:47.263 (2009 – Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull-Renault)
First World Championship Grand Prix: 1950



I will be attending this year’s meeting with my girlfriend so we’re looking forward to witnessing the action from there!