The 2009 Belgian Grand Prix Thread

[Ed]

Grand Prix Preview (courtesy: The FIA) - For team previews visit the 2009 F1 Team Reports Forum

Round 12 of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship takes place at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Situated in the heart of the Ardennes forest between Liège and Brussels, the track is regarded as one of Formula One’s most challenging and exciting races by drivers and fans alike. The Spa circuit is unique in that the weather can be particularly unpredictable, ranging from blazing sunshine to heavy showers in a short period of time.

The track features 19 sweeping medium and high-speed corners connected by fast straights. Of the 10 left and 9 right turns, the most challenging for drivers is the famed Eau Rouge. Approached at over 300km/h after a plunging exit out of turn two, drivers experience up to -3.5 of vertical G forces.

At 7.004km the circuit is the longest of the championship and will test every aspect of vehicle handling. Teams will have to work hard on vehicle set-up to ensure a competitive edge in the quick sections as well as the slow corners.



Changes to the circuit since 2008

CHANGES TO THE CIRCUIT SINCE 2008

- Higher debris fences have been installed in front of the grandstands on the right between turns 7 and 8.

- The dip in the kerb on the exit of turn 9 has been rectified.

- An extra opening has been provided for the recovery of cars around the outside of turn 11.

- The guardrail on the left on the exit of turn 15 has been moved slightly further from the track.

- The white lines on each edge of the track have been repainted using non-slip paint.

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS CIRCUIT – INTERESTING FACTS

- At one stage in its history it rained for twenty years in a row at the Belgian Grand Prix.

- The Raidillon–Eau Rouge corner is not a natural curve. It was created in 1939 to make the circuit more exciting for spectators and drivers.

- The track features varying altitudes ranging from the lowest: Eau Rogue at 391m to the highest: Les Combes at 470m.

- Over 100 medical staff will be on standby at the event.

CIRCUIT DATA

Length of lap: 7.004km
Offset: 0.124km
Total number of race laps: 44
Total race distance: 308.052km
Speed limits in the pit lane: 60km/h during practice sessions; 100km/h during qualifying and race


Formula One time table
Friday

Practice Session 1: 10.00 – 11.30 hrs
Practice Session 2: 14.00 – 15.30 hrs

Saturday

Practice Session 3: 11.00 – 12.00 hrs
Qualifying: 14.00 – 15.00 hrs

Sunday

Race: 14.00 hrs

[Ed]

We will be covering all the practice sessions, qualifying and the race from Belgium.

You can follow our coverage live here and we will post the coverage notes after each session here.

[Ed]

First Friday practice coverage comments:

9:54 First Friday practice session from Belgium starting shortly

9:58 Weather conditions are much cooler than what they were in Valencia. Air temperature is 17 degrees while track temperature is 20 degrees.

10:00 Session underway!

10:00 Fisichella is the first out followed by Vettel and Sutil

10:01 More drivers follow on their installation laps

10:03 It will be interesting to see how Badoer performs here. He cannot have any excuses as he is familiar with the circuit and now the car!

10:03 Those who went out at the start of the session have arrived back in the pits

10:04 The 2 McLarens, 2 Brawns and Alonso are currently on the track

10:05 A lap around Spa is the longest on the calendar. Pole time last year was a 1:47.338

10:07 Barrichello is the last driver to go out on his installation lap

10:11 It is quiet on the track!

10:11 It is raining very near the track!

10:14 Alguesuari is the first to go back out

10:17 Timo Glock on the track too

10:18 Timo Glock pits without setting a time

10:18 A 2:00.275 for Alguersuari

10:20 Buemi now on the track

10:20 Hamilton is on the track too

10:21 Alguersuari improves with a 1:56.099

10:21 Button on the track

10:22 Hamilton pits without setting a time

10:23 Alguersuari improving steadily. Now with a 1:53.552

10:24 More drivers on the track now

10:26 Alguersuari with a 1:51.529. Button with a 1:52.555

10:27 17 cars on the track now as Trulli goes fastest with a 1:49.675

10:28 Badoer's first time is a 1:55.068

10:29 It is raining on parts of the track now!

10:31 Top 10 after 30 minutes: Trulli, Button, Alonso, Buemi, Alguersuari, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Kubica and Badoer. Only 10 times set so far!

10:39 It is still raining at Spa. Visibility is becoming poor as well

10:40 Alguersuari out in the wet!

10:41 Plenty of water on the track

10:43 Alguersuari starts a flyer in the wet

10:43 Buemi on the track as well

10:45 A 2:15.437 for Alguersuari!

10:48 A 2:10.731 for Buemi. Badoer on the track as well

10:49 Barrichello on the track as well

10:51 Badoer misses a turn on his first flyer in the wet

10:53 Badoer tries another flyer! Barrichello pits without setting a time

10:53 Now Raikkonen and Webber on the track too

10:55 A 2:09.796 for Badoer

10:55 Buemi in the barriers

10:57 Buemi went over the kurb and spun. He has managed to get going again with a damaged front wing

10:58 Webber sets a 2:08.430

11:00 Webber improves with a 2:06.280. Grosjean sets a 2:10.432

11:01 Grosjean sets a 2:07.029. Pretty good as he isn't much slower than Webber

11:04 Barrichello on a quick wet lap!

