2005 Belgian Grand Prix

Some news...

Engine change for Montoya, but no penalty applied

While his teammate Kimi Raikkonen finished at the top of the timesheets, McLaren racer Juan Pablo Montoya was one of four drivers who failed to turn a wheel in this morning’s opening practice session at the Spa Francorchamps circuit, but it wasn’t because he was looking to preserve his tyres or engine, in fact, it was because his mechanics were busy putting in a new Mercedes engine!

Thankfully the Colombian driver, who took victory in last weekend’s Italian Grand prix, won’t be penalized for the engine change as he was due for a new engine at this race anyway and as he didn’t take part in the opening hour, his weekend had not officially started.

The team revealed that they changed the engine as a ‘precaution’ but it is not clear why they felt they needed to take this precaution in the first place.
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Raikkonen in trouble at McLaren?

There are reports coming out of Spa suggesting that Kimi Raikkonen is in serious trouble at McLaren, and has, according to sources, been given a written warning by team boss, Ron Dennis.

The warning follows alleged incident during a recent test at Monza, and is understood to involve the Finn being discovered half-naked in someone's front garden.

To further anger Dennis, the story has now been 'leaked' to the mainstream media.

If true, this is the latest in a number of incidents, which for the most part Dennis has attempted to ignore, refusing to interfere in his drivers' private lives.

However, if the Finn has been given a written warning it indicates that perhaps the team is finally losing patience.
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Williams and Toyota switch to Bridgestone

According to our sources in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock this morning, WilliamsF1 and Panasonic Toyota Racing should be announcing their switch from Michelin rubber to their Japanese rivals, Bridgestone for the 2006 season and beyond with an official announcement due to be released sometime tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the one team everyone suspected would be making the switch to Bridgestone due to their new partnership with Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, have opted to remain with the dominant French supplier with the view to increase their competitiveness in the coming season.

This would mean a five all split, with Ferrari, Williams, Toyota, Minardi and Jordan with Bridgestone and Renault, McLaren, BAR, Red Bull Racing and Sauber with Michelin, at least until the new one tyre supplier rule comes into play.
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Red Bull/Minardi deal done!

After speculation all week that Red Bull has bought the Minardi Formula One team, our sources in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock have confirmed that the deal has gone through with an official announcement expected later tonight.

The plan is that Red Bull will use the Faenza based squad as a junior team so that they can place Christian Klien and Scot Speed behind the wheel of the two Minardi’s while David Coulthard and Tonio Liuzzi contest the 2006 season for the official Red Bull Racing team.

More details to follow....
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More news - straight from the track *been on the phone to one of my mates...*

Fisichella is going to have an engine change.

Apparently a problem that appeared after Monza has appeared again this morning.

Errr...thats all I have.

Simon/~Flibster
 
From Renault - seems Red Bull's sence of humour is infectious...

10 things to do in Spa when it rains


The Renault F1 Team completed a total of seven laps today at Spa-Francorchamps (six for Giancarlo and one for Fernando). Here is the debrief on the day’s strategy…


10 things to do in Spa when it rains:


1. Installation laps. Giancarlo completed a solitary installation lap this morning to check everything was functioning properly on the car, before his only run of the day. Delayed by an oil system problem in P1, Fernando did his this afternoon. His comments afterwards:

“No problems with the car. But the conditions were impossible – you can’t go faster than 150 kph”.

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2. Hunt the team kit.

“It always happens,” lamented Executive Director of Engineering Pat Symonds. “It starts raining, you look for that wet jacket you could swear you had left in the truck last time, and it has disappeared…”

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3. Change the set-up… just in case. It may be raining hard enough to make a powerboat race almost impossible to hold, but you need to be ready just in case the conditions improve. So as the rain began to fall at the start of P2, off came both rear wings, on went the high downforce versions for heavy rain, and the front wing angles were tweaked to balance the car. Just in case…

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4. Think of what you could have been doing. As they waited in the garage during P2, Giancarlo and Fernando could be forgiven for letting their minds wander to what else they could have been doing with their rainy afternoon.

