2005 Belgian Grand Prix

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2005 Belgian Grand Prix

 

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2004 Belgian Grand Prix Results

 

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Current Standings

2005 Drivers Championship.

[b]Pos	Driver			Nationality	Team			Points [/b]
1	Fernando Alonso		Spanish		Renault			103 
2	Kimi Räikkönen		Finnish		McLaren-Mercedes	76 
3	Michael Schumacher	German		Ferrari			55 
4	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	McLaren-Mercedes	50
5	Jarno Trulli		Italian		Toyota			43 
6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian		Renault			41 
7	Ralf Schumacher		German		Toyota			35 
8	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari			31 
9	Nick Heidfeld		German		Williams-BMW		28 
=11	Mark Webber		Australian	Williams-BMW		24 
=11	Jenson Button		British		BAR-Honda		24 
12	David Coulthard		British		Red Bull Racing		21 
13	Felipe Massa		Brazilian	Sauber-Petronas		8 
=16	Tiago Monteiro		Portuguese	Jordan-Toyota		6 
=16	Alexander Wurz		Austrian	McLaren-Mercedes	6 
=16	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Sauber-Petronas		6 
=18	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian		Jordan-Toyota		5 
=18	Christian Klien		Austrian	Red Bull Racing		5 
=20	Christijan Albers	Dutch		Minardi-Cosworth	4 
=20	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish		McLaren-Mercedes	4 
21	Patrick Friesacher	Austrian	Minardi-Cosworth	3 
22	Antonio Pizzonia	Brazilian	Williams-BMW		2
=24	Takuma Sato		Japanese	BAR-Honda		1 
=24	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian		Red Bull Racing		1

2005 Constructors Championship.

[b]Pos	Constructor 		Points[/b]
1	 Renault		144
2	 McLaren-Mercedes	136
3	 Ferrari		86
4	 Toyota			78
5	 Williams-BMW		54
6	 Red Bull Racing	27
7	 BAR-Honda		25
8	 Sauber-Petronas	14
9	 Jordan-Toyota		11
10	 Minardi-Cosworth	7

 

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Klien wins Spa ride

Christian Klien is set to race for a twelfth time this year after Red Bull said he, and not rookie cohort Vitantonio Liuzzi, would take the wheel at Spa Francorchamps.

In a statement, the Milton Keynes based team confirmed that, although Liuzzi's grand prix tally numbers just four in 2005, the Italian would remain mere 'Friday' driver in Belgium.

'It's great to have another chance to race,' 22-year-old Klien, of Austria, said. 'I'm learning more about the car all the time and gaining in confidence with every race.'

Dieter Mateschitz-owned Red Bull, meanwhile, revealed that David Coulthard's 2006 teammate - either Klien or Liuzzi - will likely be revealed 'at the end of the year.'

On the 'Sport am Sonntag' TV programme, Red Bull's Austrian 'advisor' Helmut Marko insisted that 'continuity is an important factor.

'On the other hand, we know that Vitantonio will need another chance to race so that we can judge his potential,' said the Austrian.

 

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Ferrari 'foolish' - Lauda

Niki Lauda says putting Valentino Rossi in a Ferrari race seat in 2007 would be too big a risk. The Austrian and triple world champion told 'News Formel' that deciding on a driver based on his talent on a motorcycle is 'completely foolish.

"I cannot imagine Ferrari teaching their race driver how to drive a car and how to race," the 56-year-old - who won two of his drivers' crowns for Maranello - exclaimed.

Meanwhile, the thirtieth anniversary of Niki Lauda's first world title in 1975 has been commemorated by Austria by putting his famous image on a set of collectable stamps.

 

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Davidson to test for Jordan this month

Anthony Davidson, BAR Honda's third driver, will test a Jordan Toyota car next week at Silverstone. The test will be done in order for the British driver to see how the car works and also to meet the team.

Davidson is on charge with BAR Honda's testing duties since 2001 and so far he started three races, in 2002 in Hungary and Belgium, when he replaced Alex Yoong and also this year in Malaysia when he replaced Takuma Sato.

As it will quite difficult for Davidson to be chosen as Rubens Barrichello's partner next year at BAR Honda, a drive with Jordan (to be renamed Midland) is a chance for him to race regularly.