11:06 Raikkonen sets a 2:05.811

11:07 Looks like the rain is getting heavier!

11:11 Heidfeld and Raikkonen side by side as if they are racing!

11:12 Fisichella sets a 2:03.972. The fastest in the wet so far

11:15 Only Rosberg and Glock on the track now

11:17 Top 10 remains: Trulli, Button, Alonso, Buemi, Alguersuari, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Kubica and Badoer. All are dry times

11:18 No one on the track now

11:20 10 minutes remain in the session. It will remain wet

11:20 Kovalainen on the track

11:25 Kovalainen goes off but recovers. Buemi on the track as well

11:26 Looks like rain has eased but the track won't dry before the end of the session

11:31 Grosjean sets a 2:05.513. Not a bad time for a rookie in the wet

11:33 Session over and the top 10 remain: Trulli, Button, Alonso, Buemi, Alguersuari, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Kubica and Badoer

[Ed]

Second Friday coverage notes and comments:

1:57 Second Friday practice starting in 5 minutes. It is partly cloudy for this session

1:59 Air temperature is at 18 degrees while track temperature is at 27 degrees

2:00 First practice was run under mainly wet conditions. Trulli was fastest ahead of Button and Alonso

2:00 Session underway and Kovalainen is the first out followed by Buemi

2:01 The track seems to be completely dry

2:01 14 cars already on the track

2:03 Only Vettel and Barrichello yet to go out

2:04 Kubica fastest with a 1:51.355

2:05 Grosjean fastest with a 1:50.156!

2:05 Now it is Alonso with a 1:49.207

2:07 Session stopped. There is debris on the track at turn 17

2:08 Meanwhile, Vettel's car has stopped at the exit of the pitlane and had to be pushed back to the garage!

2:08 Session restarting in 1 minute

2:09 Replay shows a wheel fairing flying off Badoer's right front wheel

2:10 Session resumes. Current order: Alonso, Grosjean, Fisichella, Kubica, Rosberg, Alguersuari, Kovalainen, Glock, Hamilton and Trulli

2:14 Trulli moves into second with a 1:49.524

2:15 Webber goes fastest with a 1:48.361. Button on a quick lap!

2:15 Barrichello spins but recovers

2:16 Button in 6th. He got fastest 1st and 3rd sectors but a slow middle sector

2:17 Now Hamilton fastest with a 1:48.347

2:21 20 minutes into the session - Order: Hamilton, Webber, Alonso, Buemi, Alguersuari, Vettel, Kubica, Kovalainen, Button and Raikkonen

2:23 Badoer is currently 20th and 2.794 seconds off the pace. Raikkonen is 10th and 1.035 seconds off the pace

2:24 Alonso goes fastest with a 1:48.292

2:25 Kovalainen up into 4th with a 1:48.658

2:28 Alonso improves again with a 1:48.036. Will this be a Renault/McLaren/Red Bull fight ?

2:30 The middle sector is proving tricky. Times ranging from low 47's to high 49's

2:31 Order after 30 minutes: Alonso, Hamilton, Webber, Kovalainen, Sutil, Buemi, Barrichello, Alguersuari, Vettel and Kubica

2:32 Raikkonen jumps into 4th with a 1:48.574

2:33 Webber moves into second despite going quickest in S2. A 1:48.254

2:34 Now Raikkonen moves into second with a 1:48.238. Badoer back on the track, lets see how much he improves

2:35 Now Webber goes fastest with a 1:47.830. Again quickest in S2 with a 46.8

2:37 Hamilton goes quickest only for Webber to better that with a 1:47.496

2:37 Badoer remains in 20th and 3.639 seconds off the pace!

2:40 Trulli moves into 3rd with a 1:47.837

2:41 Alonso is back on the track and looks to improve. Trulli now up into second

2:43 Vettel up into 3rd with a 1:47.680

2:45 Halfway into the session and the order is: Webber, Trulli, Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso, Buemi, Button, Raikkonen, Heidfeld and Barrichello

2:46 [Comment From Donatas ]
Finally I found a webpage, where I can get results Please do not stop commenting of what you see on the track - I am at the job, where I can't see the news..
[Ed] No worries, we'll be covering all the sessions. Hope you enjoy it.

2:47 Badoer has improved his time but remains in 20th and 2.593 seconds off the pace

2:50 Sutil is up into 3rd with a 1:47.579

2:51 [Comment From Guest ]
Enjoy it? That's gonna be my favorite webpage Because on official site I can't see live results because of flash player disabled and I'm not talking about live video
[Ed] We are glad to be of help

2:52 Top 13 are separated by just 0.841 seconds!

2:55 Glock into second with a 1:47.516

2:58 The top 3 drivers are under two tenths away from the Pole time from last year (1:47.338)

2:58 Alguersuari up into 4th and just 0.095 off Webber's time. Impressive!

3:00 30 minutes remaining in the session - Top 10: Webber, Glock, Trulli, Alguersuari, Vettel, Kubica, Hamilton, Buemi, Alonso & Heidfeld

3:04 It appears that this track doesn't suit the Williams car with Rosberg in 17th and Nakajima in 19th (22 and 24 laps respectively)

3:05 Fisichella is down in 18th with only 13 laps. Looks like there is a problem with his car

3:07 So far, not much improvement from Badoer. 21 laps and still over 2.5 seconds off the pace. I wonder if Ferrari replace him tomorrow ?

