Location: Belgium

Track: Spa-Francorchamps

GP Weekend: September 14-16

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

Pos--Team--Points
1 McLaren-Mercedes (http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/2910.html) 166
2 Ferrari (http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/2911.html) 143
3 BMW (http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/2913.html) 86
4 Renault (http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/2909.html) 38
5 Williams-Toyota (http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/2916.html) 25
6 Red Bull-Renault (http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/2915.html) 16
7 Toyota (http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/2914.html) 12
8 Super Aguri-Honda (http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/2919.html) 4
9 Honda (http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/2912.html) 2
10 STR-Ferrari (http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/2917.html) 0
10 Spyker-Ferrari (http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/2918.html) 0

2007 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

Hamilton---------92
Alonso:----------89
Raikkonen:-------74
Massa:----------69
Heidfeld:---------52
Kubica:----------33
Kovalainen:------21
Fisichella:--------17
Wurz:-----------13
Rosberg:---------12
Coulthard:-------8
Webber:---------8
Trulli:------------7
Schumacher:-----5
Sato:------------4
Button:----------2
Vettel:-----------1
Barrichello:-------0
Albers:-----------0
Davidson:--------0
Sutil:-------------0
Luizzi:------------0
Speed:-----------0
Yamamoto:-------0


History:

Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps circuit is among the most historic on the Formula One calendar, having hosted a (non-championship) Grand Prix as long ago as 1924, and remains one of the most popular venues with drivers and fans alike.

Run on narrow public roads, the original Spa layout was an amazing 14.9 kilometres long and notoriously dangerous. The lap distance was reduced slightly over the years, with some corners eased, but when the 'old' circuit staged its final Grand Prix in 1970 it still measured just over 14 kilometres and remained staggeringly quick - Chris Amon set that year's fastest lap at an average speed of just under 245 km/h.

Spa did not return to the calendar until 1983 and then in drastically revised form, with lap distance cut to just under seven kilometres. Somehow, though, the circuit's magic was retained. Around two thirds of the lap used the original layout and the legendary Eau Rouge corner remained intact. Only the new Bus Stop chicane on the run down to La Source drew criticism.

More than twenty years on Spa remains the longest circuit on the calendar. Its mix of long straights and challenging fast corners, coupled with its picturesque setting, means that most drivers still rank it among their favourite tracks. The weather is still notoriously changeable (it can often be simultaneously raining on one part of the track and dry on another) and Eau Rouge, with its high speed and sudden elevation change, maintains its reputation as one of Formula One racing's most technically demanding corners.

Such is the challenge of Spa that only the truly great drivers can really claim to have mastered it. In fact just five men have won the race more than twice – Juan Manuel Fangio (three times), Damon Hill (three times), Jim Clark (four times), Ayrton Senna (five times) and Michael Schumacher (six times).

I've decided to put more effort in posting my Pre-GP's.

Basically its simple we need another Ferrari dominating weekend !

Thats all I have to say at this moment in time.

I think its too late! Bye bye championships!

I think it could be another McLaren win, but the Ferraris may be closer to them this time making for a much tighter weekend.

Hopefully a bad day for Alonso, but i would like to see Massa battling for the front after his retirement yeasterday.

I wonder if Honda can continue their performance from Italy, but knowing their bad luck probably not.

I think that Ferrari will do a good race in Belgium. They should fight for the win. They should prepare the cars and go for the win. I hope that.

We will see what is going to happen. I think that Ferrari will be stong. In 4 days the GP starts.

If Mclaren wins this race, i'd pretty much say, its in the books for the construction champ.

The ONLY way Ferrari are getting any championships this year is if the FIA bring the hammer down hard on McLaren tomorrow, which i dont see happening. If Its a McLaren win again, it will be the final nail in the coffin of ferraris dissapointing championship campaign.

Hardly disappointing IMO !

I can already see McLaren getting off with a warning a £500,000 fine and a slap on the wrist after all if McLaren don't race all the TV ratings go down because thats all the FIA care about is ratings and revunue which IMO is totally wrong it should be about the real fans like us here at SCF who watch every race weekend and not the fakes who just watch because a countryman is winning. It seems to me the FIA care more about them than us.

