Tag: belgium gp

F1 2020: Belgium Gp Review – Hamilton, One hand on the trophy

The writing was on the wall as early as Saturday qualifying during which Lewis Hamilton secured a dominant pole position. The only chance, and it was a small one, that anyone would have of delaying his progress was at the start of the race. However, he led serenely from the front and strolled on to the top step of the podium for his fourth win in Belgium.

Valtteri Bottas came home in second place some eight seconds adrift of Hamilton. The Finn now languishes a massive fifty points behind in the driver’s standings and has seemingly no chance of getting his hands on the coveted trophy. For some of the opening laps Bottas kept himself relatively close to Hamilton’s gearbox. However, we he asked for an increased power mode in order to attack his teammate it was shot down by the pitwall. Effectively, the team had ordered Bottas not to race his teammate and he obeyed. For Mercedes Bottas is the perfect wingman to Hamilton. Yes, he may sometimes score a pole and maybe even a few wins but he is never going to disrupt Hamilton enough to truly take the fight to him over an entire season. The chance to win the title this year has already gone for Valtteri Bottas. Since joining in 2017 he has never mounted a serious and sustained challenge and is very much in danger of becoming F1’s nearly man. For while Mercedes will be happy with Bottas as a second driver at this stage there is some serious talent, in the form of George Russell, ready and waiting to slot into the Mercedes team.

Max Verstappen racked up another podium finish but described his race as fairly boring. The Red Bull driver was caught somewhat in no man’s land, as he wasn’t quick enough to challenge the Mercs and saw no one behind mounting an assault on his third place either. There is no doubt that Verstappen is ready to win a championship however he simply doesn’t have the car to challenge the might of Mercedes weekend in and weekend out. He can try his level best and sometimes even snatch the odd win but the reality is that Mercedes will not be conquered in 2020.

Formula 1 has always been better off when it has produced a battle for the championship titles but in 2020 the question is not if Hamilton will take his seventh crown but rather when. A dominant pole on Saturday saw the writing on the wall for 47 points It will have to be a bungling of monumental proportions for Mercedes and Hamilton to lose the titles from here.

Daniel Ricciardo not only set the fastest lap of the race but also drove a stellar race to finish fourth in the Renault ahead of teammate Esteban Ocon in fifth. The low-downforce setup adopted by Renault for the race paid huge dividends and will bode well for this weekend’s race in Monza too. Alex Albon was sixth in other Red Bull ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris in seventh. Pierre Gasly’s choice to start of the hard compound tyre paid off the final stint of the race as he netted an impressive eighth place finish. Racing Point would likely have hoped for more on the power-dominant Spa circuit but has to be satisfied with ninth and tenth for Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez respectively.

While Carlos Sainz was unable to take the start of the race due to an exhaust failure only two driver retired from the race proper. Antonio Giovinazzi lost the rear of his and destroyed his Alfa Romeo. The pursuing George Russell had to take avoiding action which pitched the Williams into the barriers. Though both drivers escaped unscathed the incident brought out the safety car.

It was by all accounts as miserable a day for Ferrari as they have experienced in some time. With thirteenth for Seb Vettel and fourteenth for Charles Leclerc there was never even an inkling of scoring any point. In fact so poor was the works Ferrari team performance that Kimi Raikkonen easily finished ahead of the pair of them in a customer Alfa Romeo. It used to be an honour to don the red overalls and drive for Ferrari and maybe one day it would be again. But what is happening in 2020 is utterly embarrassing. Some serious conversations need to be had over the next while and some serious changes will need to be implemented if Ferrari is ever going to recover from the doldrums.

To add insult to an epic lack of pace F1 heads to Monza this weekend, an even more power sensitive circuit. If Spa was a painful experience Monza is likely to be even more so. The only saving grace is that the grandstands around Monza will be empty which means that, at the very least, Ferrari wont have to face up to the Tifosi.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

August 31, 2020
F1 2019: Belgium Gp Preview – Return From Hiatus

The summer hiatus is over and Formula 1 returns in true style at Belgium’s legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

In the interim between races F1 has carried on its merry way of making headlines. Relatively early on in the summer break the somewhat inevitable announcement was made that after a string of lackluster performances Pierre Gasly will swop cockpits with Alex Albon from the Belgian Gp onwards.