"I'm really looking forward to testing with the Jordan team at Silverstone next week and the EJ15 will certainly be an exciting new challenge," Anthony Davidson commented. "I haven't driven at Silverstone for almost a year so it will be good to be back driving on my home track again. This test shows how serious I am about finding a race drive for next year and I would like to thank B.A.R Honda for allowing me to stand down from the team's Barcelona test and take up this opportunity. I'm hoping it will be a very positive experience for myself and the Jordan team."

There will be no set backs from B.A.R Honda, Davidson being free to do the test. "Anthony has done a fantastic job for us during the five years that he has been part of our driver line-up and his contribution to the development of our team has been immeasurable," said Gil de Ferran, the team's sporting director. "B.A.R Honda's 2006 driver line-up is not yet concluded so we are unable to confirm whether or not we will be in a position to help Anthony to achieve his ultimate ambition of a race seat. With that in mind, we decided to allow him to participate in this test and we wish him well for next week."

 

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No rain this year on the Belgian GP weekend

Weather at Spa Francorchamps is always an issue and you can basically expect anything from clear to dark skies, from a hot day to a very cold one.

The predicted temperatures are 26 degrees Celsius over all the weekend period, no chances of rain and with blue skies. But, it may change...

 

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Michelin to drop teams

Having already warned that should the FIA pursue the idea of switching to a control tyre (which it clearly will) it will leave F1, Michelin has now intimated, once again, that it intends to 'shed' a couple of teams ahead of the 2006 season.

"It will be all part of what we have already announced," Nick Shorrock, director of the French company's Formula One activities, told Reuters, "which is our desire to reconfigure the way we deal with partners and the number of partners that we have.

"So certainly, yes, we will be ending up with a reduction of partners for the 2006 season," he added, revealing that an announcement could be made this weekend at Spa. "In the next week we will certainly be clarifying the situation," he said.

Michelin returned to Formula One in 2001, after an absence of seventeen years. It took the French company just four races to make it to the top step of the podium (San Marino), however, it took until this season to win the title. Along the way there have been a number of high-profile tyre failures, not to mention the Indianapolis debacle, which will see the French outfit having to reimburse race fans who attended the June event.

In its first season back in F1, Michelin supplied 5 teams - Benetton, Prost, Minardi, WilliamsF1 and Jaguar - out of 11, however, in the wake of the failure of Prost and Arrows, and the entry of Toyota, the French company now supplies 7 teams out of 10.

 

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RED BULL SET TO TAKE OVER MINARDI

Red Bull is on the brink of taking over Minardi – and a deal could be agreed as early as next weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Autosport reports that Paul Stoddart has agreed in principle for Red Bull to buy a controlling share in his Formula 1 team.

The drinks manufacturer is carrying out due diligence, and will make a decision before Spa.

Stoddart has long admitted that his team is up for sale, but he has always insisted that he would select a buyer very carefully and would not sell up if the deal was not in Minardi’s best interests.

But Red Bull could fit the bill for Stoddart.

“I have heard the Red Bull rumours and they are the kind of serious people that I would talk to,” he said.

“But at the moment the story doesn’t have any legs, although that is not to say it won’t have in the future.

“If the price was right and it was good for the future of the team, I would sell.”

Red Bull is understood to want a second team because it does not have room for all its drivers in its current squad.

The company is very keen to bring highly rated young American Scott Speed into F1, and has already signed him as a test driver for 2006.

He could now end up as a race driver if the deal goes ahead and Minardi becomes a second Red Bull squad.

Christian Klien and Vitantonio Liuzzi are currently fighting for a drive alongside David Coulthard in the current Red Bull Racing team, and whichever one loses out could end up partnering Speed at the new outfit.


The team could use this season's Cosworth-powered Red Bull chassis in 2006.

Reports suggest that Bernie Ecclestone is keen for the Red Bull-Minardi deal to proceed, partly because Red Bull boss Dieter Mateschitz is a strong ally of Ecclestone and Max Mosley in F1’s political battles, whereas Stoddart has often been a vocal critic of the sport’s rulers.

Really don't want to see Stoddy leave...
Especially as that would put the number of teams on the concorde agreement up to 4...

