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[Juicy Bob]

It's as if all the TV directors are under strict orders from Bernie to ignore every fucking yellow flag this year.

 

[navanman]

Hamilton is very fast, comfortably faster than Ferrari anyway.

Its between RBR and Hamilton now for front row.

 

[navanman]

Hamilton is 1 second quicker than everyone else, amazing

 

[S. L.]

Hammy sure is flying

 

[itsgreen]

Was at Spa yesterday.

The Gold 3 covered stand is the best thing ever! Great view and a roof.

It rained unbelievably hard so the roof was a must have.

iPhone video from my seat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFcu0A9LbTs

 

[Britprog]

Go Lewis Go, just got in F1racemanager and my bet for the win and pole too.

Hope I haven't jinxed it now LOL

 

[Dilly]

Screw it, next year I'm going to Francorchamps. It's only a one hour and a half drive anyway.

 

[navanman]

LOOK at the sky, it could rain by the end of Q3.

 

[navanman]

Its raining again on the pit straight.

 

[Gabyskra]

Screw it, next year I'm going to Francorchamps. It's only a one hour and a half drive anyway.

Have you looked at the ticket prices? It's insane.

 

[itsgreen]

Have you looked at the ticket prices? It's insane.

Go on Friday only, paid 60 euro for Gold 3

 

[Dilly]

Have you looked at the ticket prices? It's insane.

I know, that's what's holding me back. But it isn't like I'm going every year, and I really want to see Kubica drive in real life now that I have the chance.

 

[navanman]

Now way can anyone improve now, can they with the rain coming again.

Alonso-FAIL
Hamilton-WIN

 

[Juicy Bob]

LOLonso.

 

[Dilly]

Kubica almost front row.

 

[Britprog]

Go Lewis Go, just got in F1racemanager and my bet for the win and pole too.

Hope I haven't jinxed it now LOL

Doh I jinxed it!!! Stupid rain!!!!

 

[S. L.]

that was a pretty good quali

 

[navanman]

Amazing lap from Hamilton, he lapped quicker in the damp conditions.
I would be confident of him winning tomorrow.
Vettel falling apart again slowly.

 

[Jinjo]

LOLonso.

I like Alolso better. :lol

Lewis second, awesome. And with me not being able to watch the race tomorrow, that'll mean a great result for him.:lol

 

[ElyrionX]

Why the fuck did the Ferraris take so long to get their cars out?

 

[navanman]

Webber and Hamilton going through Eau Rouge tomorrow on first lap will be amazing.

 

[Britprog]

Stupid BBC, coverage finished already cause of Rugby!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Juicy Bob]

Stupid BBC, coverage finished already cause of Rugby!!!!!!!!!!

Petrov didn't help, either.

 

[Britprog]

Petrov didn't help, either.

No he didn't but the coverage was due to end 5 minutes past anyway, normally its 30 minutes.

They should have gone to the red button at least!!!

 

[navanman]

Have McLaren finally sorted their blown diffuser?
Hamilton matched Webber's time in S2 on his hot lap and then was quickest of all in S3.

 

[Lucius86]

Tomorrow has the potential for awesome!!

 

[Timbuktu]

They've the interviews online.

 

[Jinjo]

Have McLaren finally sorted their blown diffuser?
Hamilton matched Webber's time in S2 on his hot lap and then was quickest of all in S3.

I don't think they haven't. This track suits their car a lot better. Offcourse they have gained a bit more performance out of it, but like Button & Hamilton said, these 2 races (Spa & Monza) couldn't have come at a better time. I read that comment as: "Currently, we're still fucked against RBR & Ferrari on high downforce circuits.". But that's set to improve offcourse.

 

[Deadman]

Why are all these people qualifying ahead of Fernando, cant they see hes faster than them?

Hamilton has this in the bag.

 

[Britprog]

Why are all these people qualifying ahead of Fernando, cant they see hes faster than them?

Hamilton has this in the bag.

Fingers crossed!

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

mclaren 1-2 if the race is dry tomorrow

 

[Pimpwerx]

Forgot my fantasy team, and missed practices and qualies. FML. My new job is gonna cost me in F1, soccer and my fantasy football leagues this season. I'm boned. PEACE.

 

[navanman]

A job pays the bills, fantasy leagues don't AFAIK.

I have Vettel & Kubica on my dream team, had Ferrari too

 

[Pimpwerx]

A job pays the bills, fantasy leagues don't AFAIK.

I have Vettel & Kubica on my dream team, had Ferrari too

LOL! So true, man. If only I could get a job involving fantasy sports, it would be perfect. PEACE.

 

[DrM]

Ferrari must have screwed something up, their S2 was complete disaster today - lost almost 0.800 to RBR and 0.400 to Mclaren

Felipe should reconsider rally instead, his offroad skils are incredible.

Also, Whitmarsh said, that PP would be in reach if Lewis used fresh rubber.

