sourced from various internet sites, enjoy2011 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps)Formula One comes back to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit for the Belgian GP. Covering over seven kilometres, Spa-Francorchamps is the longest race track in the calendar and also features the most extensive full-throttle section by far. Its famous layout makes it one of the most revered circuits in Formula One. Spa will provide the perfect stage for another compelling Grand Prix.
Spa-Francorchamps is one of the specialities in the Formula One calendar. We all look forward to the only Track in the calendar that can still be described as a natural circuit since it follows the features of the landscape. In the Ardennes, steep inclines are as much a feature as the unpredictable weather.
Located between Liege and Brussels in the Ardennes forest,Spa-Francorchamps is as mentioned the longest circuit on the calendar. Despite some significant modifications over the years from its original 14.9km layout, the current circuit is still predominantly run on narrow, public roads while following the natural landscape. The track boasts an exhilarating sequence of 20 sweeping medium and high speed corners connected by even faster straights. Of the nine left and eleven right turns, the most technically challenging for any driver is undoubtedly Eau Rouge.
A medium downforce track, with medium tyre and brake wear, it’s the engines that experience the greatest demands at Spa with the average lap speed circulating the 233km/h mark and top speeds reaching 320km/h.
Stretching across such a broad area, it’s little surprise that different parts of the circuit can experience different weather conditions at one time. With rain not uncommon to the region, it’s often the case that one part of the track will be wet while another completely dry. It might make for some great action for the fans, but such unpredictable weather conditions can wreak havoc with car set-up which must be carefully considered at this race track.
Spa, along with Monza, provides the most rigorous test of an engine in the calendar. 70 per cent of the lap is spent at full throttle with two prolonged full throttle periods of over 20 seconds. The most demanding of these is without a doubt the 23 second stretch from La Source to Les Combes, via Eau Rouge (turns 1 to 7). This stretch presents a unique test to engines as they are exposed to both extreme positive and negative vertical 'g' forces as the car drops through Eau Rouge and out over the following crest which must factored in to the engine design.
Spa is also the longest lap of the season, and the circuit has a very high fuel penalty meaning that an engine with good fuel consumption can be beneficial under the current qualifying system. Meanwhile, downforce levels are a compromise between maximizing grip in the high number of 'aero corners' and maximising overtaking opportunities down the two long flat-out 'straights'.
Google Earth Aerial Map, and other aerial pics:
THE TRACK and RACE detailsFirst used 1950
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
26th - 28th August, 2011
Circuit Length: 7.004 km (4.352 miles)
Race Length: 44 laps (308.2 km, 191.5 miles)
Details: Permanent racing facility Clockwise
Corners: 20 (11 right-hand and 9 left-hand corners)
Lap Record: 1:45.108 (Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren-Mercedes, 2004)
Official Website: www.spa-francorchamps.be
Top speed: 330 km/h (205 mph)
Average speed: 233 km/h (145 mph)
Pitlane loss: 14.6 s
Pitlane length: 390 m
Gear changes per lap: 52
Time at full-throttle: 70%
Time under braking: 10%
Fuel effect: 0.05 s per lap of fuel
Fuel consumption: 2.21 kg per 5 km
Tyre compounds: soft/medium
Tyre wear: low/medium
Brake demand: medium
Downforce level: medium
2010 Fastest Lap
L Hamilton, McLaren: 1:49.069
2010 Pole Sitter
M Webber, Red Bull
2010 Race Winner
L Hamilton, McLaren
Most wins by single driver Michael Schumacher (6)
F1 TIMETABLE (Brisbane Times)Friday 26 August 2011
Friday Practice 1 18:00 - 19:30
Friday Practice 2 22:00 - 23:30
Saturday 27 August 2011
Saturday Practice 19:00 - 20:00
Qualifying 22:00
Sunday 28 August 2011
Race 22:00
Grid - 2010
Result - 2010
Previous Pole Positions
2010 M Webber 
2009 G Fisichella
2008 L Hamilton
2007 K Raikkonen
2005 J P Montoya
2004 J Trulli
2002 M Schumacher
Pit Stop Schedule
1 stop Laps 23-29
2 stops 15-20, 27-33
3 stops 9-12, 18-22, 29-34
Pit Stop StrategiesPitstops strategy depends critically on the weather conditions. Everything can be going perfectly and then the rain throws you a curved ball. Quick decisions over pitstops and tyre changes can easily win or lose you the race if there are changing conditions, which is often the case at Spa. Two stops will be the norm if dry, but if all wet there is a chance of 1 stop for some.