3:12 [Comment From Donatas ]
Yea, it seems that if not tommorow, then at next GP he's gonna be replaced. And somewhy I think it's gonna be Sutil or n. Piquet. By the way, where's Brawn's and Force India's drivers?
[Ed]Ferrari have many options. I suspect they will give Gene a go

3:14 Currently Button is 13th and Barrichello is 15th. Sutil is 14th and Fisichella is 19th

3:15 The top 10 are now separated by under half a second! Qualifying will be another close affair tomorrow!

3:15 [Comment From Guest ]
can he be replaced tommorow?
[Ed] I believe so. As long as it is before qualifying

3:17 15 minutes remain - Top 10: Webber, Glock, Trulli, Kubica, Alguersuari (+0.095), Vettel, Raikkonen, Buemi, Hamilton and Alonso (+0.378)

3:18 Glock set to go fasfest after setting the fastest middle sector!

3:18 Indeed, a 1:47.217 for Glock

3:19 [Comment From Guest ]
fatastic report live, pls continue
[Ed] Glad to be of help

3:21 Barrichello on the soft compound moves up into 12th! He is 0.913 off the pace

3:22 Glock and Webber have already set times quicker than the pole time last year (and this year's cars were supposed to be slower!

3:24 Badoer is actually pretty quick in the first sector but he loses a lot of time in the middle sector

3:25 Badoer improves! He is now just 2 seconds off the pace and 1.5 seconds off Raikkonen's pace

3:26 Hamilton up into second with a 1:47.261. 17 cars on the track with under 4 minutes remaining!

3:26 [Comment From Josete ]
I wish it rains on sunday. Spa race is totally unpredictable when raining

3:27 Weather is hard to predict here. This morning it was very wet, now it is fine!

3:28 Hamilton fastest with a 1:47.201. All the drivers are on the track except for Glock

3:29 Raikkonen up into 3rd. All the drivers now on the track

3:31 Alguersuari stops on the track. Looks like a mechanical problem

3:31 [Comment From power ]
ya me too i hope it rains

3:35 Session over - Top 10: Hamilton (1:47.201), Glock, Raikkonen, Webber, Grosjean, Fisichella, Trulli, Kubica, Alguersuari and Vettel (+0.401)

3:36 11th - 20th: Buemi, Kovalainen, Sutil, Alonso, Nakajima, Heidfeld, Button, Barrichello (+0.929), Rosberg (+1.159) and Badoer (+2.010)

3:37 [Comment From Donatas ]
Session had finished? If yes, then can you please post all the results?
[Ed] Just did

3:37 [Comment From Guest ]
thanks for the comments. I really hope they replace badoer tommorow... they need some points for the constructors title and badoer won't take them.
[Ed] Very true

3:40 [Comment From Josete ]
where are the 2 renault
[Ed] Grosjean in 5th, Alonso in 14th

3:42 Buemi covered the most laps with 38 followed by Barrichello with 37 laps. Vettel covered the least laps with 25

4:25 [Comment From Donatas ]
Thank you for your comments. Thank you And good bye, getting back to work
[Ed] It is our pleasure

4:25 [Comment From Josete ]
10 cars in 0.4 seconds. Will be tight on qualifying

Fastest at the end of the session
1. Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:47.201
2. Glock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:47.217
3. Raikkonen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:47.285
4. Webber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:47.329
5. Grosjean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:47.333
6. Fisichella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:47.506
7. Trulli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:47.559
8. Kubica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:47.578
9. Alguersuari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:47.579
10. Vettel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:47.602

[Julian Mayo]

Thanks Ed, great job as always.

[Ed]

Saturday practice notes and comments:

10:55 Saturday practice session from Belgium starting in around 5 minutes

10:55 Air temperature is 12 degrees while track temperature is at 20 degrees

10:58 Lewis Hamilton was fastest on Friday although he seems to indicate that they may have been a bit light on fuel

10:59 It is currently partly cloudy at Spa with the sun shining on parts of the track

11:00 Session underway and cars stream out of the pit lane on their installation laps

11:01 Badoer was slowest on Friday but his aim is to make the cut after Q1!

11:02 All drivers are on the track except for Raikkonen and Barrichello

11:02 Cars now arriving back at the pits after their installation laps

11:03 Replay shows Badoer nearly missing the pit entry!