It’s a big knock to Gasly’s already tattered confidence but, at the very least, he has a chance to regain his footing as a Toro Rosso driver for the rest of the 2019 season. It won’t be an easy task by any stretch of the imagination but he should take heart from the fact that he wasn’t booted out of F1 and the Red Bull driver program entirely.

As much pressure as Gasly faces to put his F1 career back on track Alex Albon faces exponentially more as a new Red Bull driver. The Thai-born driver is no stranger to success and many would go so far as to brand him a bonafide Karting superstar. He’s impressed in the lower Formula and at Toro Rosso too but the spotlight will become immeasurably more focused as he steps into a cockpit of a front-running car. He won’t be expected to beat teammate Max Verstappen from the word go but the Red Bull decision-makers are scrutinizing his performances. Should he perform well, which he definitely has the potential to do, he’ll all but seal his place at the team for 2020.

Pressure is everywhere in F1 and it’s found a home too in the cockpit of Valtteri Bottas. The Finn started the season with a bang but has faded in the last few grand prix weekends in comparison to teammate Lewis Hamilton. The pressure comes in the form of Esteban Ocon who is confirmed to be under consideration, along with Bottas, for the second Mercedes seat for 2020.

However, Bottas may yet be safe as some rumours suggest that Merc could allow Ocon to be signed by Renault who is nearly always under pressure to be a put a French driver in the French works team. Where is the vacancy at Renault you ask? Some suggestions abound that Nico Hulkenberg could be off the Haas for next season in place of Romain Grosjean. Isn’t the silly season great?

Ferrari too is under pressure. But then they have been under pressure to deliver a title for more than a decade now. The characteristics of Spa-Francorchamps should suit the 2019 Ferrari and its low-drag philosophy to a degree. Whether the red team will be able to get all their ducks in a row is another question. As Kimi Raikkonen’s triumph Texas last year remains Ferrari’s last race win the team will be desperate to get their name on the winners’ board for the first time in 2019. Spa may provide them their best chance of doing just that.

There are few greater stretches of tarmac in the world than the 7.004 km Circuit at the foot of the Ardennes Mountains. It’s an old-school test of man and machine and demands precision, bravery, and respect. It’s a circuit seeping with nostalgia for all of the greats who has graced it before. It is Spa-Francorchamps.

August 27, 2019
F1 2018: Belgian Gp Review – Ferrari Stroll To Spa Victory

Untroubled, Sebastian Vettel drove the perfect race to secure victory at the 2018 Belgian grand prix. While Saturday qualifying, wet in the final part, went the way of Lewis Hamilton Sunday was brought a completely different complexion as the Ferrari driver skillfully scythed past pole sitter Hamilton into the lead of the race.

Both Force India cars, starting on the second row thanks to a dramatic quali, started equally well and slotted in behind the front two. It all went off behind them however as a dramatic first corner crash, triggered by Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, saw Fernando Alonso’s McLaren fly over the cockpit of Charles Leclerc. The halo, significantly scuffed by Alonso’s tyre, played a significant role in keeping the Sauber driver safe and uninjured in an otherwise dangerous crash. An example of how well the halo works was never needed or wanted but this serves as the perfect illustration for all those that continually criticized and moaned about the aesthetics of why it is needed in Formula 1. It’s certain that without it there would have been a different outcome for Charles Leclerc.

Though they retired slightly later the first lap also laid claim to Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo. The Red Bull driver was tagged from behind by Alonso and lost his rear wing. While he did get back out he was a lap down without little prospect of gaining anything meaningful from the race consequently Red Bull retired Ricciardo’s no. 3 car.

For Kimi Raikkonen it was desperately unlucky as Ricciardo’s front wing caused a right-rear puncture on the Ferrari. It subsequently damaged the right endplate of the rear wing, the DRS, and caused enough floor damage to render the car un-driveable.