Giancarlo: “I would probably be on the sofa at home, relaxing or playing with the kids”;
Fernando: “Playing sport with my friends, probably tennis or football,…on an indoor pitch!”

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5. Debate the weather. Was this afternoon’s downpour as bad weather as had been seen in Spa on race weekend?

“I think so,” admitted Denis Chevrier. “I’ve been coming here now for twenty years, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen conditions quite like this…”

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6. Debrief from P1. Giancarlo completed three timed laps at the end of this morning’s session, as the damp track became suitable for running dry tyres at its ‘crossover’ point. So how did the R25 feel?

“I only did three laps, so it’s quite hard to say, but the balance felt OK. We just didn’t do enough running to be able to tell.”

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7. Adapt your plans. The teams do not now have to choose their dry tyres until midday tomorrow, following the end of P4. But how do you cope with having to do two days’ running in one?

“Obviously, we try and condense the programmes as much as possible,” explains Pat Symonds, “but compromises have to be made – you cannot get through all the work you would normally do during four sessions, in two. We need answers on tyre wear, to make a relatively informed choice, but both drivers also need to work on the set-up to get a good balance. It will be a tricky balancing act.”

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8. Debate Eau Rouge. The debate rages every year: is Eau Rouge taken flat? In 2004, that was certainly the case, but would it be in 2005 with the reduced downforce? The answer was ‘not quite’ in first practice, but close enough to suggest it will be come qualifying and the race – if they are dry.

“I think we should be able to get through without lifting,” smiled Fisico.

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9. Count the umbrellas in the motorhome. The Renault F1 Team brought nearly one hundred umbrellas to the Belgian Grand Prix in preparation for the traditional weather conditions. All the large style golf umbrellas have disappeared, but there are still fifty small ones left. But stocks are diminishing fast…

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10. Study the weather forecasts. Of course, after a day of relative inactivity owing to the poor weather, the big question is: what will conditions be like tomorrow? “Well, I don’t think it is going to get much better,” explained Pat Symonds. “I expect a foggy and misty start to the day tomorrow, which could well mean we see the start of practice delayed because the medical helicopter cannot fly. And after that, there is a very high chance of rain throughout the day…”

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The weekend promises to be challenging – for teams, drivers and spectators alike!


11. Elsewhere in sport… One for the Brits: England were all out for 373, and Australia are 87-0. In fact, we could almost do with some rain…!
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They're shown in an Irish TV channel thats only available on sky...

Also - direct web feed from the track for me. ;)

Simon/~Flibster
 
vanpeebles said:
you on xbox live? i got it too :D u can see my pimp rides, including a twin turbo datsun :D
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Used to have live - never used it though. Don't anymore.

//Mike said:
If the race turns out to not go ahead, how will the drivers and consructors championship be affected? Will everyone go to the next race with the same number of points they came to Spa with?
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Yup.

It will be as if the Belgium never existed...

Simon/~Flibster
 
Few bits of ikkle news...

Paul Stoddart has said that no announcement will be made this weekend but there is a 50-50 chance of Red Bull buying out Minardi before the Brazilian GP. If this is the case, then the two drivers are likely to be Tonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed
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Michelin boss Edouard Michelin is holding a press conference at 18:15 CET this evening. He might announce next year's teams and Michelin's pull out from F1 after 2006.
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Also -

Ecclestone: There will be a race

Following media reports that Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix could be called off, should the weather forecasters be proved right, and it continues raining, F1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, has said that the race will go ahead, no matter the weather.

"They've been racing in these conditions for years," he told BBC Radio. "There will be a race on Sunday."

Several drivers have expressed concern at the conditions today, which culminated in Tonio Liuzzi aquaplaning off the track at Les Combes, resulting in a ten-minute red-flag period. It was subsequently claimed that should conditions fail to improve the race could be cancelled or run (all 44 laps) behind the safety car.

Any such move, especially in the wake of the Indianapolis fiasco, would inflict further damage on the sport, at a time when it appears to be winning back its credibility.
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Hmmmm...