 

[Templar Wizard]

Alonso has a wet weather set up, Ferrari have taken a gamble.

 

[avaya]

He better have a wet weather set-up otherwise

"Felipe is faster than you, do you understand?"

 

[DrM]

Alonso has a wet weather set up, Ferrari have taken a gamble.

Then it must be 'biblical style downpour' wet setup.

 

[dalin80]

Yep, especially as he lost the most time out of anyone in the wet corners.

Iam hoping he gets a awesome start, flies up the grid and crashes into vettel.

 

[Dead Man]

Delayed coverage again, for football that is on three channels Anyway, great for Webber, Vettell fourth, behind and dirty side. Less good for F1 manager, I had Ferrari and Petrov for a driver! Should have stayed with Renault and Kobyashi! Should be a great race, Webber vs Hammy into the hairpin? Anything could happen

 

[ElyrionX]

So Massa qualified faster in this one race and there's already so much bitching?

 

[megateto]

So Massa qualified faster in this one race and there's already so much bitching?

Different wing set ups, it seems XD.

 

[DrM]

Weather prediction for tommorow:
- Quite cold morning, 8 degrees celsius
- showers should appear in the afternoon, peak around the end of the race. It will be cool, 14-15 degrees celsius

corrected starting grid after all the penalties:

Pos Driver Team
1. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
3. Robert Kubica Renault
4. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
5. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
6. Felipe Massa Ferrari
7. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth
8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes
9. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth
10. Fernando Alonso Ferrari
11. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes
13. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth
14. Nico Rosberg Mercedes *
15. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth
16. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari **
17. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari
18. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth
19. Sakon Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth ***
21. Michael Schumacher Mercedes ****
22. Pedro de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari
23. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth
24. Vitaly Petrov Renault

* Five-place penalty for gearbox change
** Three-place penalty for impeding Rosberg
*** Five-place penalty for impeding Yamamoto
*** 10-place penalty for murder attempt of Barrichello in Hungary

Found this on James Allen blog

I spoke with Mark Webber after the qualifying session and he seemed to be more impressed with Lewis Hamilton’s improvement of four tenths of a second at the end of the session when the track was wet, than he was with his own pole position. Asking engineers from other teams they share that sense of wonder at Hamilton’s final lap. And given that it boosted him to the front row of the grid it may turn out to be an important moment in the championship story. Button too was able to improve in the final run, but not by as much as Hamilton.

oh and in other news - DrM got dumped by long time girlfirend today. And i cannot drink due to antibiotics.

 

[Chris R]

Well I'm fucking boned for the fantasy league. Had 20 mil to upgrade my drivers and didn't. Totally forgot. Also didn't set my bids up so there goes more free money. I have rbr for car/engine but my drivers are horrible ;( could have bought hammy for my #1 driver too. Fuck.

Forgot my fantasy team, and missed practices and qualies. FML. My new job is gonna cost me in F1, soccer and my fantasy football leagues this season. I'm boned. PEACE.

Exactly the same thing here. Only good news with my new job means I'll actually be able to see a F1 race next year (or the year after).

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I hate how the yellow flag flickers on screen for a few moments and then vanishes whenever a car so much as goes a little bit off the track. It always gets me excited that it will cut to some huge pile up or something and then nothing. :lol

I nearly forgot what an incredible track Spa is. I don't know which corner it is, but one really captures the ridiculous speed of the cars from the perspective of the camera. Couldn't get enough of it.

Hopefully a bit of rain shall appear tomorrow in the race to guarantee some drama.

 

[DrM]

I nearly forgot what an incredible track Spa is. I don't know which corner it is, but one really captures the ridiculous speed of the cars from the perspective of the camera. Couldn't get enough of it.

It must be Eau Rouge or Blanchimont (full throtle one before the Bus stop).

This is THE racetrack for F1 and not shitholes like Valencia, Bahrain and most of Tilke designs

And found THIS on Youtube :lol :lol :lol

 

[dalin80]

It is also disturbing that if spa ever gets cut for a year it can never come back due to a new rule which bans certain elevation changes on grounds of 'safety'.

Apparently for all these years eau rogue has been lethal and no one noticed.

 

[speedpop]

If Spa goes, I go.

 

[Dead Man]

oh and in other news - DrM got dumped by long time girlfirend today. And i cannot drink due to antibiotics.

Sorry to hear that man, hope the race provides some escape.

If Spa goes, I go.

Yeah, pretty much. Spa, Monza, Montreal, and Brazil are about the only tracks I enjoy watching these days.

 

[DrM]

Sorry to hear that man, hope the race provides some escape.

It will. No doubt. But i had so much stuff to do, that i cannot be distracted with this stuff (health problems needs to be sorted out, work, diploma....)