I can see Ferrari winning at Spa. I think the circuit is similar to most of the circuits that Ferrari have won this year (Spain and Turkey come to mind), and the fast, long corners favour the Ferrari more I think.

That being said, McLaren might pull something out of their wazoo and take the fight up to Ferrari.

All in all though, it will be very pleasant to see the cars going through Eau Rouge again :)

Should be tigher than it was in Monza, but I can still see a McLaren coming out on top, but you know me, I suck at predicting things!

I want two a breast into Eau Rouge, please please please! Should be an exciting GP weekend, I think. Looking forward to it, and so close to Monza aswell.

@Nemhpis, trust me, the right decision will be made.

I want two a breast into Eau Rouge, please please please! Should be an exciting GP weekend, I think. Looking forward to it, and so close to Monza aswell.

Hmmm, a repeat of what happened in 2000 would be nice wouldn't it? :D

I can see ferrari winning every race except japan, but even with that, it looks to me that McLaren have won this already.

Hmmm, a repeat of what happened in 2000 would be nice wouldn't it? :D

Was that Mika Hakkinen and Schumacher fighting to the death up Eau Rouge?

Was that Mika Hakkinen and Schumacher fighting to the death up Eau Rouge?

Man, that was the pass! THE pass! Schumacher on the left, Mika on the right, the lonely Stewart caught in the middle, Mika taking the position into Les Combes after so many failed attempts...so in short, yes :D.

Spa is amazing. It's a vision of an age lost in the past, one of a few connections F1 has to what it was like. It has an atmosphere, an aura, if you will, of history and depth. It's one of those circuits that if you weren't even F1 fan, and you went there in real life, you would notice the grand-ness of it.

Way too many F1 threads on here - the yearly one, pre GP one, and a GP one - the latter two are done every GP :S. A little silly when you could have one single thread, and it kinda clogs up the forum...

Finaly back at Francorchamps, for me it's still a fascinating track, eau rough corner is great and the renewed bus stop should be intresting. A friend of mine is acsualy skipping school on friday to go the practice sessions.

btw fastest laptime is by Kimi Räikkönen in 2004

Way too many F1 threads on here - the yearly one, pre GP one, and a GP one - the latter two are done every GP :S. A little silly when you could have one single thread, and it kinda clogs up the forum...

There's only 3 current threads at one time. The F1 news one is miscellaneous at best, and isn't updates all too often, and the race and pre-race threads are specific and do their job well.

Having one single thread would get annoying having to search through endless amounts of pages just to make a post. The specific race threads mean that people don't have to do that, ensure the conversation doesn't stray to far off topic, and prevents the creation of multiple threads that essentially talk about the same thing.

This week it's just hectic because we had Monza last week, then now we have Spa this week. Usually the race thread dies down by the proceeding weekend, then the pre-race one allows people to speculate and to talk about driver's chances, then the actual race thread allows people to talk about the actual goings-on during the weekend.

When I think about it, it's quite a nice system. It ensures everything is organised.

Way too many F1 threads on here - the yearly one, pre GP one, and a GP one - the latter two are done every GP :S. A little silly when you could have one single thread, and it kinda clogs up the forum...

What the hell? That's three threads!? I think a few more members will agree with me saying that the Motorsport forum is one of the most quality sections in SCF, all the threads are done to the best of the thread starter's ability, all posts are thoughtful. And it by no means clogs up the forum...fact. If you don't have anything to add (like that post just there), don't post anything please..

Man, that was the pass! THE pass! Schumacher on the left, Mika on the right, the lonely Stewart caught in the middle, Mika taking the position into Les Combes after so many failed attempts...so in short, yes :D.

Spa is amazing. It's a vision of an age lost in the past, one of a few connections F1 has to what it was like. It has an atmosphere, an aura, if you will, of history and depth. It's one of those circuits that if you weren't even F1 fan, and you went there in real life, you would notice the grand-ness of it.