Ecclestone = ****hole
 
Friday Free Practice 1.
Code: 
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Team			Time[/b]
1	9	Kimi Räikkönen		McLaren-Mercedes	1:48.206		
2	35	Alexander Wurz		McLaren-Mercedes	1:48.216		
3	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			1:48.619		
4	38	Ricardo Zonta		Toyota			1:49.445		
5	7	Mark Webber		Williams-BMW		1:49.692		
6	3	Jenson Button		BAR-Honda		1:49.890		
7	16	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			1:50.542		
8	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			1:50.564		
9	17	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			1:50.820		
10	37	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Red Bull Racing		1:50.951		
11	4	Takuma Sato		BAR-Honda		1:51.003		
12	2	Rubens Barrichell	Ferrari			1:51.177		
13	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-Petronas		1:52.173		
14	12	Felipe Massa		Sauber-Petronas		1:52.236		
15	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan-Toyota		1:53.148		
16	8	Antonio Pizzonia	Williams-BMW		1:53.535		
17	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi-Cosworth	1:53.807		
18	39	Nicolas Kiesa		Jordan-Toyota		1:54.437		
19	20	Robert Doornbos		Minardi-Cosworth	1:54.973		
20	18	Tiago Monteiro		Jordan-Toyota		1:55.174		
21	40	Enrico Toccacelo	Minardi-Cosworth	2:02.502		
22	14	David Coulthard		Red Bull Racing				
23	15	Christian Klien		Red Bull Racing				
24	5	Fernando Alonso		Renault				
25	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes

Sector Times - Free Practice 1

Code: 
[b]Sector 1[/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	29.079 
2	35	Alexander Wurz		29.245 
3	3	Jenson Button		29.648 
4	9	Kimi Räikkönen		29.686 
5	8	Antonio Pizzonia	29.733 
6	7	Mark Webber		29.929 
7	4	Takuma Sato		29.936 
8	38	Ricardo Zonta		30.003 
9	37	Vitantonio Liuzzi	30.011 
10	1	Michael Schumacher	30.150 
11	16	Jarno Trulli		30.151 
12	11	Jacques Villeneuve	30.226 
13	12	Felipe Massa		30.277 
14	21	Christijan Albers	30.298 
15	17	Ralf Schumacher		30.326 
16	2	Rubens Barrichello	30.388 
17	20	Robert Doornbos		30.564 
18	19	Narain Karthikeyan	30.581 
19	39	Nicolas Kiesa		30.953 
20	18	Tiago Monteiro		31.074 
21	40	Enrico Toccacelo	32.159

Code: 
[b]Sector 2 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	9	Kimi Räikkönen		47.884 
2	35	Alexander Wurz		48.304 
3	7	Mark Webber		48.468 
4	38	Ricardo Zonta		48.497 
5	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	48.561 
6	17	Ralf Schumacher		48.873 
7	16	Jarno Trulli		48.907 
8	3	Jenson Button		48.933 
9	1	Michael Schumacher	49.148 
10	2	Rubens Barrichello	49.397 
11	37	Vitantonio Liuzzi	49.398 
12	4	Takuma Sato		49.684 
13	11	Jacques Villeneuve	49.768 
14	12	Felipe Massa		50.206 
15	8	Antonio Pizzonia	50.622 
16	19	Narain Karthikeyan	50.848 
17	39	Nicolas Kiesa		51.585 
18	21	Christijan Albers	51.896 
19	18	Tiago Monteiro		51.962 
20	20	Robert Doornbos		52.486 
21	40	Enrico Toccacelo	56.120 
22	14	David Coulthard		60.020 
23	15	Christian Klien		65.012