Spa-Francorchamps boasts what is widely regarded as the greatest and most daunting corner in the world: Eau Rouge. Commitment and precision are required in equal measure to take on the climbing right-hander. The vertical wall of concrete challenges the drivers to carry as much speed as possible over the brow and into the 190mph sprint towards Les Combes. A good exit to Eau Rouge will see drivers able to challenge the car ahead at the right hander. Through Eau Rouge the drivers are placed under lateral G forces of more than 5G and compression. It also sees high structural loads placed on the car and engine.The super-fast Eau Rouge, though not the challenge it once was thanks to modern aerodynamics and traction , is still a tingling spectacle and a sequence of corners to be respected.
The inaugural Belgian Grand Prix, which was held on 18th June in 1950, was the fifth race in the history of Formula 1. The 492.8km race was won by Juan Manuel Fangio. The Argentinean repeated this success twice - 1954 and 1955 with Mercedes.
In 1968, McLaren founder Bruce took the first Formula 1 World Championship victory for the marque, which had been established two years previously.
Until 1970 a 14.08km circuit in Spa was used, primarily consisting of public roads. In 1972 and 1974 the races were staged in Nivelles near Brussels, and in 1973, 1975 - 1982 and 1984 Zolder was the venue of the Belgian Grand Prix.
The new 6.94 kilometre circuit in Spa featured on the Formula 1 calendar for the first time in 1983. With the exception of 1984, 2003 and 2006 it has been the home of the Belgian Grand Prix ever since. McLaren-Mercedes has won four out of the last six Belgian races. David Coulthard began the run in 1999, with Mika Häkkinen taking victory after overtaking Michael Schumacher and lapping Ricardo Zonta in a passing manoeuvre that is considered one of the most exhilarating in the history of the sport. Kimi Raikkonen then took victories in 2004, 2005 for the team, repeating the triumph for Ferrari in 2007, 2009
All in all there is no F1-safe circuit on earth that is even in the same league as Spa, a point of view certainly shared by most of the drivers, and I guess fans too.
Perhaps that’s why Schumacher made it his spiritual home. It was the scene of his F1 debut and his first win. Then again, Raikkonen has in recent years become the Spa 'Meister', and has been the winner of the four Belgian Grands Prix – and the rub of it is that he was driving a McLaren and then backed it up with wins for Ferrari.
Hamilton will be fired up at the prospect of never having won at Spa, particulary after his "short cut" penalty. Actually he did win in F3 Euroseries, but he was disqualified for in post race scrutineering for using an oversized and illegal diffuser, and 2008 race was not his best.....in fact had Pouhon not been changed to a concrete run off rather than the sand / gravel trap that it replaced he would have ended in the sand after running off the track trying to catch Alonso near race end. His 2009 resulted in a DNF.
In 2008 the Ferraris were altogether in their own race, and they won 1-2 at a canter, having dominated the front row in qualifying with Kimi winning from Pole, and in 2009 Fisi's Force India was a shock to all finishing second, which resulted in a Ferrari seat for him whilst Massa was out injured.
This was also a race which the former all conquering Brawns only had one finish in a low 7th, and a DNF for Button.
General setup.
Good car stability is a pre-requisite, and mistakes made in the early part of the lap are difficult to recover from. A car that can withstand some kerb-riding is also important to get through the Bus Stop chicane quickly. It also must incorporate high traction out of La Source, to ensure an optimum exit from the hairpin to gain speed fast in the long drag through Eau Rouge to Les Combes. With the V8 engines now used, approaching Les Combes is the first time your foot will leave the floorboards in a well set up car.....