TUT TUT Timbit that was in 2001! :p

But yeah I wholeheardetly agree, unfortunately for me I wasn't into f1 at that point, but I've seen countless videos, basically a 1 lap pass, was absolutely incredible. The championship was worth that pass alone!

EDIT: Timbit, thanks for clearing that up aswell.

BTW just for the record, I plan on doing a 2007 F1 Season Review thread at the end of this season.

^^yeah, deffinetly.
Its a while away, but it should be interesting between two McLaren drivers.
But it will be strange seeing the 2 drivers who are fighting for the championship, fighting for 3rd and 4th. It just seems like they should be 1st and 2nd all the time now. But thats how it goes, its been a great season so far.

But think what next year will be like. McLaren and Ferrari should stay on top, but BMW hopefully will be in the mix, after i think it would be Williams, Honda and Renault below that. Who knows what next year holds

What the hell? That's three threads!? I think a few more members will agree with me saying that the Motorsport forum is one of the most quality sections in SCF, all the threads are done to the best of the thread starter's ability, all posts are thoughtful. And it by no means clogs up the forum...fact. If you don't have anything to add (like that post just there), don't post anything please..



TUT TUT Timbit that was in 2001! :p

But yeah I wholeheardetly agree, unfortunately for me I wasn't into f1 at that point, but I've seen countless videos, basically a 1 lap pass, was absolutely incredible. The championship was worth that pass alone!

EDIT: Timbit, thanks for clearing that up aswell.

BTW just for the record, I plan on doing a 2007 F1 Season Review thread at the end of this season.

Yeah but you leave a trail of twenty thousand threads behind you for previous GPs....

I wouldn't say there was much of a Motorsport section either - mainly F1 - there isn't a 1/4 of as much coverage for any other sport.

And I don't plan to post randomness in future if that is what you are incinuating, I was just mentioning the fact that F1 is covered so much and other motorsports are covered so little in comparison. Go on, continue with your discussion - I won't bother you any more ;).

Yeah but you leave a trail of twenty thousand threads behind you for previous GPs....

I wouldn't say there was much of a Motorsport section either - mainly F1 - there isn't a 1/4 of as much coverage for any other sport.

And I don't plan to post randomness in future if that is what you are incinuating, I was just mentioning the fact that F1 is covered so much and other motorsports are covered so little in comparison. Go on, continue with your discussion - I won't bother you any more ;).

Is there a problem with me creating a GP thread for every GP weekend? Ask around am138, I'm sure you'll find that there is no problem with me creating a thread like that, as on a good day it will get hundreds of replies, and I'm quite proud of the fact that my 'twenty thousand' GP threads have more than 50 replies and/or 500 views, shows that they are popular and people are contributing to them.

The system works fine and yes, please leave if you're going to be like this, you're not contributing much....

Also, we have the 'Racing Report 2007' thread which coveres any type of motorsport in there. I regularly post up BTCC and British Superbike Championship news up there, and I might do WRC news aswell.

I'm glad it works for you. Just stating a point is all, I'm sure you'd prefer to get on talking about F1.

Getting back to topic, wouldnt the steep hill be a matter of power in those cars!

TUT TUT Timbit that was in 2001! :p

Actually...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Belgian_Grand_Prix

Sorry Benny :D

I was surprised (slightly) by the fact that 73% of the lap is on full throttle, which is 4% less than Monza. Also, the teams will be using low downforce configurations due to the fact that there are only 3 corners that drop below 150km/h/93.75mph.

It's also said to amplify the differences in the outright pace between teams, so Spa will be interesting indeed!

it has always been interesting, and it will stay like that. But i doubt that downforce would be too low since the steep slope up the hill can get you flying if you're speeding pass with barely any downforce to keep you down.

Actually...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Belgian_Grand_Prix

Sorry Benny :D

I was surprised (slightly) by the fact that 73% of the lap is on full throttle, which is 4% less than Monza. Also, the teams will be using low downforce configurations due to the fact that there are only 3 corners that drop below 150km/h/93.75mph.