While first lap crashes are part and parcel of racing Ferrari only has itself to blame for Raikkonen’s ultimate retirement. The day before an awkward blunder in quali left Raikkonen without enough fuel to complete the final part of the session. While others improved their laptimes the Finn was left to start sixth on the grid. This position often referred to as the ‘carbon fibre zone’ is notoriously where most incidents occur. But Ferrari was flustered when the rain came down in the final part of qualifying and they made mistakes that ultimately cost Raikkonen a shot at a decent result. As if to add insult to injury Raikkonen was fastest well the mix for pole on a circuit where he is considered a specialist and has won on four previous occasions.

Up front it was as easy a Sunday afternoon drive for Vettel. While both Mercedes and Ferrari introduced upgraded internal combustion engines for this weekend Hamilton and Mercedes just didn’t have the pace to live with the Ferrari. This was something that Hamilton bemoaned after the race too by saying that Ferrari has some “tricks”. Whatever he was implying if he is hoping to play a psychological game it wont land with neither Vettel nor Ferrari.

Hamilton went on to paint himself as the underdog despite being in the lead of the driver’s championship. But the likelihood is that he doesn’t really believe himself to be the downtrodden. After all, he is the reigning champion in a works Mercedes that will be a force at Monza.

As Vettel and Hamilton took the first two steps on the podium Max Verstappen drove a lonely race into third while Valtteri Bottas ably recovered to fourth after starting nearly last on the grid. Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon delivered fourth and fifth for Force India in what has been a difficult time for the team off the track. Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen were sixth and seventh for Haas while Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly and Marcus Ericsson completed the top ten for Sauber.

Vettel’s win brings him to within 17 points of Hamilton in the drivers standing and more importantly gives Ferrari some much-needed momentum ahead of their home race this weekend.

*Podium Image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

*First lap Images courtesy of Racing Point Force India

August 27, 2018
F1 2018: Belgium Gp Preview – Spa, Meaning of Brilliance

Good things are worth waiting for and they don’t come any better than the mythical Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the foothills of Belgium’s Ardennes.

Formula 1 returns this weekend after its nearly month long ‘shut down’ but while the racing on track may have ceased for a few weeks the sport that never sleeps has continued to churn at quite a dramatic rate.

For years if not decades the driver market has been one of the most intriguing aspects of the sport. Who would race where and when has relentlessly dominated paddock discussions, arguably, since the sports inception. So much speculation has surrounded driver moves that it even coined its own phrase to become known as the silly season. It’s been no less dramatic in 2018 and the last month either. First, Daniel Ricciardo astonishingly announced his departure from Red Bull to join Renault for the 2019 season. It’s a bold move from a confident driver and only time will tell if it was the right move for Ricciardo.

It wasn’t the least of the driver announcement over the break as Fernando Alonso too announced that he would be stepping away from the sport at the conclusion of the 2018 season. It appears that he may run a dual program that features racing in the World Endurance Championship and the IndyCar season as he tries to obtain the much-vaunted Triple Crown. His 17-year career in F1 has simultaneously been highlighted by brilliance and underscored by controversy but the fact remains that, for Formula 1, Fernando Alonso is undoubtedly a loss.

It’s been well known for a few months that Carlos Sainz will take over Alonso’s seat at McLaren where he is likely to be partnered by F2 driver Lando Norris for 2019.

Elsewhere the most high profile seat that remains officially open is at Ferrari and is currently occupied by Kimi Raikkonen. While rumours swirled early in the season that Charles Leclerc would be drafted into the team for 2019 it is looking fairly certain that Raikkonen will remain at Ferrari for 2019. In fact, rumours suggest that a 1+1 deal has been agreed to between the two parties. This means an assured seat for Raikkonen in 2019 and a team option to extend his contract for 2020.

It’s no great surprise that Raikkonen would be kept on given the way he has driven in 2018. Third in the championship standings despite two DNF’s and bulletproof consistency is likely what sealed the deal. It seems all the more fitting that F1 returns to action at a circuit where Raikkonen has won on four occasions.

The famed Spa circuit is an old-school masterpiece infused with the memories of a bygone era that tested man and machine to the absolute limit. While fabled corners such as Eau Rouge and Blanchimont may be easier to navigate in the 2018 era of F1 car it’s no less spectacular when it all comes together. It’s seven kilometer long lap is characterized by long straights and challenging fast corners against one of the most picturesque backdrops on the calendar.