SuspensionIn terms of suspension settings, the overall compromise is relatively stiff in order to ensure good aerodynamic performance in the quicker corners, and a good change of direction in the quick chicanes. However, good traction is also critical on the exit of the final chicane and La Source hairpin, as poor performance in either part of the circuit can leave a driver vulnerable to overtaking under braking for the next corner.
Ride heightsCar ride heights are limited by the high forces encountered through the compression in Eau Rouge. From the bottom to the top of the hill, the car's ride height can vary by as much as 25mm and if the car bottoms out too much, the drivers can lose control. With the V8 engines and the current aerodynamic regulations, Eau Rouge is now taken easily flat out at around 300 kph. The drivers will scrub off around 10 kph through the sequence, but it is important to conserve as much speed as possible in order to maintain position along the long straight before Les Combes.
Aero requirementsThe circuit features a high number of "aero corners"
(only 6 of the 20 turns are taken at less than 150 kph), and this would normally push the teams towards relatively high levels of downforce in order to maximise grip in the corners, as is the case at a circuit like Silverstone for example. However, Spa imposes a very different trade-off, because the two long flat-out "straights" on the circuit both provide genuine overtaking opportunities.
Spa demands medium downforce, comparable to Montreal, but in reality Spa requires a compromise.... High aerodynamic efficiency is very important,(generating maximum downforce for minimum drag) is the key to success at this circuit. as you need a lot of downforce in the fast sweeping corners of the middle sector, while at the same time requiring plenty of top speed for overtaking and maximum speed at the end of the long straights.This top-speed is a critical factor in order to protect position, as well as to overtake.
TyresFinding the right settings on the car is always the basis of a good performance, but the tyres are another important element prone to be affected by the unpredictable climate of the Belgian Ardennes.A crucial factor will be how to exploit the tyre potential. In Spa they will use the 'white'
medium and 'yellow' soft compounds.
Engines.At Spa the engines are put under the highest strain of the season. The longest full-throttle part starts at Eau Rouge and leads all the way up to Les Combes; it is 1,900 metres long and takes almost 24 seconds. In addition, there is another, 1,600-metre-long full-throttle section between corners 14 and 18 which lasts 21 seconds. In all over 70% of the lap is foot to the floor.
WeatherAnother great aspect of Spa is the weather. It rains there. A lot. Every year. Not always all the way around the circuit!
The mountains in the area create their own micro-climate and small bursts of rain can appear on one part of the circuit and not on the others, which makes tyre choice an additional challenge! Since inception, Spa-Francorchamps has been famous for this unpredictable weather.
At one stage in its history it had rained at the Belgian Grand Prix for twenty years in a row. Frequently drivers confront a part of the course that is clear and bright while another stretch is rainy and slippery. Most drivers today say that the Spa course is the most challenging race track that remains on the F1 calendar.
Wet weather we know doesnt suit Massa, indeed even Ferrari have struggled with poor pit management at the hint of moisture. One thing in particular with wet at Spa is that the track does not dry quickly, and with so many fast corners such as Eau Rouge and Pouhon, due to the lengh of the lap, one lap on the wrong tyres can easily wipe out a 30 second gap
Wet weather could provoke an appearance of the safety car, which as we have seen can ruin a particular drivers race in a second, and could even play a crucial role in the championship if it happens to disadvantage one of the top four drivers.
With that in mind the concept of a random finishing order is not beyond a realistic proposition.
DRS ZoneThe detection point will be just before turn two, leading up through the famous Eau Rouge before the following driver
can activate the system as they exit Raidillon, giving them enhanced top-speed for the entire Kemmel Straight.
Once again, their will be just a single zone, despite speculation the FIA would once again experiment with two zones,
the second being between turn 15 and 17, though Williams race engineer Xevi Pujolar confirmed this wouldn't be the case.
Personally, I would have liked to have seen DRS being operational on this very fast sweeper coming up to the old 'bus stop'.
SPA FACTS* At 4.35 miles, Spa-Francorchamps is the longest circuit on the F1 calendar.
* Even so, the existing Spa circuit is less than half the length of the original public road course, which offered
the drivers a truly daunting challenge due to the sheer speed of the corners.