It's also said to amplify the differences in the outright pace between teams, so Spa will be interesting indeed!

Damn the person/YouTube/memory who told me it was 2001. :(

Anyway, nice report there, and the downforce levels should be interesting, there are slow corners and fast corners so there's a bit of a compromise, what do you reckon the top speeds will be about, around 205-210mph?

Damn the person/YouTube/memory who told me it was 2001. :(

Anyway, nice report there, and the downforce levels should be interesting, there are slow corners and fast corners so there's a bit of a compromise, what do you reckon the top speeds will be about, around 205-210mph?

Lol, there there bennyboy :D

They reckon they'll be reaching about 320km/h/200mph down the straight to Les Combes from La Source, seeing as though Eau Rouge is now taken flat.

Belgian Grand Prix - driver preview quotes

Few in the paddock are looking forward to the return of Spa-Francorchamps more than the drivers themselves. The Belgian circuit, with its quick straights and challenging corners, is one of the calendar’s toughest prospects and a firm favourite with most of the field…

Fernando Alonso, McLaren
2005 Qualifying - 4th, 2005 Race - 1st
“I am really excited to be going back to racing at Spa, it is my favourite track. It is very demanding and with the long lap and all the different characteristics, you need to work hard with the team to get the right balance. Everybody always talks about Eau Rouge, and yes it is a great corner, but I think the whole lap is special, you are on the limit the whole time and as a driver that is a great challenge. You need to have total concentration for every lap and I am motivated to get there and fight for the win.

“Last weekend in Italy was a special result for me and the team. The car was really fast and we are working to take that performance to Spa. There are some similar characteristics between Spa and Monza, as both demand a lot of power, so hopefully we will carry that over and be quick. The Championship battles are really exciting, after this race we have only three left, so it is very important to have another good result here, but of course it is the same for Lewis (Hamilton), Kimi (Raikkonen) and Felipe (Massa), so we will have to wait and see how it goes. There are a lot of laps to be raced still, my goal is to win as many races as possible and I hope we can have an exciting end to the season for the fans.”

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2005 Qualifying - NA, 2005 Race - NA
“Spa is a track that everyone has always talked about and it is with good reason. I love the circuit, it does require a compromise with the set-up to account for the fast straights and corners whilst also ensure you can have the right amount of traction through the slower sections, and it is all about being precise. Eau Rouge is just awesome, it is so quick and I look forward to it every single lap. It is definitely one of the pleasures of being a Formula One driver!

“You always try to go that bit quicker, and as it is flat out now with no lifting, the only way to do this is by steering as little as possible. The forces that are placed on your body feel a bit weird, but you don’t really think about that after the first lap. I raced here in 2005, race one was in the wet, race two in the dry, so I have some good experience and won race two. We tested here in July and completed some positive work with Bridgestone. Now I am just waiting to get out there and race in a Formula 1 car for the first time.

“The situation in both Championships is very close, and people keep talking about pressure, but it just provides me with extra motivation, I certainly don’t feel any stress. There are four races to go, including Belgium, and I will take them all individually and do my best to try and win them.”

Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault
2005 Qualifying - 13th, 2005 Race - DNF
“It is an exceptional circuit, and without a doubt the best for the drivers. Eau Rouge is a fabulous corner, and really impressive from the cockpit even though it is not quite as demanding with the V8 engines, as it once was. But this is a circuit where the driver can really make the difference.

“At this time of year in Belgium, we all expect to have to run in the rain, or in changing track conditions. That's not a problem for me, as I enjoy driving in the wet. It would simply add another layer of excitement to the race.”

Heikki Kovalainen, Renault
2005 Qualifying - NA, 2005 Race - NA
“Spa is a fantastic circuit, and I have very good memories from my races in GP2. The track layout is very nice, with lots of elevation changes and some really good sequences of corners which put the drivers and the engineers to the test. It is certainly one of the best races of the year, and a fantastic challenge for the drivers - especially through the famous section of Eau Rouge.