11:05 Raikkonen and Barrichello now on the track

11:06 It is all quiet again at Spa

11:10 Fisichella is the first back out on the track

11:11 Sutil on the track as well as Fisichella starts his first timed lap

11:13 Alguersuari now on the track

11:13 A 1:49.018 from Fisichella

11:14 More drivers on the track now

11:14 Sutil sets a 1:48.081

11:15 Fisichella improves with 1:47.342

11:17 Sutil now improves with a 1:47.041

11:18 Hamilton into 3rd

11:19 Hamilton goes fastest with a 1:46.803

11:20 20 minutes into the session - Top 10: Hamilton, Sutil, FIsichella, Glock, Buemi, Raikkonen, Rosberg, Alguersuari, Trulli and Button

11:22 Alguersuari up into 4th with a 1:47.148

11:23 Only the 2 Red Bull drivers have yet to go back out on the track

11:25 Now Buemi moves into second with a 1:46.929

11:25 Trulli up into second with a 1:46.809

11:27 Badoer up into 15th with a 1:47.757

11:27 Looks like a few drivers may already be on a light fuel load

11:29 Vettel's first time is good for 13th. A 1:47.418

11:30 Fastest at the midway point: Hamilton, Trulli, Kovalainen, Buemi, Glock, Sutil, Alguersuari, Fisichella, Raikkonen and Barrichello

11:32 Webber now on the track. He has yet to set a time

11:34 Alonso is 19th at this stage having done only 5 laps

11:34 Kovalainen fastest with a 1:46.500

11:35 Alonso back on the track

11:35 Sutil goes fastest with a 1:46.109

11:37 The top 10 are already quicker than last year's Pole time

11:38 Alonso goes wide! He seems to be struggling this session

11:39 Webber pits without setting a laptime!

11:41 Sutil's time of 1:45.677 would have to be on a very light fuel load!

11:42 Glock into second with a 1:46.233. Alonso pits again without improving. He remains 19th and last. Webber yet to set a time

11:44 15 minutes remain and the top 10 are: Sutil, Glock, Kovalainen, Hamilton, Buemi, Trulli, Fisichella, Alguersuari, Raikkonen and Grosjean

11:46 Rosberg and Nakajima are 17th and 18th. They continue to struggle at Spa

11:47 [Comment From Guest ]
wat about kubica
[Ed] He is 13th at the moment

11:48 Badoer is enjoying a better session. He is in the top 15 for a change

11:48 [Comment From Guest ]
thanks

11:49 Only Badoer on the track as teams prepare for a final pre-qualifying run

11:50 Kovalainen back out and now practicing a start before his final pre-qualifying run

11:52 Team telling Badoer that if can get it all together he won't be much slower than Raikkonen

11:53 The key is to get it all together in the one lap!

11:53 More drivers now on the track

11:55 16 cars on the track now. 5 minutes remain

11:55 Now 19 cars on the track. Only Webber not going out!

11:56 Button up into 6th with a 1:46.649

11:57 Grosjean up into 3rd with a 1:46.281

11:58 Hamilton pits! He is currently in 6th

11:59 Grosjean in second! Now Heidfeld in second!

11:59 Alonso up into 18th!!

12:00 Grosjean nearly loses it, goes sidesways but recovers

12:00 Heidfeld quickest with a 1:45.388

12:01 Trulli in second with a 1:45.462

12:02 [Comment From Nathan ]
What is happening with WEBBER???
[Ed] He has a problem for sure. They'll get it sorted for qualifying

12:03 [Comment From Nathan ]
Has he even posted a time yet? webber that is??
[Ed] No times from Webber. He only did 3 laps without setting a time

12:03 Session over - Top 10: Heidfeld, Trulli, Sutil, Grosjean, Glock, Kubica, Rosberg, Fisichella, Hamilton and Button

12:04 [Comment From Guest ]
this is the craziest practice session i have ever seen ??? sutil? grosjean?? bmw?? oink?
[Ed] Fuel loads have significant impact at this track

12:06 11th - 20th: Raikkonen, Buemi, Kovalainen, Vettel, Alguersuari, Barrichello, Alonso, Badoer, Nakajima and Webber (no time)

12:06 [Comment From Guest ]
ok thanks for the comments!

12:08 Top 13 are separated by 1.074 seconds

12:09 All the times set this session are quicker than Pole from last year

12:13 Reports that Webber has an engine problem

12:14 Alguersuari covered the most number of laps with 22. Vettel & Alonso did the least with 14 laps each. Webber didn't set a time (3 laps)

12:15 It appears that all the Renault powered cars are minimising their running worried about engine failures


Fastest at the end of the session
1. Heidfeld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:45.388
2. Trulli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:45.462
3. Sutil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:45.677
4. Grosjean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:45.878
5. Glock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:45.908
6. Kubica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:45.987
7. Rosberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.040
8. Fisichella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.114
9. Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.301
10. Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.406

[Ed]

Qualifying notes and comments:

1:57 Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix starting shortly. Air temperature at 15 degrees while track temperature is at 27 degrees

2:00 It is confirmed that the problems with Webber were engine related.

2:00 First qualifying session underway

2:01 A few drivers go out straight away

2:02 13 cars on the track aleady

2:02 It is overcast so drivers may want to put in a banker time in case it rains

2:02 No rain in the next 30 minutes!

2:03 A few drivers now start their first flyers

2:04 A 1:48.386 for Fisichella

2:04 Badoer a 1:48.128

2:04 Now it is Rosberg with a 1:47.237

2:05 Grosjean continues to impress. He is in second at the moment

2:06 Glock fastest with a 1:46.394

2:07 The times keep improving! Now Trulli quickest with a 1:45.974

2:08 Now it is Buemi with a 1:45.951

2:09 Now Sutil quickest with a 1:45.746

2:10 Heidfeld quickest now with a 1:45.566. This will be very close

2:10 It is currently Heidfeld from Sutil and Vettel

2:12 With 8 minutes remaining, the top 10 are: Heidfeld, Barrichello, Sutil, Button, Fisichella, Vettel, Buemi, Trulli, Glock and Kubica

2:14 Badoer is in 20th but not so far off the pace!