Despite having only a couple of true straights, the average lap speed was nudging 150mph by the late 1960s!
* Those awesome speeds, coupled with the notoriously fickle Ardennes weather – which frequently saw
cloudbursts on one side of the circuit while the other might be bone dry – led to serious safety concerns and
Spa was scratched from the F1 calendar following the 1970 race.
* During the 1970s and early 1980s the Belgian GP was shared between the bland Nivelles circuit near
Brussels and the slightly more character full but unloved Zolder track in the Flemish-speaking part of the country.
* Zolder will always be remembered as the circuit at which Gilles Villeneuve lost his life. The legendary
French-Canadian was killed in a ferocious accident during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian GP.
* The race returned to its traditional home in 1983 and, to the delight of purists, the new, shorter Spa
track incorporated some of the most exciting parts of the original, including the famous La Source hairpin,
the tingling Eau Rouge and the blast through the woods at Blanchimont. The new section, linking Les
Combes and Stavelot, wound down the valley in a flowing series of curves, the most challenging being the
Pouhon double left-hander.
* The first time Spa hosted a grand prix was the European GP of 1925. The race was won by Antonio Ascari,
father of future double world champion Alberto.
* Belgium has hosted 54 grands prix since 1950 with 40 taking place at Spa. Zolder has held 10
events while the race has twice taken place at Nivelles.
* As well as being the home of the Belgian Grand Prix, Spa has long been famous for its 24-hour endurance
race, first held in 1924.
* Eau Rouge is not regarded as the most fearsome corner in F1 without good reason. Promising German
Stefan Bellof was killed there in the Spa 1000km sportscar race in 1985. In recent years, Alex Zanardi,
Ricardo Zonta and Jacques Villeneuve have had massive accidents at the corner.
* Such is the challenge of Spa that only the truly great drivers can really claim to have mastered it. In fact
just six men have won the race more than twice - Juan Manuel Fangio (three times), Damon Hill (three times),
Kimi Raikkonen (four times), Jim Clark (four times), Ayrton Senna (five times) and Michael Schumacher (six times).
Kimi Raikkonen has made it his property and won the last three races there, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008
(2006 there was no Belgian GP as track updates were taking place. 2003 there was also no race at Spa
due to a complication regarding Belgium Law and Cigarrette advertising, subsequently relaxed.)
* Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna and Kimi Raikkonen are the only men to have won four Belgian Grands Prix on the
trot. Clark won his in 1962-1965 while Senna achieved the feat from 1988-1991.
* The 1985 Belgian Grand Prix had to be postponed from June to September after a new track surface
designed to provide extra grip in the Spa rains broke up in atypical heat.
* In 1989, both Lotus drivers, Nelson Piquet and Satoru Nakajima, failed to qualify for the Belgian Grand Prix.
It was only the second time in his career that triple world champion Piquet failed to make the start of a race.
To rub salt into his wounds, arch-rival Ayrton Senna won the race.
* Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen have both been disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix. Schuey
was stripped of victory in 1994 because the wooden block on the floor of his Benetton was too worn while
Mika lost third in 1997 for using the wrong fuel.
* Schumacher won the 1995 Belgian Grand Prix from 16th on the grid. Williams appealed to the FIA about
his driving in the race after he banged wheels with Damon Hill at Les Combes.
* A staggering 14 cars were eliminated at the start of the 1998 race in one of the biggest crashes in
modern F1 history. McLaren’s David Coulthard triggered the accident. Damon Hill went on to win the race,
Jordan’s first grand prix victory, Damon's last.
* Despite winning the Belgian GP six times, Michael Schumacher only started the race from pole position once.
* The Belgian GP in 2007 was the 14th race of the year. The result was 11th time in the 14 races that the driver in the lead
at the end of lap one went on to win the race, and the 10th time the pole sitter was also the winner.
*
In terms of team wins, Ferrari is the most successful team at Spa. Those that have won more than once are as follows.