“This is what I would call an old-style circuit. Not in terms of the facilities, which have been improved a lot this year, but in terms of the track design. There are many demanding, high- speed corners and this is a real driver's circuit, where we can make a big difference at the wheel. Even if the car does not have the perfect set-up, or if it is not the fastest on the grid, a very brave driver can go into the corners faster, accelerate earlier or not lift where others do. This is a circuit where you can really see who the good drivers are.”

Felipe Massa, Ferrari
2005 Qualifying - 7th, 2005 Race - 10th
“Spa-Francorchamps is a fantastic circuit. I have always liked going there and I reckon our car should be competitive enough to fight for the win. The track is very interesting. Some corners, such as Eau Rouge, are now relatively easy to take flat out, which was not the case going back to the days of the V10 engine. With the current V8s it is much easier to take this flat out, so it is not quite as challenging as in the past. But the overall layout is very nice, with many quick corners and rapid changes of direction, all of which are features I like.”

“At the moment, even though the weather in this part of the world is always unpredictable, the forecast is for a dry weekend. I think we should be competitive if it rained, but looking at the fact that our closest rivals are quite competitive in situations where grip levels are low, maybe it is better for us if it stays dry.”

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
2005 Qualifying - 2nd, 2005 Race - 1st
“We will fight as long as arithmetic allows us to. We can't leave anything undone. We had a good test at Spa-Francorchamps last July and I'm 100 per cent fit in terms of physical fitness: after the race I took some painkillers and I relaxed a bit. The next one is my preferred circuit. It's a wonderful place I always loved to race there and I like the latest modifications of the track. There are some very fast and challenging corners, where we could exploit some of the qualities of the F2007. We'll give it everything to win: I've been twice on the central step of the podium here at the last two races and I want to get back there next Sunday!”

Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
2005 Qualifying - NA, 2005 Race - NA
“I am happy Spa is back on the calendar. I didn't attend the test in July so for me the last time I was there was in 2004 - and those days I was in a car which wasn't competitive at all. It will be different this time. Although Spa isn't too far from my home town of Monchengladbach, I didn't race there very often. The circuit wasn't on the Formula Ford and Formula 3 calendar when I was racing, and I had to miss the 2005 Formula One race after I injured myself in a bicycle accident.

“Spa is a very beautiful circuit with some very special parts. The combination of turns that make up Eau Rouge through the depression is world famous, and for spectators it is a must. The speed and power of the cars are really impressive if you see them rushing down the hill, going through the turns and accelerating uphill again. For us drivers the depression is not at all a physical problem, we are just not used to it. Normally we have to deal with g-forces in cornering speeds or under braking.”

Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber
2005 Qualifying - NA, 2005 Race - NA
“It will be very nice to race in Spa in Formula One for the first time, although I have raced in Formula 3 and Formula Renault. Spa is a very nice track, very challenging, very quick and I think generally one of the favourite tracks of all the drivers. We had quite a good test there, but the weather, as always in Spa, will probably be unpredictable, so we have to see how things develop. After Monza, again we have a track where we have a lower downforce configuration on the cars, although not as low as in Monza, but it will be very good.

“I think Spa is very nice because of the long, quick corners. Normally there is very good grip there so you have to bring a lot of speed into the corners.”

Ralf Schumacher, Toyota
2005 Qualifying - 5th, 2005 Race - 7th
“Spa is another circuit close to the team’s factory in Cologne, Germany so it is special for that reason. But it is also special as a track because it is unique in Formula One, with some really impressive and challenging corners. The weather always plays its part as the Belgian Ardennes seem to have a climate all their own. Even when the rain comes it can be limited just to certain parts of the circuit.

“We had another difficult weekend in Italy but obviously we will use a very different aero package for Spa compared to Monza - the track has similar characteristics to Silverstone, where we were quick. We tested at Spa in July and we made good progress so we are hopeful of a strong result. Our first target is always to qualify in the top ten with both cars and then we hope to score points from there.”