2:15 Hamilton moves into 4th with a 1:45.767

2:16 With 4 minutes remaining, nearly everyone is on the track. Only Heidfeld and Hamilton are in the pits

2:16 Hamilton goes back out

2:17 Raikkonen up into second with a 1:45.579

2:17 Trulli goes fastest with a 1:45.331

2:19 Half a second Luca! Smedley urging Badoer on!

2:19 Glock moves into second and Sutil in third

2:19 Webber jumped into second and Vettel now in third

2:20 Fisichella quickest as Badoer spins!

2:23 What a session! Fisichella, Trulli, Barrichello, Sutil, Webber, Vettel, Glock, Rosberg, Heidfeld and Raikkonen!

2:23 11th to 15th: Kubica, Kovalainen, Alonso, Button and Hamilton!

2:24 Knocked out: Buemi, Alguersuari, Nakajima, Grosjean and Badoer

2:24 Top 17 within a second of the quickest time

2:26 Heidfeld only had to do 4 laps in Q1

2:27 Second qualifying session underway

2:27 Drivers are out immediately

2:28 12 cars on the track already!

2:30 Only Rosberg has yet to go out

2:31 A 1:45.496 for Kubica. First time this session

2:31 Trulli sets a 1:44.885! Stunning!!

2:32 It is Trulli from Raikkonen and Glock at the moment

2:33 Kubica moves into second with a 1:44.933. Barrichello in 3rd

2:33 Webber up into second with a 1:44.927

2:36 Current top 10: Trulli, Webber, Kubica, Vettel, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Glock, Hamilton, Button and Fisichella

2:37 Looks like Rosberg is having on 1 run. He starts his first timed lap of the session

2:37 Trulli is back out despite being the fastest so far

2:38 All 15 drivers are on the track with under 4 minutes to go

2:40 Rosberg in 15th

2:41 Alonso up into 6th!

2:41 Final timed laps! This is very close

2:42 Fisichella quickest! A 1:44.667

2:43 Alonso won't make it. He is down in 12th

2:43 Trulli fastest from Kubica and Vettel!

2:44 Hamilton 12th, Alonso 13th, Button 14th and Kovalainen 15th! Amazing

2:45 Top 10 at the end of Q2: Trulli, Kubica, Vettel, Fisichella, Heidfeld, Barrichello, Glock, Webber, Raikkonen and Rosberg

2:46 Knocked out: Sutil, Hamilton, Alonso, Button and Kovalainen

2:47 Less the 0.8 separates the top 15. There was nothing in it!

2:49 Both Toyotas, both Red Bulls and both BMW Saubers are in the final 10

2:50 Session underway and Raikkonen is out

2:52 7 drivers on the track now #F1

2:53 Rosberg, Fisichella and Barrichello yet to go out. Looks like they'll go for 1 run to save fuel

2:54 Raikkonen sets a 1:47.218

2:55 Fisichella still in the pits! Are they going light to try and grab pole for Force India ?

2:58 Rosberg is in second, Heidfeld third and Barrichello in fourth!

2:58 Heidfeld now goes fastest with a 1:46.895

2:59 Kubica now fastest. No make that Trulli! #F1

2:59 Wow! Fisichella quickest with a 1:46.308

3:00 Can Fisichella keep provisional pole ? Trulli on a quick one!

3:01 Fisichella is on Pole! A 1:46.308

3:02 He is most likley light but others have done similar things in the past. Congratulations to Fisichella and Force India

3:03 So the top 10 for the Belgian Grand Prix: Fisichella, Trulli, Heidfeld, Barrichello, Kubica, Raikkonen, Glock, Vettel, Webber & Rosberg

3:07 Fisichella failed to make Q2 in Valencia. Today he is on Pole. Amazing!

3:09 Fisichella is expected to be lightest while the Red Bulls and Rosberg will be heaviest. We'll know the fuel loads in a few hours!

3:18 Barrichello is in a great position to close the gap to Button in the championship. Those ahead are probably lighter and Button is 14th


Qualifying Top Ten
1. Fisichella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.308
2. Trulli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.395
3. Heidfeld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.500
4. Barrichello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.513
5. Kubica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.586
6. Raikkonen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.633
7. Glock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.677
8. Vettel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.761
9. Webber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:46.788
10. Rosberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:47.362

[Ed]

Pre-race fuel weights sorted by grid position

1 Force India Mercedes Giancarlo Fisichella 648.0
2 Toyota Jarno Trulli 656.5
3 BMW Sauber Nick Heidfeld 655.0
4 Brawn Mercedes Rubens Barrichello 644.5
5 BMW Sauber Robert Kubica 649.0
6 Ferrari Kimi Räikkönen 655.0
7 Toyota Timo Glock 648.5
8 RBR Renault Sebastian Vettel 662.5
9 RBR Renault Mark Webber 658.0
10 Williams Toyota Nico Rosberg 670.0
11 Force India Mercedes Adrian Sutil 678.5
12 McLaren Mercedes Lewis Hamilton 693.5
13 Renault Fernando Alonso 684.4
14 Brawn Mercedes Jenson Button 694.2
15 McLaren Mercedes Heikki Kovalainen 697.0
16 STR Ferrari Sébastien Buemi 685.0
17 STR Ferrari Jaime Alguersuari 704.5
18 Williams Toyota Kazuki Nakajima 706.1
19 Renault Romain Grosjean 704.7
20 Ferrari Luca Badoer 691.5