Another unique and notorious characteristic of the Belgian grand prix is its changeable weather conditions. Such is the vastness of the circuit that it often simultaneously rains on one part of the track while it remains dry on another. The list of names who have won more than twice on the demanding Spa circuit is a short one that includes only the likes of Fangio, Hill, Raikkonen, Clark, Senna, and the great Michael Schumacher who won a staggering six times.

The undulating circuit and its distinctive power dominant demands bring Mercedes and Ferrari to the fore this weekend. Red Bull will have to work much harder to make an impact in the middle sector where its aero efficiency will be its biggest strength. For Sebastian Vettel it will imperative to stop Hamilton’s momentum and stem the loss of points to the reigning champion.

But there is every opportunity that neither Vettel nor Hamilton will be on the top step of the podium this weekend. After all it is a circuit where Kimi Raikkonen has always shone.

August 22, 2018
F1 2017: Belgium Gp Review – Hamilton Wins Intense Battle

In terms of the spectacle of wheel-to-wheel racing the 2017 Belgian grand prix wasn’t the most electrifying race of the season.

However, what it may have lacked as far as a pure racing show it certainly made up with the intensity of the battle between the two championship protagonists Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

While Hamilton maintained track position throughout the race the Mercedes driver was never more than two seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Vettel. In his 200^th grand prix Hamilton managed to keep Vettel at bay but it was far from a stroll for Mercedes who admitted post-race that it they were pushing flat out from light out to chequered flag. Vettel’s inability to overtake Hamilton proved that track position remains all-important. It’s once again abundantly clear that despite the fact that the 2017 cars are far quicker and more visually exciting it hasn’t improved the ability to overtake.

A late safety car was deployed for debris on the track for an indefensible crash between Force India teammates Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. The testy relationship between Force India’s drivers came to blows as Perez dangerously squeezed teammate Ocon into the old pitwall, making contact. The race stewards are likely to impose a hefty penalty for Perez’s inexcusably dangerous driving.

Despite Vettel getting to within half a tenth of taking the lead Hamilton maintained control. It wasn’t the case for his Merc teammate Valtteri Bottas who was swamped, on either side, into turn four by Daniel Ricciardo on the left and Kimi Raikkonen on the right. It left Ricciardo in third and Raikkonen, recovering from a ten second stop/go penalty for not slowing under yellow flags, in fourth and a well-spanked Bottas in fifth.

For Max Verstappen his woeful run in 2017 continued with yet another reliability issue. This time a cylinder failure in the engine put an end to his afternoon at his de facto home race. While Verstappen’s frustrations were amplified Nico Hulkenberg took sixth place for Renault ahead of Romain Grosjean in seventh, Massa in eighth, Ocon in ninth and Carlos Sainz in tenth for Toro Rosso.

Fully aware that radio communications are often broadcast to the world McLaren’s Fernando Alonso didn’t hold back his contempt during the race. His comments ranged from “embarrassing, really embarrassing” to “I really don’t care too much about the gaps. This is just a test” when told about the gap to other drivers in his vicinity. Later on he summarily told the team that he wanted no more radio communication.

While his frustration is certainly warranted it was perhaps not the classiest way to go about voicing it. There are more than 600 McLaren employees working flat-out to get these two cars onto the track in the best condition possible and it would likely have been terribly demoralizing for them to hear Alonso’s comments.

The simple truth is that there is no doubt whatsoever that Fernando Alonso is supremely talented and still well capable of winning world titles.

But ponder this: Ferrari could have easily re-signed him for 2018, but chose instead to stick with their current line-up. There is a reason for this and the temperament he displayed in Belgian Gp has everything to do with it.

Hamilton’s intensely fought win has seen him halve Vettel’s gap to seven points ahead of Ferrari’s home race this weekend at Monza.

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

August 28, 2017
F1 2017: Belgian Gp First Practice Report – Raikkonen On Top

Kimi Raikkonen topped the first free practice session in his Ferrari ahead of Sunday’s Belgian grand prix.

