F1 2008 Round 13 - Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps - 5th-7th September 2008

[Cougar]

The 2008 Belgian Grand Prix is the thirteenth race of the 2008 Formula One season. It will be held from the 5th to the 7th of September at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium.

The Belgian Grand Prix was not held in 2003 or 2006, meaning that Kimi Räikkönen has won the last three Belgian Grands Prix, two for McLaren (2004 and 2005) and one for Ferrari (2007). 1999 winner David Coulthard is the only other previous Belgian GP winner in the field.

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton leads Felipe Massa of Ferrari by 6 points. In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren closed up to Ferrari at the European Grand Prix, and they are now only 8 points adrift of the Italian team.

(Source: WIKI)


Drivers standings AFTER the EUROPEAN GP (unofficial)

	Driver	Team	Nationality													POINTS
1	Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes		10	4	P13	6	8	10	RET	P10	10	10	4	8	70
2	Massa	Ferrari		RET	RET	10	8	10	6	4	10	P13	6	P17	10	64
3	Raikkonen	Ferrari		1	10	8	10	6	P9	RET	8	5	3	6	RET	57
4	Kubica	BMW-Sauber		RET	8	6	5	5	8	10	4	RET	2	1	6	55
5	Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes		4	6	4	RET	P12	1	P9	5	4	4	10	5	43
6	Heidfeld	BMW-Sauber		8	3	5	P9	4	P14	8	8	5		P10	P9	41
7	Trulli	Toyota		RET	5	3	1	P10	P13	3	6	2	P9	2	4	26
8	Alonso	Renault		5	1	P10	RET	3	P10	RET	1	3	P11	5	RET	18
9	Webber	Red Bull-Renault		RET	2	2	4	2	5	P12	3	P10	RET	P9	P12	18
10	Glock	Toyota		RET	RET	P9	P11	P13	P12	5	P11	P12	RET	8	2	15
11	Piquet Jnr	Renault		RET	P11	RET	RET	P15	RET	RET	2	RET	8	3	P11	13
12	Barrichello	Honda		DSQ	P13	P11	RET	P14	3	2	P14	6	RET	P16	P16	11
13	Rosberg	Williams-Toyota		6	P14	1	RET	1	RET	P10	P16	P9	P10	P14	1	9
14	Vettel	STR-Ferrari		RET	RET	RET	RET	P17	4	1	P12	RET	1	RET	3	9
15	Nakajima	Williams-Toyota		3	P17	P14	2	RET	2	RET	P15	1	P14	P13	P15	8
16	Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault		RET	P9	P18	P12	P9	RET	6	P9	RET	P13	P11	P17	6
17	Button	Honda		RET	P10	RET	3	P11	P11	P11	RET	RET	P17	P12	P13	3
18	Bourdais	STR-Ferrari		2	RET	P15	RET	RET	RET	P13	P17	P11	P12	P18	P10	2
19	Fisichella	Force India-Ferrari		RET	P12	P12	P10	RET	RET	RET	P18	RET	P16	P15	P14	0
20	Sato*	SA		RET	P16	P17	P13									0
21	Sutil	Force India-Ferrari		RET	RET	P19	RET	P16	RET	RET	P19	RET	P15	RET	RET	0
22	Davidson*	SA		RET	P15	P16	RET									0

Davidson only last on countback as Sutil has a 19th. Bother Drivers have each got a 15th and 16th position.

[Cougar]

Constructors standings

	Team	Points
	Ferrari	121

Belgian GP: Recent Results

Year	1st place	2nd place	3rd place
2007	Kimi Räikkönen	Felipe Massa	Fernando Alonso
2005	Kimi Räikkönen	Fernando Alonso	Jenson Button
2004	Kimi Räikkönen	Michael Schumacher	Rubens Barrichello

	Driver	Laptime
2007 Fastest lap	Felipe Massa	1.48.036
2007 pole position	Kimi Räikkönen	1:45.994
Lap record	Kimi Räikkönen	1:45.108(2004)

Weather Links

BBC Weather: www.bbc.co.uk
Weather UnderGround www.wunderground.com
Animated Rainfall Forecasthttp://weather.msn.com (Click "Precipitation forecast" just below the map)
Rainfall Radar http://www.meteogroup.co.uk

And especially for all those Martins out there!! GOOGLE EARTH WEATHER HACKS!