But it would be nice to see them more competitive - interestingly - apparently Albers already has a contract for next year - would they have to honour it?

 

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And another corker from Red Bull...

Belgian GP - Preview

There are three essentials you need to survive a weekend in the Ardennes, Belgium’s own Redneck Region: a sense of humour, an umbrella and excellent bladder control; the latter because of the seemingly endless queues for the toilets at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. For a spa town famous as a place to “take the waters” it is terribly ill equipped for getting rid of them.

The weather is always the main talking point here and this is how to tell what the forecast will be:
If you stand in the Spa paddock and cannot see the trees, it is raining.
If you stand in the Spa paddock and can see the trees, it will start raining soon.
If the cows in the field near the circuit are standing up, then it might stay dry for half an hour.
If the cows are lying down it is raining.
If the cows are lying down with their legs in the air, they are dead cows.

Other interesting facts about Belgium ……… ……… ………… … ……………… ………… ……………… ……………… ……… ……………… ………………………… ……………… ………… ……… ……… ………… ……………… ……………… ……… ……………… ………………………… ……………… ………… ………… …………… ………… ……… ……… …………… ………………

 

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Is it just me or have we seen far more driver injuries and substitutions this year than in previous years? We've already had Montoya's iffy shoulder, Zonta in for Ralf at Indy, Webber's burnt bum and now Heidfeld's headaches.

Williams have had a couple of stints with Gene and Pizzonia in the last couple of years but that's about all I can remember since MS's leg break.

There's been a few - however Webber did race through hiis - had a burn the size of a tennisball on his arse...

Thats gotta hurt.

Heidfeld and Ralf were due to accidents - that I can understand as well - especially Ralf's - throwing it off in exactly the same place as last year...Heidfeld headaches I'm having problems understanding tbh - I think he may have just had a little look at death...

Also - Heidfeld qualifies this race from the back - pizzonia goes 7 from last..

Which makes more sense?

I don't think we'll ever know what Montoya did...

Simon/~Flibster

 

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But where will the pay drivers go?

It would appear that there are now several parties interested in purchasing Minardi - with Paul Stoddart admitting interest from up to five possible purchasers.

This means that in 2006 the team Minardi, as we know it, could be missing from the grid. But where would this leave the 'pay drivers'.

Of the current grid alone, Christijan Albers, Robert Doornbos, Jarno Trulli, Mark Webber, Giancarlo Fisichella and World Champion elect, Fernando Alonso, all made their F1 debuts with the Faenza outfit. While both Ferrari test drivers, Luca Badoer and Marc Gene, not forgetting BAR's Anthony Davidson, can all thanks the Italian team for their F1 'breaks'.

We understand that in recent weeks several interested parties have carried out the necessary due diligence with a view to purchasing Minardi. Theses include Red Bull and a Russian consortium 'fronted' by Eddie Irvine. We understand that there is also "serious" interest from ABN AMRO Corporate Finance and two others.

The most likely buyer is Red Bull, and the purchase of Minardi by the Austrian drinks company, and its flamboyant owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, would go down very well with various people, including Bernie Ecclestone, who would have another entry for his 'new' World Championship (post 2007) and Max Mosley, who is a good friend of the Austrian.

Despite what some people might think, Stoddart is not looking to sell the team because he wants to get out of F1, or because he has simply grown tired of the sport, far from it. In fact he wants someone to come along who can move the team on, to develop it.

The thought that the Minardi name may well be missing from the grid, will shock some traditionalists, but we all know that in contemporary F1 there is no time for sentimentality, besides which, Red Bull's 'Rock 'n' Roll' approach to F1 is just the sort of thing that Bernie wants to see.

Buying Minardi would seem a perfect for solution for Red Bull, which for various reasons, has a wealth of drivers on its books, with new talent (seemingly) stepping off the Driver Search conveyor belt all the time. We already have Coulthard, Klien and Liuzzi, but waiting in the wings are Scott Speed, A.J. Allmendinger and countless other.

The idea of a Red Bull Team USA, which is what Minardi could become, is nothing new, Tom Walkinshaw first mooted the idea when Arrows ran into trouble in 2001.

In many ways, Red Bull purchasing Minardi makes perfect sense, however, the disappearance of the team, as is, would close another vital avenue for drivers wishing to break into F1, even if they have to pay for the privilege.