Formula 1 resumed after a month long shut down with a 90 minute practice session around the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. It was Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen who topped the session with a quickest lap time of 1:45:502 set on the Ultrasoft compound tyre. Meanwhile Hamilton was second quickest but set his fastest lap of the session on the yellow-walled soft tyre. Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, and Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top five.

The session was red-flagged early on when the Williams of Felipe Massa ended up in the barriers on the exit of Malmedy. So extensive was the damage to the Williams that the team are opting to change the chassis. Pascal Wehrlein in the Sauber had his own reliability issues which allowed him to complete only 13 laps in the session. Later Valtteri Bottas inflicted some damage on his Mercedes as he strangely drifted off the track and into the barrier.

Fernando Alonso’s session was underscored with an underperforming engine. The Honda engine in Alonso’s McLaren is a new spec, specifically version 3.6. Meanwhile, local driver Stoffel Vandoorne, who was tenth quickest in the session, will drop 35 places on Sunday’s starting grid due to power unit element changes.

Final Standings Free Practice One:

August 25, 2017
F1 2017: Belgium Gp Preview – Spa Kicks of Second Half of F1 2017

The 2017 Formula 1 season resumes this weekend at the celebrated Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. As one of the most iconic and beloved circuits in the world the Belgian race weekend is eagerly recommended as one of the great races to attend in your lifetime.

The reason for it isn’t only the grand circuit, which encompasses such memorably brave corners like Eau Rouge, Pouhon, or Blanchimont. Instead it’s the atmosphere created by the fervent supporters, being in the heart of the Ardennes forest, and watching the best driver in the word’s most elite racing series attempt to conquer the most classic circuit of them all.

Often classified as the driver’s track at 7.5 kilometers Spa comprises of everything that makes a circuit great. Several elevation changes, off chamber corners, and a slew of overtaking opportunities should make the 44 laps a must watch.

The high average speed of the circuit, and its layout, calls for a low downforce setup to be coupled with a good amount of power output. It sounds tailor-made for Mercedes and they will start the race weekend as favourites.

Their most likely challengers are unlikely to be either Daniel Ricciardo or Max Verstappen. One of the most disappointing aspects of the 2017 season is the fact that Red Bull didn’t hit the ground running. With the major regulation change it was expected that the Austrian-based team would be challenging for the titles in 2017 but this aspiration is a bridge too far for them now with only nine races remaining in the season.

Nevertheless, team principal Christian Horner believes that his team will “at least” be able to match Ferrari’s pace for the remainder of the season. Their rate of development has been impressive especially since the Spanish gran prix. But it’s a bold statement given that Ferrari will be throwing everything at the remaining races in order to secure the respective drivers and constructors championship titles.

The championship battle between Ferrari and Mercedes is likely, and hopefully, one that will go down to the wire at the season-ending Abu Dhabi grand prix. However, a single misstep in any of the next nine races could put serious pains to gaining the coveted trophies.

For Mercedes, the gains have to come from improving the downforce of their 2017 car especially for the races that follow after the Belgian and Italian grand prix. “We definitely do have work to do, they [Ferrari] are quick through the corners, and we need to work on that. We need to work on our maximum-downforce package, that’s the main thing,” Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas confirmed.

It’s not straightforward for Ferrari either. They’ve been lacking a bit of pace at certain races, most recently, Silverstone. However, the last race before the summer break was a momentum-building, and important, one-two victory.

It means that Ferrari will arrive in Belgium with confidence and with two drivers who can run right at the sharp-end. What’s more, championship leader Sebastian Vettel firmly believes that the team has identified its areas of weakness and is now more able to set about improving the car.

Arguably, Spa is one of the circuits where Kimi Raikkonen excels most. As a five-time winner and with impressive performances in the last two Raikkonen isn’t too bad a bet for victory this weekend, if Vettel isn’t in second.

August 23, 2017
F1 2017: Mid-Season Report

The 2017 Formula 1 season ushered in fundamental change both on and off the circuit.