Code: 
[b]Sector 3 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	35	Alexander Wurz		30.438 
2	9	Kimi Räikkönen		30.492 
3	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	30.550 
4	7	Mark Webber		30.704 
5	38	Ricardo Zonta		30.739 
6	4	Takuma Sato		30.956 
7	8	Antonio Pizzonia	31.018 
8	3	Jenson Button		31.049 
9	1	Michael Schumacher	31.051 
10	17	Ralf Schumacher		31.143 
11	37	Vitantonio Liuzzi	31.276 
12	11	Jacques Villeneuve	31.385 
13	2	Rubens Barrichello	31.392 
14	16	Jarno Trulli		31.401 
15	12	Felipe Massa		31.483 
16	21	Christijan Albers	31.526 
17	19	Narain Karthikeyan	31.719 
18	39	Nicolas Kiesa		31.899 
19	20	Robert Doornbos		31.923 
20	18	Tiago Monteiro		32.056 
21	40	Enrico Toccacelo	33.686 
22	14	David Coulthard		48.855 
23	15	Christian Klien		49.429

Speed Trap

Code: 
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time		Speed[/b]
1	3	Jenson Button		12:00:05	309.1 
2	35	Alexander Wurz		11:57:04	308.2 
3	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	11:54:56	306.9 
4	9	Kimi Räikkönen		12:00:21	306.5 
5	4	Takuma Sato		11:59:43	305.3 
6	7	Mark Webber		11:56:13	302.1 
7	37	Vitantonio Liuzzi	11:55:37	299.8 
8	38	Ricardo Zonta		11:58:44	299.2 
9	1	Michael Schumacher	11:56:27	297.6 
10	12	Felipe Massa		11:58:11	296.1 
11	21	Christijan Albers	11:59:27	292.7 
12	8	Antonio Pizzonia	11:57:54	291.8 
13	11	Jacques Villeneuve	11:57:00	291.7 
14	17	Ralf Schumacher		11:56:33	290.7 
15	16	Jarno Trulli		11:58:05	290.0 
16	20	Robert Doornbos		11:59:56	288.2 
17	2	Rubens Barrichello	11:57:51	286.3 
18	19	Narain Karthikeyan	12:00:04	284.7 
19	18	Tiago Monteiro		11:59:12	278.4 
20	39	Nicolas Kiesa		11:59:15	270.0 
21	40	Enrico Toccacelo	11:42:50	255.9 
22	14	David Coulthard		11:08:41	228.8 
23	15	Christian Klien		11:14:32	183.8
 
Friday Free Practice 2.
Code: 
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Team			Time[/b]
1	37	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Red Bull Racing		No time		
2	20	Robert Doornbos		Minardi-Cosworth	No time		
3	5	Fernando Alonso		Renault			No time		
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			No time		
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari			No time		
6	3	Jenson Button		BAR-Honda		No time		
7	4	Takuma Sato		BAR-Honda		No time		
8	6	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			No time		
9	7	Mark Webber		Williams-BMW		No time		
10	8	Antonio Pizzonia	Williams-BMW		No time		
11	9	Kimi Räikkönen		McLaren-Mercedes	No time		
12	10	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	No time		
13	11	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-Petronas		No time		
14	12	Felipe Massa		Sauber-Petronas		No time		
15	14	David Coulthard		Red Bull Racing		No time		
16	15	Christian Klien		Red Bull Racing		No time		
17	16	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			No time		
18	17	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			No time		
19	18	Tiago Monteiro		Jordan-Toyota		No time		
20	19	Narain Karthikeyan	Jordan-Toyota		No time		
21	21	Christijan Albers	Minardi-Cosworth	No time		
22	35	Alexander Wurz		McLaren-Mercedes	No time		
23	38	Ricardo Zonta		Toyota			No time		
24	39	Nicolas Kiesa		Jordan-Toyota		No time		
25	40	Enrico Toccacelo	Minardi-Cosworth	No time

Sector Times - Free Practice 2

Code: 
[b]Sector 1[/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]

Code: 
[b]Sector 2 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	5	Fernando Alonso		86.066

Code: 
[b]Sector 3 [/b]
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time[/b]
1	5	Fernando Alonso		68.691

Speed Trap

Code: 
[b]Pos	No	Driver			Time		Speed[/b]
1	20	Robert Doornbos		14:04:17	204.0 
2	37	Vitantonio Liuzzi	14:03:43	195.9 
3	5	Fernando Alonso		14:17:46	142.3
 
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