To many, the idea of pay drivers is abhorrent, however, the reality is that there have been pay drivers in motorsport since it first began, and though Patrick Friesacher might not make it into the F1 record books, Fernando Alonso most certainly will.

It is the dream of any young racer to eventually break into the pinnacle of motorsport, but don't kid yourself that this is down to raw talent. Young racers today need money, lots of it, which means managers, advisors and all manner of other assistants. It means not simply being good in the car, but being good with sponsors, fans and the media. In other words its no longer about race-craft, young F1 hopefuls have to be marketable.

If, or rather when, Minardi disappears from the grid, morphing into Red Bull Team 2, or whatever, it will be a bad day for many youngsters currently working their way up through the ranks, and a further signal to the sport that we need more teams not less.

 

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Crisis meeting at Maranello

Ferrari spent Tuesday in a 'crisis meeting' at Maranello, the German 'Bild' newspaper claims.

The reason, of course, is obvious. Even the most trivial glance at the motor sport section of any publication will tell you that the Prancing Horse is in trouble.

Michael Schumacher's mood is a dim one ahead of his favourite circuit, Spa Francorchamps. 'I always have special feelings when this race comes around,' the German said.

'But I have to admit that our recent performances are dampening my enthusiasm. I don't have the impression we will do all that well at Spa.'

The Italian crisis was felt right in the hip pocket of the Monza organisers. Early estimates put the grand prix ticket decline at around 15 per cent, but the final count shows that 30 per cent less Italians rolled through the gates.

And that's not all. An enormous 2.7 million less Italians than last year tuned into the Italian GP TV coverage.

Perhaps also discussed at the Ferrari meeting was the pressing issue of 'continuity' beyond next year. It is not inconceivable that the team could lose Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn and Jean Todt in one swift stroke.

'Ferrari will move forwards,' Todt - asked about Kimi Räikkönen, Valentino Rossi and the future - replied. He added: 'When we need new people - drivers, engineers, team principal - we try to find the best.'

 

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Apparently the Bus Stop has been buggered around with again...

Wonder if it's to Schumachers requirement...

...again...

...like the last 2 mods to it...

Simon/~Flibster

 

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No idea so far...

I really hope they have restored it back to it's 90° goodness...

Simon/~Flibster

 

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Just how fast can a Formula One car go?

Designed to go as quick as possible on everything from hairpin bends to long straights to sweeping turns, an F1 car must be set up as a compromise to cope with a range of different challenges.

But if an F1 car was set up for straight-line speed only, how fast would it go?

The Lucky Strike BAR-Honda team will attempt to find out when it tries to set an official Formula One land speed record in October on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The car, which will be a completely legal F1 car capable of passing technical inspection and entered in a Grand Prix, will be driven by BAR-Honda test driver Alan van der Merwe.

BAR's sporting director, 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran, is no stranger to speed, having regularly raced at speeds faster than 220 mph in North America.

"To imagine a F1 car running there is bizarre and totally offbeat," de Ferran said of the Salt Flats, "but this is what it is all about. It's a challenge for us all, but the spirit of the land speed record and the people we have met since we started this project are also a reminder to us of the pioneering spirit that symbolizes our own sport."

In order to set an official record, the car must maintain an average speed over a measured mile and then within one hour average that same speed again in the opposite direction over the same mile length.

BAR-Honda's goal is to achieve at least a 400 kph (249 mph) average speed to set the record. While F1 cars have briefly reached speeds of 370 kph (230 mph) at the fastest point on high-speed tracks such as Monza in Italy, maintaining a higher speed for a full mile in the demanding conditions of the Bonneville Salt Flats presents a host of challenges.

While flat, the surface is bumpy. Because it is so light, the F1 car suffers from a lot of wheel spin. The salt is caustic and corrosive to the F1 car's metal parts. The car wanders from side to side down the 30-yard-wide seven-mile-long track. In an initial test on the Salt Flats, van der Merwe said it was the most difficult thing he had ever done in a racing car.

"If a F1 track was this bumpy we'd pack up and go home," he said. "It is not the usual sensation of speed that you get on a racing track because there are no reference points."

Guy Savage, BAR-Honda's deputy technical director, is overseeing the project.

