A 2

The month long break is nearly over and the wait will surely be worth it as the circus heads to the one and only Circuit de Spa Francorshamps. It will be awesome watching the cars tear up through Eau Rouge, Raidillon and on to the Kemmel Straight.

Gary Anderson of the BBC thinks Spa will be Judgement Day, as it will set the tone for the rest of the season. Alonso comes in to Spa with a good lead over the rest of the field and will likely do his best to get as close to the top of the podium as possible. With this being a high speed track, I would set my money on Lotus and Kimi - the king of Spa, to deliver that win for which we all have been waiting so far. McLaren and Lewis Hamilton will also be itching to keep their recent rebound going and Martin Whitmarsh has said that the team will need to be clinical in their execution for the rest of the season to clinch the championship. Red Bull lead the constructors and I wonder how they will perform here - they do have the most consistent pair of drivers and could very well leave Spa with their lead intact, although McLaren could catch them with a strong finish for both cars in the remaining races.

Silly season talk has been inconclusive and we still dont know whether Lewis Hamilton will remain at McLaren or choose to go elsewhere (Mercedes). Ferrari also seem to be in a quandry about Massa and will be watching his performance very closely. Mercedes and Schumacher have also yet to disclose what plans they have for each other. But all that will be the sideshow as the main excitement starts when the cars hit the track for Friday Practice one. As always my hope is for the best driver/team to win and for an exciting race at a track that we all revere.


WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Fri 31 August 2012
Practice 1 04:00 - 05:30
Practice 2 08:00 - 09:30

Sat 01 September 2012
Practice 3 05:00 - 06:00
Qualifying 08:00

Sun 02 September 2012
Race 08:00

CIRCUIT INFORMATION:

Lap data
Lap length 7.004km (4.352 miles)
Race laps 44
Race distance 308.052km (191.415 miles)
Pole position Right-hand side of the track
Lap record* 1’47.263 (235.071 kph) by Sebastian Vettel, 2009
Fastest lap 1’44.503 (241.279 kph) by Jarno Trulli, 2009
Maximum speed (2010) 312.9 kph (194.427 mph) by Felipe Massa, Ferrari
DRS zone/s (race) Kemmel straight

Car performance
Full throttle 80%
Power loss 7%
Tyre energy (1-3) 3
Brake energy (1-3) 3
Downforce level Medium
Gear changes per lap 49
Fuel use per lap 3.5kg

Strategy
Pit lane time loss 18 seconds
2011 prime tyre**: Medium (2010: Hard)
2011 option tyre**: Soft (2010: Soft)

*Fastest lap set during a Grand Prix
**Pirelli in 2011, Bridgestone in 2010

Data sources: FIA, Williams, Mercedes

A lap around Spa Francorchamps with Mark Webber

riegerm3

Can't wait been getting my withdraws lately.

beanseff

ME TOO

i'm taking fernando to take the win maybe massa with a podium or at least high in the points {lets hope for his sake he does }

and um i'm taking JUDAS to take out di resta and grosjean in les combes

egotzm

I'm going with McLaren to win, Massa to finish out of the points and Maldonado to take out 2+ people in La Source =D

A 2

This race will be a milestone for Schumi - his 300th Grand Prix

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101910

beanseff

will he walk the track with a walker?

A 2

That may happen, depending on who this guy decides to pick on

beanseff

i could see the chin walking with a walker and pastor running by and taking out his walker...maybe i need help...

an2ny

1st Vettel
2nd Hamilton
3rd Alonso

Maldonado will hit Schumacher & Massa and will take out Webber.

A 2

Pirelli is bringing the Hard and Medium compounds to the race

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/102010


Pirelli believes that the decision to bring its hardest tyres to the Belgian Grand Prix should allow drivers to push to the maximum in the race.

In a year when there has been a lot of focus on managing tyre degradation through races, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery is hoping that this weekend's race at Spa-Francorchamps is not impacted by drivers having to be conservative with their speed.

"From a tyre perspective, it's certainly one of the most demanding circuits that we face all year, because of the high speeds and extreme forces involved, which are often acting on the tyres in more than one dimension," he said.

"The nomination of the hard and the medium tyres will allow drivers to push hard from start to finish, which is what Spa was designed for."