Belgian Grand Prix Time Table (local)

DAY	LOCAL Time	UK Time
Fri 22nd August 2008
Friday Practice 1	10:00-11:30	09:00-10:30
Friday Practice2	14:00-15:30	13:00:14:30
Sat 23rd August 2008
Saturday Practice	11:00-12:00	10:00-11:00
Qualifying	14:00	13:00
Sun 24th August 2008
Race	14:00	13:00

Belgian Grand Prix LIVE Chat

Please don't forget to join us in the ten-tenths chat room for live coverage of the Grand Prix!

You can log-in through the web here

You can also access the chat using a dedicated client.

If you're using Firefox, download the Chatzilla addon as the best alternative
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/16

Else, download any other IRC client, e.g. http://www.icechat.net/site/

The IRC server is irc.phishy.net, and the room is #motorsport (type "/join #motorsport" without the quotes when you're connected).
If you need any help in joining the chat room.. PM me and I'll try and help if I can.


Other Links

Live Timing
Race Schedule (and other f1 news)
Direct link to 2008 F1 Predictions - Round 13, Belgium
All other F1 Predictions Contests
Spotters Guides

[RaiseYourFist]

17 degrees on race day seems to mean advantage to McLaren especially with the medium and hard compounds that BS are bringing

[Bononi]

Here we go to one of the best of the year !

[Marbot]

Excellent again Cougar.

Great weather links.

It looks like it's going to be a wash-out for this one,but you never can tell in that part of the world.

If it's dry then I shall look forward to James Allen describing Eau Rouge as like doing a 'bungee jump' with a Labrador tied to your bottom.

[Ryan]

I got a job where I work from midnight to 6 am central time on Thurs. nite/Fri. morning and I sit in front of a computer keeping watch of my apartment building ensuring its safety. Is there any place online where I could watch live streaming of practice or something to try and cure my boredom.

Thanks

[rich07]

Great work Cougar!! One of the best races of the year is upon us, I cannot wait!!

[duke_toaster]

Light rain or showers on all three days.

Ryan - there's live timing - ITV's website is only available for UK viewers but there may be ways round it.

[TwoSheds]

Originally Posted by Ryan

I got a job where I work from midnight to 6 am central time on Thurs. nite/Fri. morning and I sit in front of a computer keeping watch of my apartment building ensuring its safety. Is there any place online where I could watch live streaming of practice or something to try and cure my boredom.

Thanks

Don't know if this works outside of the UK, but ITV stream practice sessions on their site. Try this link http://www.itv-f1.com/VideoLive.aspx

[duke_toaster]

Doesn't work unless you manage to convince it otherwise

[Aslak Vind]

Absolutely stunning overview Cougar!

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by duke_toaster

Light rain or showers on all three days.

Yep, the weather looks pretty bad - and as I am (lucky to?) be going, it looks like I will need at least 3 changes of clothes to get through Friday-Sunday! Not very warm either from what I have seen.

[Aslak Vind]

Originally Posted by phoenix

Yep, the weather looks pretty bad - and as I am (lucky to?) be going, it looks like I will need at least 3 changes of clothes to get through Friday-Sunday! Not very warm either from what I have seen.

It is not bad weather, it is just Spa!

[RotorFan]

In motorsport, wet weather is good weather!

[Marbot]

I'd only go as far to say that in 'Formula One' wet weather is good weather.

[Bononi]

A wet Spa, that's all we need.

[rich07]

A wet Spa is Spa indeed!!

[Marbot]

Spa's are usually wet aren't they?

[GORDON STREETER]

Either wet or boiling hot this time of year. Whatever happens it can't be as bad as the last boring GP !!!

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Whatever happens it can't be as bad as the last boring GP !!!

It could. But only if they removed all the beatiful scenery, completely flattened the land, got Herman Tilke to build a modern 'autoparc' in it's place and asked the drivers to proceed in single file leaving a gap of at least two chevrons between each other.

[Born Racer]

Kubica looked to be really struggling this morning. We heard a fair bit of his disappointment at the situation on the radio, and from the on-board shots he seemed to be driving dramatically.

[Ted bennett]

Wonder why the Honda is running such long gearing. It was only pulling around 18200 rpm at best from what I saw.

[duke_toaster]

FP2 is about to start - ITV stream is going on now

UPDATE : 20-25 minutes to rain according to Williams, Bernie says 30.

[Cougar]

Rainfal Radar pretty busy to say the least.. Rain not too heavy though.

[Peter Mallett]

Webber stopped?