"We are constantly asked how fast a F1 car can go," he said, "and the truth of the matter is that we don't know because they are not built to go fast. They are built to accelerate, corner, and brake.

"It is a very difficult job because the harder we push that car forward, the more the forces of drag pull us back. So we have to strip the car down completely while still keeping it legal. The tires and wheels account for 75 percent of the total drag of the car, and this will be the main hindrance to the car's top speed."

The car will run with the bare minimum of aerodynamic downforce aids such as wings and flaps. Extra ballast will be added to stabilize the car at speed.

 

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McLaren plan second F1 team?

With Red Bull apparently contemplating a 'junior' Formula One team, so too - it is reported - is McLaren.

'Auto, Motor Und Sport' claims this week that, with the support of Mercedes, the silver marque could race onto the 2007 grid with a 'b' team.

McLaren was involved in the stillborn 'Dubai F1' project, but seemingly has decided that supplying another outfit with year-old cars and engines might not be a bad idea.

FIA president Max Mosley revealed at Monza that the regulations will soon allow teams to sell previously exclusive cars and parts to other teams. 'Entry level people will simply be able to buy a car from a big team,' Mosley explained. 'That will help new teams come in.'

The mandatory $48m 'new team bond' is also set for the chop.

A Tokyo-based investment company, 'Directive' - already a sponsor in the GP2 and GT categories - is thought involved in the backing of the McLaren junior team, and may already have signed contracts for five years.

 

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Brit GP still endangered

Whether Bernie Ecclestone is on side or not, the British grand prix at Silverstone will once again become an endangered species.

That is the warning of Chris Aylett, boss of Britain's 'Motorsport Industry Association'.

He said the rise of Turkey, Malaysia, Bahrain and China - all backed by their governments - is driving up the cost of hosting a grand prix.

Britain has waged a constant battle to win similar government funds, but the race is solely promoted by the British Racing Drivers' Club, and still lacking in terms of F1 circuit facilities.

'(The race) is becoming too expensive for the private sector to bear alone,' he warned in the Telegraph newspaper.

Team boss Sir Frank Williams backs up the view by saying that the government's outlook on a British motor industry 'awash with cash' is 'mistaken.'

 

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Schu threatens Patrese record

17-year F1 veteran Riccardo Patrese thinks Michael Schumacher should scoop the 2006 championship and then call it a day.

The Italian, who won six grands prix for teams including Brabham and Williams until he retired in 1993, raced a record 256 times after he debuted in 1977.

Patrese, 51, fears that seven time world champion Schumacher is heading for his long standing grands prix record.

Schumacher, the Ferrari driver, will have contested 232 races at the end of 2006, meaning that the 36-year-old will crack the Patrese-barrier shortly into season '07.

'I think he still has a lot of motivation,' Riccardo, at Silverstone for a Grand Prix Masters seat fitting, told Reuters.

'It would be good (for him) to have the last season winning the championship, because if he doesn't, maybe he wants to go on to beat my record.'

Patrese thinks beleaguered Ferrari 'will come back' next year.

 

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Frank firm on 'Buttongate'

Sir Frank Williams is showing little sign of buckling under the pressure of Jenson Button's fierce campaign to wiggle out of his 2006 contract.

Even as $90 million deals float around in the rumour mill, the knighted team principal said he still 'expects' the 25-year-old Briton to honour the contract he signed in September last year.

'But the less I comment about this, particularly in the press, the better,' Williams told the Telegraph newspaper.

In the interview, Sir Frank - who gave Button his debut as little more than a teenager in 2000 - laughs at the suggestion that his stance is showing him up as the 'hard man' of the grand prix Paddock.

Williams' team co-owner and director of engineering, Patrick Head, agrees that Ron Dennis or Flavio Briatore are 'just as tough - maybe more so.'

It's definitely going to be a tough 2006 for the Oxfordshire based outfit, which has lost BMW's works engine support. An annual budget of about $150 million is likely to shrink next year.

'Maybe even £85m ($156m),' Williams hinted to the newspaper of the current budget.

Of one thing, though, there is little doubt. Sir Frank and Patrick have not put a 'for sale' sign above the door.

Williams said: 'I love it just as much as ever.'