Constructor, Win
Ferrari,16
McLaren,13
Lotus,8
Williams,4
Alfa Romeo,2
Benetton,2
SPA HISTORY* There is a full appreciation of the Spa original long circuit which is here:
http://www.australianmotorsportforums.com.au/forum/index.php?topic=1342.msg24345#msg24345
* A photographic tour of a lap on the old track has been added here:
http://www.australianmotorsportforums.com.au/forum/index.php?topic=1342.msg25033#msg25033
The first national race of Belgium was held in 1925 at the Spa region's race course, an area of the country that had been associated with motor sport since the very early years of racing before the turn of the century. To accommodate Grand Prix motor racing, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps race course was built in 1921 but it was only used for motorcycle racing until 1924. After the 1923 success of the new 24 hours of Le Mans in France, the Spa 24 Hours, a similar 24 hour endurance race, was run at the Spa track.
In 1925, the first Belgian Grand Prix was won by Antonio Ascari whose son Alberto would win the race in 1952 and 1953. Unfortunately, after winning the Belgian race, Antonio Ascari would be killed in his next outing at the French Grand Prix. In 1939, the race claimed the life of British driver Richard "Dick" Seaman while leading the race. During the 1960 race Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey lost their lives in separate incidents, the latter in a freak occurrence when hit in the face by a bird. Until Imola 1994 it remained the only double fatality GP.
This original circuit was unbelievably dangerous for both drivers and spectators.
On the 12th of June 1966, Formula One changed forever, in a way it paralleled what happened after Imola 1994. BRM teammates Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill, along with American privateer Bob Bondurant, aquaplaned on the first lap at the Masta Kink of Spa. After hitting a telegraph pole and a woodcutter's shed, Stewart ended up trapped by the steering column of his BRM for 25 excruciating minutes. Although seven cars were off the circuit, the red flag was not waved. Stewart had internal injuries, several broken bones and was soaked with fuel. Hill and Bondurant had to borrow tools from a spectator to remove the steering wheel. Hours passed - Stewart's medical treatment was farcical with the ambulance driver getting lost.
Stewart then led a crusade to improve circuit and car safety, which led Formula One out of the insanity of the dead-or-glory era. Gradually Formula One adopted the safety equipment we now take for granted, including safety belts and quick-release steering wheels.
Formula One left Spa in 1970. The modern Spa circuit was reopened in 1979 and, fortunately, it retained the best sector of the original circuit including La Source, Eau Rouge and the Raidillon with a magnificent new section added between Les Combes and Stavelot that bypassed the Masta straight. In stark contrast to 1966, every driver walked away unharmed from the 13-car accident of 1998, at the exit of the La Source hairpin
In 1972 Spa was considered too dangerous for Formula 1 machinery. Following that decision, the Belgians decided to alternate their Grand Prix between Zolder and a characterless circuit at Nivelles-Baulers near Brussels. The first race at Nivelles was won by Emerson Fittipaldi but although the track was safe, it inspired little enthusiasm when compared to the magnificent old Spa circuit. Zolder hosted the race the following year and it was won by Jackie Stewart.
Formula One returned to Nivelles in 1974. Once again the race was won by Emerson Fittipaldi, but after that event the organizers were unable to sustain a Grand Prix at Nivelles and the track faded from the racing scene.
Afterwards, the race returned to Zolder. The Belgian Grand Prix would be held there a further nine times. Niki Lauda scored back-to-back victories at the track in 1975 and 1976, and in 1977
Gunnar Nilsson scored his only F1 victory at Zolder. The following year Mario Andretti won the race for Lotus. In 1979, Jody Scheckter won the race in his Ferrari. In 1980 Didier Pironi became a first time winner at the track in his Ligier. The 1981 meeting that was won by Carlos Reutemann was chaotic with a mechanic being killed in the pitlane, a drivers' strike and then a nasty startline accident.
Zolder will always be remembered, however, as the place where Gilles Villeneuve died in 1982. John Watson won the race for McLaren, but a year later the rebuilt Spa circuit opened for racing and the Belgian Grand Prix returned there. The 1982 Belgian Grand Prix was held at Zolder. In 1983, the race returned to Spa before returning to Zolder in 1984.