Ok, back to F1 stuff.
Brawn and Whitmarsh are quite happy, FW on RBR and Ferrari are higher and are not so flexible anymore

Brawn hopes flexi-wing issue is over

Ross Brawn is hopeful that the 'distraction' of Formula 1's flexi wing controversy has now come to an end following the tougher bodywork tests introduced by the FIA.

With revised front wing deflection tests in place for Belgium, and ramped up floor requirements coming for Monza, the governing body has made it clear it will not tolerate any teams getting an advantage in this area.

Both McLaren and Mercedes GP reckon that Red Bull Racing and Ferrari - the two teams at the centre of controversy - are already running with their front wings higher than at previous races, so the situation appears to have calmed.

"All of us can see that what was visible in the last couple of races didn't seem to be the case here," said Mercedes team principal Brawn. "I don't know what has happened but it looks visually to me to be different. I think everyone can see that."

When asked by AUTOSPORT if he thought that the issue could have a line drawn under it from the next race, Brawn said: "I hope so. It has been a bit of a distraction and probably in some ways a bit unfair on the teams who have been doing very well this year because it reflects on them a little bit.

"I hope there is a line drawn under it and we don't talk about it any more, because it has been a distraction. But that is the nature of F1, it happens all the time and you can recall the debates we had last year about the double diffuser. We were on the receiving end of that for a large part of last year. It is the nature of our business to push the boundaries of what can be done."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, who had been quite vocal on the matter in recent events, was equally optimistic that matters had improved – but still reckoned the FIA had to keep up its vigilance.

"I wasn't that confident that it would be nailed, but we can all see the wings are in a different stiffness and positional domain than they had been in previous races – for whatever reason," he said

"The [FIA] requirements for Monza really will end what has been a misnomer: the bodywork is intended to be attached rigidly with no degrees of freedom and when you look at bib stays that hinge, buckle, slide and have dampers, it seems a bit bizarre to me. So I think it should end that particular trend and that is the mission really. That will be good.

"But I think it is a matter of constant vigilance. You have got a situation now where we all know that a millimetre of ride height is a point of downforce in simple terms, so the temptation for people to take liberties there will always remain.

"I think that the FIA has got to absolutely remain vigilant and quickly act when it sees something untoward, because I think there is sometimes a frustration that these things, they go one, two or three races, and that has a material impact on the championship. So they have to continue to be vigilant."

Whitmarsh said that in the wake of the FIA's clampdown his team was not actively pursuing a push to get its front wings much closer to the ground.

"We haven't been putting our effort there at the moment," he said. "As far as we can see, it certainly is not intended in the regulations. We put our efforts into more productive areas and I think we are relying on the policing of that area to make it no longer a discussion, I hope."

Autosport

Hm, this should be interesting in first lap...
Drivers warned about La Source run-off

Formula 1 drivers have been warned they will be punished if they gain positions by exploiting the run off area at La Source on the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix.

As Kimi Raikkonen showed last year, if you run wide coming out of the first corner it can give you added momentum to for the run down through Eau Rouge and up to Les Combes - which can help you overtake cars ahead.

FIA race director Charlie Whiting and stewards' advisor Nigel Mansell have, however, made it clear ahead of the Spa race that any driver pulling off such a stunt in today's race risks a penalty if they use it to gain position.

Extra artificial grass has already been added to the exit of La Source to try and discourage drivers from doing it - but even so it can still be beneficial to run wide.

Lewis Hamilton said he hoped all drivers had taken on board the message from Whiting and Mansell.

"It was raised by a few of the drivers and Nigel Mansell said we had to drive within our limits and be fair," explained the McLaren driver. "We all know we need to stay between the white lines and hopefully everyone is fair."

Although drivers have been told they will be let off using the escape road if they are forced wide, Michael Schumacher thinks that has opened up further complications.

He suggested that drivers could put themselves in a position where they deliberately get themselves forced wide – as he reckons Raikkonen did last year.

"I think we will probably have some discussion about this, because whether you anticipate being pushed out or whether you have to wait to be pushed out is important," he said.

"If you look at Kimi, he would not have been able to do this line [last year] keeping his speed on. He should have had to brake. He was anticipating having to make this move to avoid maybe to slow down. Is this right? Is this wrong? We will find out.

"Luckily we have a driver colleague that helps the stewards to find the right decision so Nigel, having his experience, I hope he will judge it well and make the right decision."

Schumacher is confident the matter will be effectively policed now that a former driver was on the stewards' panel.

"I think it is very important to have the right ones, who have a good judgement about things. Certainly it improves the situation compared to the past when, in all fairness, there have been stewards who have never sat in a race car so it was difficult to understand what our point of view is and what we have to do, or what we might not have to do."

As well as the first corner clampdown, Jenson Button hopes the stewards are just as strict on drivers straight-lining the corner at Raidillon.

"At the top of Eau Rouge, I made the point that a lot of cars can go straight there and you can gain a lot of time," said the reigning world champion. "Hopefully they will be looking at that also."