[Ed]

Barrichello lightest followed by Fiscihella and Glock then Kubica.
Trulli and Heidfeld are the heaviest of the top 5.
Raikkonen in 6th is also reasonably heavy and with KERS he could have a good chance

[Snowy]

Shouldn't Kimi get a penalty for going off the circuit at la Source and using it to give him the momentum to overtake 2 cars at the start of the race?

[Ed]

Race coverage notes and comments:

1:37 The Belgian Grand Prix starts in just over 20 minutes. It is partly cloudy and the track is dry

1:38 [Comment From rohit ]
who is in first place? plz tell me [Ed] Fisichella starts from Pole position

1:43 Giancarlo Fisichella is the suprise Pole setter here. Jarno Trulli starts alongside him

1:44 [Comment From Guest ]
backing Force India [Ed] Good luck. It will be a popular victory if Fisichella pulls it off

1:46 15 minutes to formation lap

1:47 Barrichello who starts from 4th is surprisingly the lightest. Fisichella and Glock are also light

1:48 Trulli, Heidfeld and Raikkonen all have a good chance of winning the race as they have a reasonably heavy fuel load

1:49 Vettel not looking too bad either

1:50 It would be a dream result for Force India to win this race. They have yet to score a single point

1:51 10 minutes to formation lap

1:54 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
What are the chances according to you for Force India winning this? [Ed] Fisichella is a good driver so one can never discount him but weight adjusted he is actually 4th. However if he can stay in the lead and pull a gap then he could win it.

2:00 Air temperature is 18 degres while track temperature is 31 degrees

2:00 Formation lap underway!

2:02 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
Should Fisi be racing heavy according to you? is FI making a mistake? Doesn't lighter car going to make him faster? [Ed] Sure but if the guy behind is stays with you and is lapping 2 or 3 laps later then he would be passed at the pit stop

2:03 Badoer is starting 20th and last and I dare say, this will be his last race for Ferrari

2:03 Fisichella back at the starting grid!

2:04 Lights!

2:05 Fisichella has a good start. Barrichello didn't

2:05 Cars everywhere. Multicar collision!

2:07 Raikkonen was flying up into second, went wide

2:08 Button seems to have been hit from behind by Grosjean, both are out. Hamilton got caught up with them somehow and so did Alguersuari

2:09 The start was very messy and lots of wheel banging!

2:10 Safety car still on the track

2:11 Order after 2 laps: Fisichella, Raikkonen, Kubica, Glock, Webber, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Vettel, Alonso, Kovalainen

2:11 Retirements: Button, Grosjean, Hamilton, Alguersuari

2:12 Trulli down in 14th and Barrichello in 15th. Both made pit stops

2:13 Trulli had damage to his wing while Barrichello didn't get away at the start and his very slow start may have caused a lot of the problems that followed!

2:14 Safety car in this lap

2:14 Raikkonen is in a good position for a race win. Provided his car isn't too damaged from the first lap

2:16 Race restarts and Raikkonen takes Fisichella!

2:18 Raikkonen leads Fisichella on lap 5

2:18 [Comment From subbu ]
how many laps are there today [Ed] 44 laps

2:19 Raikkonen pushing. He leads Fisichella by 1.4 seconds after 6 laps

2:20 Barrichello moving up the field. He passed Badoer and now Nakajima

2:20 [Comment From Guest ]
how many laps please [Ed]Now on lap 7 of 44

2:21 [Comment From subbu ]
what about suitil position [Ed] Sutil is 14th

2:22 [Comment From subbu ]
number of cars [Ed] 16 cars remain

2:22 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
please update ur order its still on lap 5 [Ed] That is updated every few laps

2:23 Raikkonen sets the fastest lap time so far with a 1:47.749. Gap to Fisichella is 1.6 seconds

2:24 Sutil passes Nakajima for 13th

2:24 [Comment From Sagar ]
When is Raikkonen expected to pit? [Ed] Around lap 12 but add a few laps due to the safety car

2:25 Trulli is unable to pass Badoer. He remains in 16th!

2:26 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
when will fisi pit? [Ed] Expected in 2 laps or so

2:26 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
I can't believe trulli

2:28 Order on lap 10: Raikkonen, Fisichella (+1., Kubica, Glock, Webber, Heidfeld, Vettel, Rosberg, Alonso and Kovalainen (+23.2)

2:28 [Comment From Puneet ]
hows Fisichella doing any chance of him finishing on top 3 [Ed] His pace is good so yes there is a chance for sure

2:29 Barrichello's charge stopped behind Buemi. He is very heavy

2:30 Kubica is the first to pit!