This was the last F1 race held at Zolder with Michele Alboreto taking the final victory there. In 1985 the Belgian F1 Grand Prix returned to Spa-Francorchamps where it has remained ever since.
World Champion Michael Schumacher, who made his debut at Spa in 1991 and won his first F1 race there in 1992, won his 52nd Grand Prix at Spa in 2001, surpassing Alain Prost's all-time record of 51 wins. Schumacher also won his seventh World Drivers' Championship title at Spa in 2004. There was no Belgian Grand Prix in 2003 because of the country's tobacco advertising laws but it returned to the schedule again in 2004.
Another notable race was the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix which took place in torrential conditions.
The race was originally stopped after a massive accident involving thirteen of the twenty-two runners at the first corner. The heavy rain caused low visibility, and Michael Schumacher ran into the back of David Coulthard, an event that angered Schumacher so much he stormed into the McLaren garage to confront Coulthard, claiming he had tried to kill him. Coulthard later admitted he had been at fault, due to his own inexperience (despite it being his fourth year of Formula One). Only eight drivers were classified finishers (two of whom were five laps behind, one of whom was Coulthard) and Damon Hill secured a memorable victory ahead of team mate Ralf Schumacher to record the previously underperforming Jordan team's first Formula One win in its history, and a 1-2 to top it off.
In 2005, the minister of Economics, Jean-Claude Marcourt, proposed to change the name of the event to Grand Prix de Wallonie, in deference to the local area.
1965 Belgian Grand Prix. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. 11-13 June 1965. Graham Hill leads Jackie Stewart (Both BRM P261's), Richie Ginther (Honda RA272), Jo Siffert (Brabham BT11 BRM), John Surtees (Ferrari 158), Dan Gurney (Brabham BT11 Climax) and the rest of the field through Eau Rouge at the start.
-Will McLaren keep their advantage over the Red Bulls?
-Keep an eye on the weather forecast. It could hold the key to the race.
Current (pre Spa)WDC points:Pos Driver Nationality Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel German RBR-Renault 234
2 Mark Webber Australian RBR-Renault 149
3 Lewis Hamilton British McLaren-Mercedes 146
4 Fernando Alonso Spanish Ferrari 145
5 Jenson Button British McLaren-Mercedes 134
6 Felipe Massa Brazilian Ferrari 70
7 Nico Rosberg German Mercedes 48
8 Nick Heidfeld German Renault 34
9 Vitaly Petrov Russian Renault 32
10 Michael Schumacher German Mercedes 32
11 Kamui Kobayashi Japanese Sauber-Ferrari 27
12 Adrian Sutil German Force India-Mercedes 18
13 Sebastien Buemi Swiss STR-Ferrari 12
14 Jaime Alguersuari Spanish STR-Ferrari 10
15 Sergio Perez Mexican Sauber-Ferrari 8
16 Paul di Resta British Force India-Mercedes 8
17 Rubens Barrichello Brazilian Williams-Cosworth 4
18 Pedro de la Rosa Spanish Sauber-Ferrari 0
19 Jarno Trulli Italian Lotus-Renault 0
20 Vitantonio Liuzzi Italian HRT-Cosworth 0
21 Pastor Maldonado Venezuelan Williams-Cosworth 0
22 Jerome d'Ambrosio Belgian Virgin-Cosworth 0
23 Heikki Kovalainen Finnish Lotus-Renault 0
24 Timo Glock German Virgin-Cosworth 0
25 Narain Karthikeyan Indian HRT-Cosworth 0
26 Daniel Ricciardo Australian HRT-Cosworth 0
27 Karun Chandhok Indian Lotus-Renault 0
FIA Formula 1 constructors' world championshipPosition, Team , Points
1 RBR-Renault 383
2 McLaren-Mercedes 280
3 Ferrari 215
4 Mercedes 80
5 Renault 66
6 Sauber-Ferrari 35
7 Force India-Mercedes 26
8 STR-Ferrari 22
9 Williams-Cosworth 4
10 Lotus-Renault 0
11 HRT-Cosworth 0
12 Virgin-Cosworth 0
Topic: 2011 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps) (Read 1270 times)