Jarno Trulli, Toyota
2005 Qualifying - 3rd, 2005 Race - DNF
“Spa is the best circuit in the world so I am really pleased it is back on the calendar. The changes to the track have taken a lot of effort but the results are good, especially the improvements to the Bus Stop chicane. Spa is still one of the hardest tracks in the world - a real challenge for the driver because it is very technical and very long.

“It is hard to find the limit at Spa as you really have to focus throughout the whole lap. You never know quite what the weather will throw at you but I have usually gone well in Belgium and I hope that is true again this weekend. We are coming towards the end of the season and the Japanese Grand Prix is next so it would be great to score more points before Toyota’s home race at Fuji Speedway. I am optimistic because the team is working very hard.”

Nico Rosberg, Williams
2005 Qualifying - NA, 2005 Race - NA
“Spa is wonderful. It’s a great track for drivers, maybe the best one for us. It’s very, very fast. I’m not overly optimistic, but we’ve clearly made progress since the test there and I hope we can keep that momentum going. As we’ve shown in the past few races, we’ve delivered over and above our expectations, so I hope that we can continue that form and exceed our targets this weekend.”

Alexander Wurz, Williams
2005 Qualifying - NA, 2005 Race - NA
“Spa is a fantastic race track so I’m very much looking forward to racing there. In terms of performance, I’m not really sure what we can expect. We tested there a few weeks ago, but it’s difficult to tell how we will go in the race, but I think it’ll probably be pretty close again. As a team, we’ll go there with high hopes following Nico’s sixth place in Monza. If we can secure some more points, we’ll help to strengthen fifth in the constructors’ championship for the team and that’s my goal for the race.”

Rubens Barrichello, Honda
2005 Qualifying - 12th, 2005 Race - 5th
“The Spa circuit is a well-known favourite for every driver and it is a fantastic feeling to drive around there in a Formula One car. After a year away, it will be good to return and it is certainly safer since they have made the modifications to the circuit layout. It is one of the best circuits of the year, and with the unpredictable weather and the opportunities for overtaking, you always expect a good fun race. The test in July at Spa was not one of our best; however we have made a lot of progress on the car since then, as the weekend in Italy has shown, so I go to Spa in a positive frame of mind and hoping for a good race.”

Jenson Button, Honda
2005 Qualifying - 8th, 2005 Race - 3rd
“Spa is one of my absolute favourite circuits and I am really excited that it is back on the calendar for this year. As everyone acknowledges, Spa is a real drivers' track where your skill and commitment are tested to the absolute limit on every lap. The only other track that really compares to the challenge of Spa is probably Suzuka in Japan. It's a flowing circuit which you can really get into a rhythm around.

“You can overtake at the top of the hill into Les Combes, hopefully into the new chicane and you can also squeeze by at the first corner, La Source. The biggest challenge is the double left-hander Pouhon and it is really satisfying to get that right. We had a good weekend in Monza, coming away from a strong race performance with a point. We have to be realistic about our prospects for Spa as the circuit demands are very different and our test in July was difficult, but I am hopeful the improvements will carry through.”

Information provided by, Formula1.com

Lol, there there bennyboy :D

They reckon they'll be reaching about 320km/h/200mph down the straight to Les Combes from La Source, seeing as though Eau Rouge is now taken flat.

*Sniffles*

It's ok. :) :p

Very fast that is, 200mph, hopefully we will see some repeats like the overtakes in the 2000 race!

the overtaking was the best. That was one tough race. People must of felt bad for Schumi for losing the race.

Very fast that is, 200mph, hopefully we will see some repeats like the overtakes in the 2000 race!

That's better :p.

It might improve overtaking slightly in the slower-ish corners, as drivers won't have so much downforce to rely on. That being said though, the downforce they generate might still be enough to not make muich of an impact anyway.

the overtaking was the best. That was one tough race. People must of felt bad for Schumi for losing the race.

I think Mika won that one fair and square. Mika just had to much straight line speed for Michael (due to varying setups), so Mika was going to get passed eventually. It just so happened that the pass was awesome :p.