2:30 Glock too! Fisichella should be in next lap

2:30 [Comment From subbu ]
force india will get championship point today?? [Ed] Most likely

2:30 [Comment From Puneet ]
i luv to see Fisichella finishing in top 3

2:30 [Comment From Puneet ]
how abt sutil wats his postion? [Ed] Sutil is 13th

2:31 Webber and Vettel are pushing

2:31 Fisichella stil not pitting!

2:32 Heidfeld fastest with a 1:47.738

2:32 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
I would love to see Fisi ahead of Raikkonen

2:33 [Comment From Guest ]
can sutil finish in top 8? [Ed]Possible but unlikely unless many retire

2:33 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
How far can Fisi go without pitting? [Ed] Both him and Raikkonen pit now!

2:34 Raikkonen, Fisichella, Webber and Heidfeld all pit! Vettel leads

2:35 Webber jumped in front of Heidfeld. Webber may get a penalty

2:35 [Comment From subbu ]
its not possible it seems

2:35 Heidfeld takes Webber on the track

2:35 [Comment From Guest ]
can fisi ends 1st [Ed] At this stage unlikely

2:36 Webber and Heidfeld under investigation for their incident in the pitlane

2:36 Drive through penalty for Webber

2:37 Vettel now pits and Rosberg leads!

2:37 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
Fisi gained time? [Ed] Still with Raikkonen

2:38 [Comment From subbu ]
how abt sutil wats his postion? [Ed] In 12th

2:38 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
If Fisi pitted with Kimi then what is the use of kimi travelling heavy and Fisi clearly got the advantage of travelling light [Ed] Teams sometimes bring their cars in early to avoid traffic

2:39 Rosberg now leads (yet to stop) from Raikkonen and Fisichella. Alonso in 4th (yet to stop)

2:40 [Comment From Puneet ]
wats the current position and time difference?

2:40 [Comment From vaibhav ]
pls update 1st 5 positions with timings...

2:41 Robserg pits from the lead

2:42 Raikkonen is slower than Fisichella! Just 0.9 head!

2:43 [Comment From tsandziwe ]
really what is sutil's position [Ed] 10th at the moment

2:44 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
Is Fisi racing better than Kimi? Shadowing him...c'mon I want to hear that [Ed] He certainly looks quicker at this stage

2:44 [Comment From Binny Thomas ]
Interesting

2:44 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
great go Fisi go

2:45 [Comment From subbu ]
suitil has to take pit stop right?? [Ed] I think he made a stop early

2:45 Trulli pits!

2:46 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
Is there a risk in overtaking Kimi? Monaco...Sutil and Kimi? will Force India avoid that? [Ed] Who knows! Lets hope nothing like that happens

2:47 Alonso and Kovalainen yet to make their first stops!

2:48 Drama for Toyota. Both Glock and Trulli had problems with refuelling

2:48 Trulli retires! He was looking good for the win!!

2:48 [Comment From Puneet ]
wat the curent position with timing?

2:49 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
ferraris are slowing Kimi for badoer to catch up? Is it true? [Ed] Comeon mate!!

2:49 [Comment From subbu ]
Rosberg has to take pit stop right?? [Ed] He made one but will stop again

2:50 [Comment From subbu ]
how many laps got over now?? [Ed] 23 laps of 44

2:50 This is one of the closest races. Top 5 are 9 seconds apart!

2:51 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
Fisi better than kimi uptill now? [Ed] I would say matching. Very impressive drive from Fisichella

2:51 [Comment From subbu ]
whats time diff b/w Raikkonen and Fisichella [Ed] 0.7 seconds

2:52 Alonso pits for the first time

2:53 Alonso has major problems with his right wheel fairing. His race is destroyed!

2:53 Alonso's problem was due to damage he sustained on the first lap

2:54 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
Alonso still to make stop? [Ed] Just made a poor stop!

2:54 [Comment From subbu ]
Alonso has to take pit stop right??

2:55 [Comment From Manoj ]
Can Fisichella make it to the top spot?? [Ed] It is looking possible now

2:55 Alonso told to pit and they will retire him due to that left front tyre

2:56 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
omg se t difference btw first two?

2:57 [Comment From Puneet ]
but almost half to go so them have to keep the gud work and win their first points

2:57 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
problem for Alonso? [Ed] Yes he had damage from the start and has some damage to the wheel

2:59 Raikkonen leads Fisichella by 1 second on lap 28

3:00 Sutil is 13th

3:01 Order after 29 laps: Raikkonen, Fisichella (+1.1), Kubica, Vettel, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Glock, Webber, Kovalainen and Buemi

3:01 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
Overtake Kimi go Fisi Go he's holding u up man

3:02 [Comment From guest ]
really what is sutil's position [Ed] 12th!

3:02 Retirements: Alonso, Trulli, Button, Grosjean, Hamilton, Alguersuari

3:03 Kubica is the first to makee second stop

3:04 Top 3 on lap 30: Raikkonen, Fisichella (+1.2), Vettel (+10.7)
Both Raikkonen and Fisichella pit

3:05 Raikkonen mainains the lead!

3:05 Actually Vettel leads from Heidfeld but Raikkonen remains ahead of Fisichella

3:06 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
what is KERS? [Ed] Kinetic Energy Recovery System

3:06 Heidfeld pits from second

3:08 Vettel (1st) and Rosberg (6th) yet to stop

3:08 Rosberg now pits!

