The Belgian Grand Prix Thread (Raikkonen wins!)

The Meanest · Post by **The Meanest** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:37 am

Kapel wrote:
The Meanest wrote: Dear Sgd

You are joking right??? MS a poor driver????

What facts do you base this on???????????
Never mind Meanest,dont bother about sgd writing abt Ferrari & Schumacher.He's going thru a tough time,so personal feeling do come up every now & then, on every & any occassion.(Still looking if kimi's engine failures was Ferrari/Michael's fault )

The above discussion didnt involve Michael,but sgd,his loyal personal critic,has to bring him in.Pardon him & ignore.

Relax,visit the bar in the lounge,have a vodka-redbull on me

How are doing in 8nPole this time???

Thanks Kapel for those words of wisdom... I have calmed down now

I am currently 52nd in 8 n Pole...trying desperately to make the top 20.

What about you

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 1:11 pm

The Meanest wrote:
Kapel wrote:
The Meanest wrote: Dear Sgd

You are joking right??? MS a poor driver????

What facts do you base this on???????????
Never mind Meanest,dont bother about sgd writing abt Ferrari & Schumacher.He's going thru a tough time,so personal feeling do come up every now & then, on every & any occassion.(Still looking if kimi's engine failures was Ferrari/Michael's fault )

The above discussion didnt involve Michael,but sgd,his loyal personal critic,has to bring him in.Pardon him & ignore.

Relax,visit the bar in the lounge,have a vodka-redbull on me

How are doing in 8nPole this time???
Thanks Kapel for those words of wisdom... I have calmed down now

I am currently 52nd in 8 n Pole...trying desperately to make the top 20.

What about you

Meanest, feel free to join the F1 Idiots group, so you can keep personal tags on Kapel

Ed · Post by Ed » Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:01 pm

1st Saturday Practice session - Top 8: Raikkonen, Montoya, Fisichella, Alonso, M Schumacher, Button, Webber and Coulthard

Full results - Commentary

Ed · Post by Ed » Sat Sep 10, 2005 7:12 pm

2nd Saturday Practice Session - Top 8: Alonso, Raikkonen, Trulli, Montoya, Fisichella, R Schumacher, Button and Sato!

Full results - Commentary

Ed · Post by Ed » Sat Sep 10, 2005 8:31 pm

News just in from Renault, Fisichella will have a new engine fitted to his car prior to qualifying. He will get a 10 place penalty on the starting grid tomorrow.

Denis Chevrier, Head of Engine Operations said

Our running this morning confirmed we need to change Fisico's engine. We know that Monza and Spa are the most demanding pairing of the season for the engines, and after the race in Monza we suspected that there was a problem with the engine. We ran yesterday and today to assess its full extent, and we have found a valve problem that means we cannot be confident the unit will last the full race distance. The only sensible precaution to take is therefore to change the engine.

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 8:39 pm

Ed wrote:News just in from Renault, Fisichella will have a new engine fitted to his car prior to qualifying. He will get a 10 place penalty on the starting grid tomorrow.

Denis Chevrier, Head of Engine Operations said
Our running this morning confirmed we need to change Fisico's engine. We know that Monza and Spa are the most demanding pairing of the season for the engines, and after the race in Monza we suspected that there was a problem with the engine. We ran yesterday and today to assess its full extent, and we have found a valve problem that means we cannot be confident the unit will last the full race distance. The only sensible precaution to take is therefore to change the engine.

He was faster than Alonso at every turn and every straight. Why am I not surprised. It is starting to feela tad "red" in the blue and yellow garage. What say you now Fair Damsel?

Ed · Post by Ed » Sat Sep 10, 2005 10:11 pm

Qualifying - Top 8: Montoya, Raikkonen, Fisichella, Trulli, Alonso, R Schumacher, M Schumacher and Massa.

Fisichella will start from 13th due to an engine change!

Full results - Commentary

Ed · Post by Ed » Sat Sep 10, 2005 11:42 pm

Pole setter Juan Pablo Montoya said:

That was a nice and smooth lap. I was sitting in the car when I saw a few drops of rain and was thinking 'oh no'. However I think it just stopped when I went out and didn't affect my lap. The car was working well despite us only having limited time to work on the set-up, but we seem to have found the perfect balance between speed and grip. To get the front row is fantastic for both Kimi and I as it's just what the team needs at the moment. I think it will be an interesting race tomorrow, and I'm sure the weather will play some sort of role. From where I'm sitting it doesn't matter whether it's wet or dry, so let's see, and I'm sure it will be exciting either way

2nd placed Kimi Raikkonen said:

To have both Juan Pablo and myself on the front row is great and I'm really pleased. Second place is good, and we will work from there to get the best result we can. The car seems to be working well in both wet and dry conditions which is reassuring as it seems like it's going to rain tomorrow. My lap was OK, but I was not on the limit as there were a few drops of rain. I'm confident of a good result for myself and the team tomorrow ? we have definitely given ourselves the best possible basis today

Full McLaren team and driver quotes

Ed · Post by Ed » Sat Sep 10, 2005 11:49 pm

3rd fastest Giancarlo Fisichella said:

Obviously, I am disappointed about the engine change I had this morning, because this was a good qualifying for me. I had a nice lap, and the balance of the car was better than this morning. From what we have seen this weekend, we seem to be quite strong, and maybe closer to McLaren than we expected on Friday. Obviously, I will be starting from the midfield, but with the speed of the R25 here, I think I will be aiming for the podium again: it felt good last weekend, so I want to repeat it!

Full Renault team and driver quotes

danilen1 · Post by **danilen1** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 7:44 am

whats the dealio with the rain? percentage chance anybody? perhaps i can strike it lucky with some money on a toyota podium

sgd · Post by **sgd** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 10:12 am

danilen1 wrote:whats the dealio with the rain? percentage chance anybody? perhaps i can strike it lucky with some money on a toyota podium

... see here: viewtopic.php?p=18212#18212

rah · Post by **rah** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 11:39 pm

Just out of interest, is there anyone who still thinks Pizza man is better than Webber?

Ed · Post by Ed » Sun Sep 11, 2005 11:57 pm

Race result: Kimi Raikkonen wins the race ahead of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. Mark Webber, Rubens Barrichello, Jacques Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher and Tiago Monteiro make the top 8.
Full results - Commentary

Ed · Post by Ed » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:39 am

In the Championship battles, Alonso is now 25 points ahead of Raikkonen with just 3 races remaining. Alonso needs only 6 points from the next 3 races to win the title regardless of where Raikkonen finishes.

Renault remain in the lead in the Constructors' title. Their lead shrinks by 2 to just 6 points.

Ed · Post by Ed » Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:58 am

Race winner Kimi Raikkonen said:

We did what we could today, and I'm thrilled to win here at Spa for the second time in a row. However Juan Pablo's retirement was a real shame and I feel sorry for him and the team as we could have left Spa with so much more as we really deserved a one-two. Everything went well during the race with no real dramas and the car was great. When the safety car came out we took the opportunity to come into the pits and as Ralf was quite a bit lighter at this stage he was able to be in front of me. However I didn't push to look after the Michelin tyres. Consequently when it dried out I was able to really push and caught up with a series' of fast laps. I claimed the lead after the second pitstop as I could stay out longer than Juan Pablo and that was it. However there are mixed emotions as we should have had a one-two today

Full McLaren team and driver quotes