One of the biggest changes to F1 came in the form of the new aerodynamic regulations that drastically changed the aesthetics and the speed of the cars. Wider and faster the 2017 cars have, mostly, brought a refreshing change to F1. While cars have been cornering significantly quicker than they ever have before the issue of overtaking has still not been solved. The wider cars, and bigger tyres, have instead made the ability of following a competitor closely a lot tougher. However, the flip of side of this has been that, when presented with an overtaking opportunity, drivers have been more aggressive in making their moves, which has led to more entertaining racing.

While the change to the cars has been a substantial change the biggest change has been, arguably, the resurgence of Ferrari. Less we forget, up until 2017, Mercedes has dominated the hybrid era with consummate ease. The fact that Ferrari is a bona fide championship challenger has been a refreshing change that the sport desperately needed. While the championship battle will likely, and hopefully, carry all the way to the final race of the season, the most impressive aspect of Ferrari’s resurrection has been how the team has achieved it. Though it may be paying off in this season it isn’t something that’s happened overnight. The first pieces of the puzzle were put in place years ago, as noted in this column back in 2014, and is testament to an inspired dedication by all involved at Maranello.

Nevertheless, while Ferrari has been, mostly, impressive in 2017, Mercedes haven’t exactly been slouching. Lewis Hamilton, faced with consistent pressure from Sebastian Vettel, is probably driving as well as he ever has in his career. With due respect to the deserved 2016 Hamilton always believed that he had enough to beat Rosberg and he did so two times out of three. But with Vettel it’s different as he’s now up against a four-time champ who is relentless, ruthless, and ready for title number five.

One of the most impressive drivers this season has been Valtteri Bottas. The Finnish driver has quietly made his way into the championship fight with some impressive drives. It’s never beating a master of qualifying such as Hamilton and Bottas has finally begun to fulfill the potential he entered F1 with. Many wouldn’t have easily written off his chances of beating Hamilton, over a season, at the start of the year. But this question isn’t so comfortably answered after half a season of Bottas vs. Hamilton.

Formula 1 is a baptism of fire for any driver but even more so for rookie drivers.Williams’ newly signed Canadian rookie Lance Stroll had one such rough start to his F1 career. While he wasn’t to blame for the three retirements in the first three races of the season it was evident that he was struggling and over-driving his car.

But the turning point came in Canada with a fine ninth place finish on home soil. Since then, he’s matured and become more comfortable which he capped, so far, with a memorable third place in Baku. While circumstances conspired to elevate him to that position he still needed to do the job in the cockpit.

Elsewhere, Esteban Ocon has quickly found his feet in Force India and F1. So much so that he’s been more than a nuisance to his highly rated teammate Sergio Perez. Yes, he’s made a few mistakes but overall Ocon has been a brilliant addition to the team who could easily be mistaken for a seasoned F1 driver.

As it stands Vettel leads Hamilton by fourteen points in the driver’s championship but its not a comfortable lead by any stretch of the imagination.

And the best thing of all about the 2017 Formula 1 season as that for the first time in quite a while we have no idea which way the championship will go. The season resumes at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit on August 27.

August 7, 2017
F1 2016: Belgium GP Review – Chaos and Calm of Spa

The 2016 Belgian grand prix may have had a familiar victor at the end of its 44 laps but little else was as predictable as Nico Rosberg on the top step of the podium.

The German Mercedes driver was in prime position after securing pole while teammate Lewis Hamilton was confined to the back of the grid after accruing several dozen penalties for a litany of power unit changes.

Rosberg made the most of his starting position to lead into turn one while chaos erupted behind him. The start was going well for Kimi Raikkonen who started third in the Ferrari enabling him to challenge front row starter Max Verstappen for his second place. But it transformed into a shower of carbon fibre moments later as Sebastian Vettel attempted to drive around the outside of both Verstappen and Raikkonen and made contact with his teammate. It was a daft move from the four-time champion, which utterly devastated Ferrari’s afternoon.

There is an argument that Verstappen was the culprit in this incident as he positioned his car inside of Raikkonen into turn one. But given Raikkonen’s vast experience as exceptional spatial awareness he would’ve recognized the Red Bull on his inside and opened his steering to avoid a coming together. But he was unable to do so with Vettel turning into him from the other side. While Ferrari has experienced several unfortunate and uncontrollable reliability incidents throughout the year their own hand has inexcusably exacerbated it.