3:09 Vettel still in the lead but he will go back to 3rd or 4th after the stop

3:10 And update on Badoer, he is 14th and last of the runners and 25.6 seconds behind Nakajima in 13th

3:10 Webber pits!

3:11 Heidfeld sets the fastest time of the race so far with a 1:47.541

3:11 [Comment From Guest ]
man badoer needs to buck up! but still he is a fighter!

3:11 Vettel pits!

3:12 Vettel rejoins in 3rd!

3:13 [Comment From guest ]
Can Fisichella make it to the top spot?? [Ed] Possible, he very close all race

3:13 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
change ur standings man [Ed] Ok

3:15 Raikkonen leads Fisichella by 0.8 seconds on lap 36 of 44

3:15 [Comment From Guest ]
KIMI!! KIMI!! KIMI!! KIMI!! KIMI!!!

3:16 Top 4: Raikkonen, Fisichella (+0., Vettel (+6.0), Kubica (+9.7)

3:17 Strong speculation that Fisichella may drive the Ferrari at Monza in place of Badoer

3:18 Vettel sets the fastest time of the race so far with a 1:47.263. He is catching the 2 leaders

3:19 Sutil in 11th trying to pass Glock!

3:19 [Comment From Omair ]
Please tell us the stoppage times for both Kimi n Fisi... [Ed] Both made 2 stops and Kimi leads by 0.8

3:20 [Comment From Guest ]
Go kimi. Who need Schumi.

3:21 4 laps remain. Apart from mechanical problems or mistakes, the to 5 are likely to remain the same

3:23 Closest fights are Raikkonen - Fisichella (+0. and Kovalainen - Barrichello (+0.4)

3:23 [Comment From Omair ]
If Kimi can win, that would be the best win of this season, considering the condition of ferrari among other cars, KEEP HOLDING ON, KIMI....

3:24 Smoke coming out of Barrichello's car!

3:24 3 laps to go, he won't make it!

3:25 Barrichello told to back off to try and save the engine. Rosberg catching him

3:26 It would be amazing if Barrichello can continue for another 2 laps!

3:26 Raikkonen leads on the final lap!

3:27 Team doesn't seem to be too concerned with the smoke from Barrichello!

3:28 Raikkonen set to win the race.
Fisichella set to score a second for Force India

3:28 Raikkone wins, Fisichella second, Vettel third

3:29 Kubica, Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Barrichello and Rosberg make the top 8

3:29 [Comment From rahulbamal ]
congratulations to FISI and KIMI

3:30 Barrichello's car on fire but he made it in 7th

3:30 [Comment From Guest ]
Yeah kimi

3:30 [Comment From Omair ]
yesss.... Hats off to kimi... Brilliant job done

3:30 [Comment From richard ]
can we have final top 10 final rime differentials?

3:32 [Comment From ravi ]
perfect

3:33 This result has really damaged Button's lead. Barrichello only scored 2 points, Webber zero points and Vettel scored 6 points

3:34 Ferrari first and last. Makes you wonder really

3:34 [Comment From Omair ]
who could have thought that kimi or ferrari would win a race this season??? with complete dominance from the Brawns, thn red bull n thn by Mclaren... n guess what, ferrari wins the race that is the daddy of all other races... go kimi go...

3:37 Congratulations to Raikkonen, Fisichella and Vettel. They all drove well today

4:11 [Comment From dj R ]
kimi to leave ferrari at the end of 2009? [Ed] It is becoming stronger by the day

4:13 [Comment From dj R ]
wonder which team he will go to next.. any thoughts? [Ed] McLaren most likely although a straight swap with Renault is also possible

[Ed]

Belgian Grand Prix - Top 10

1. Raikkonen
2. Fisichella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +0.9
3. Vettel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +3.8
4. Kubica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +9.9
5. Heidfeld . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . +11.2
6. Kovalainen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +32.7
7. Barrichello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +35.4
8. Rosberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +36.2
9. Webber . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +36.9
10. Glock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +41.4

[Ed]

Congratulations to Kimi Raikkonen on winning the Belgian Grand Prix. It was his first win since Spain 2008. He managed to get through the drama of the first lap and get Fisichella at the restart. He couldn't pull out a gap but still managed to win.
Fisichella was impressive all weekend and to nearly win the race in the Force India was special. He didn't slow down the field at the restart and that may have allowed Raikkonen to be too close to him and then pass him
Vettel also did well to finish on the podium. When he doesn't have problems, he impresses but his engine problems will cause him places at the final races.
Good races from Kubica and Heidfeld. The only team to have both drivers in the points was BMW Sauber. One would have expected Heidfeld to do a bit better though given his fuel load
Kovalainen started from 15th and ended up 6th. Not a bad result although that may be a bit late to retain his seat at McLaren for next year
Barrichello had a problem at the start yet again. He did well to recover and score 2 points even with a half blown engine!
And Rosberg once again managed to score points when clearly the car wasn't suited for this track. He needs a quick car

While this wasn't a good result for Button who retired, non of his rivals scored maximum points and he still has a commanding lead.

Your thoughts and your driver of the day ?