Despite only winning one of the last five grands prix, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel still has a commanding 85 point lead going into the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa on Sunday 28 August 2011. At the most recent Formula One racing event, last month’s Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren’s Jenson Button notched up his second win of the season, with Vettel coming in second. That, if anything, helped Vettel because Button is no longer a major threat, lying fifth in the championship.
Vettel’s main challenger, and team mate, Mark Webber could only manage fifth in Hungary. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso were fourth and third, respectively.
Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps
Most drivers love their annual trip to Spa because it is a real drivers’ circuit with a varied mix of challenges. There are long straights, but there is also a wide range in the types of corners that the cars have to negotiate. This means the balance of the car can be critical. The weather is also usually a factor – it almost always rains for the Belgian Grand Prix and often not on all parts of the circuit simultaneously, so expect some serious head scratching as they decide what tyres to put on next.
News From the Pitlane
Nick Heidfeld will not be racing for Lotus Renault this weekend. The team have dropped him in favour of Bruno Senna, who brings with him more sponsorship.
The 2011 Formula One in Schools Technology Challenge World Finals will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 19 to 21 September 2011. The seventh World Finals is expecting to welcome 23 teams from 17 countries, with representation from all four continents.
The return of grand prix racing to the USA will happen in November next year rather than the originally mooted June date for the event in Austin, Texas. The new date still has to be ratified by the FIA World Motor Sport Council but it was felt that June in Texas would be too hot.
Telecommunications company Bharti Airtel has been named as the official sponsors of the first Indian Grand Prix, due to be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida in late October.
Final Qualifying and Grid Positions
After final qualifying on Saturday, the following grid positions were decided, though penalties may yet still be applied:
- S Vettel
- L Hamilton
- M Webber
- F Massa
- N Rosberg
- J Alguersuari
- B Senna
- F Alonso
- S Perez
- V Petrov
After the second session in final qualifying, the following drivers were eliminated:
11. S Buemi, 12. K Kobayashi, 13. J Button, 14. R Barrichello, 15. A Sutil, 16. P Maldanado, 17. H Kovalainen.
After the first session in final qualifying, the following drivers were eliminated:
18. P di Resta, 19. J Trulli, 20. T Glock, 21. J D'Ambrosio, 22. V Liuzzi, 23. D Ricciardo, 24. M Schumacher.
Standings After 11 Grands Prix
Constructors: 1. Red Bull (383), 2. McLaren (280), 3. Ferrari (215), 4. Mercedes (80), 5. Lotus Renault (66), 6. Sauber (35), 7. Force India (26), 8. Toro Rosso (22), 9. Williams (4).
Drivers: 1. S Vettel (234), 2. M Webber (149), 3. L Hamilton (146), 4. F Alonso (145), 5. J Button (134), 6. F Massa (70), 7. N Rosberg (48), 8. N Heidfeld (34), 9. V Petrov (32), 10. M Schumacher (32), 11. K Kobayashi (27), 12. A Sutil (18), 13. S Buemi (12), 14. J Alguersuari (10), 15. S Perez (8), 16. P di Resta (8), 17. R Barrichello (4).
Steve Rogerson - Steve Rogerson is a UK-based writer specialising in television, technology, sports and beer.
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