The race had just begun to settle down as Renault’s Kevin Magnussen lost control at the top of Eau Rouge and slammed into the barrier with an enormous impact. The Danish driver exited the cockpit of his car only with a slight limp that was later confirmed as a cut to his ankle. The crash displaced the tyre-wall, which prompted race director Charlie Whiting to red flag the race in for repairs to take place.

By this stage, and after the carnage of the first few laps, Hamilton had made his way through the field to fifth behind McLaren’s Fernando Alonso in fourth. The red flag meant that Raikkonen and Verstappen’s damaged cars could receive much needed attention in the pitlane and all drivers could made adjustments if so inclined. While Verstappen received a new front-wing Raikkonen’s engineers were frantically trying to fix the plank underneath his car by bonding it with duct tape.

The race resumed with Rosberg in the lead and Daniel Ricciardo in second. The Red Bull driver was able to keep the Merc honest for the majority of the race but eventually finished second, 14 seconds adrift. Miraculously, Hamilton had worked his way up to third by the time the flag dropped. While Rosberg may have taken the honours on Sunday Hamilton should be over the moon with his performance. Not only does he still hold a 9-point lead in the standings but the Brit now also has the advantage of three new engines for the remainder of the season.

Nico Hulkenberg completed an impressive day for Force India with fourth while Perez finished fifth ahead of a recovering Sebastian Vettel in sixth. Fernando Alonso ran an impressive race for McLaren to finish seventh ahead of Williams driver Valtteri Bottas in eighth. After being a lap down before the red flag Raikkonen was able to recover to ninth ahead of Felipe Massa in tenth.

The Formula 1 paddock crosses the Belgian border to Northern Italy for one of the most passionate races on the calendar at Monza. Ferrari’s recent form doesn’t provide much hope for their ardent Tifosi but an engine upgrade for the most power-hungry circuit on the calendar could provide a boost.

August 29, 2016

F1 2016: Belgium Gp Free Practice 1 Report – Rosberg On Top

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg topped the timing sheet at the end of the first free practice session for the 2016 Belgian grand prix.

The Formula 1 season resumed after its summer break with the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit bathed in glorious sunshine. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg set the quickest time of the 90 minute session with a time of 1:48:348 ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton who set a time of 1:49:078. Both Mercedes drivers set their quickest time of the session on the red-walled supersoft tyre.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen set the third quickest time at a 1:49:147 but only ran the yellow-walled soft tyre. Sergio Perez was fourth for Force India as the second Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top five.

Several drivers including Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo ran the Halo head protection system in an installation lap as further development ahead of the introduction of the system. Pirelli further offered teams two prototype set of tyres to test in preparation for 2017. The test tyres were focused on the construction of the tyre as opposed to outright performance.

Renault’s Jolyon Palmer lost the last twenty minutes of the session with a technical issue. However, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso failed to set a lap time as his car suffered a water leak early in the session. It has been confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will incur a 15 place grid penalty after changing two elements his power unit.

Final Standings Free Practice 1:

Pos.	Driver	Team	Best Time	Gap	Lap
1	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:48.348s	–	27
2	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:49.078s	0.730	25
3	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	1:49.147s	0.799	24
4	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:49.274s	0.926	23
5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:49.768s	1.420	19
6	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:49.782s	1.434	24
7	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:49.865s	1.517	24
8	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	1:50.088s	1.740	21
9	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:50.394s	2.046	31
10	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	1:50.583s	2.235	21
11	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:50.899s	2.551	18
12	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:51.122s	2.774	28
13	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:51.125s	2.777	16
14	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:51.424s	3.076	17
15	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:51.768s	3.420	19
16	Esteban Ocon	Manor	1:51.787s	3.439	26
17	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:52.308s	3.960	19
18	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:52.407s	4.059	18
19	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor	1:52.837s	4.489	23
20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	1:53.053s	4.705	20
21	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:53.089s	4.741	20
–	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	–	–	3

August 26, 2016

Tag: belgium gp

All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

*Podium Image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

*First lap Images courtesy of Racing Point Force India

**First lap Images courtesy of Racing Point Force India*