The three-week mandatory break in Formula One is over and the program is a true classic.
To spa is shrouded in myths and many traditions. The track in Belgium is one of the few classics that have remained in the calendar of Formula One. What other route has been changed in the last 20 years almost? Of course, sometimes built in a lot of spa. The Eau Rouge was defused, at many points you have installed handle larger run-off areas. Last disappeared the bus stop chicane and made a not elegant, but practical solution space. This year you will also have paved the Les Combes chicane after the Kemel-line skirts and fitted so as not too much shortens. Beautiful it is, but the bumpy grass at Les Combes was severely dangerous. But all in all, spa is just still spa. You can see at the track to compete for the nature around, and was not built purely in them. It goes up and down, it is sometimes narrow and of course it's raining like in the Ardennes. Spa makes even fun if the race is somewhat mau.
So this year is not expected actually. Except for the season opener in Bahrain every race has had something special in each there were smaller or larger Scandals. Spa should there really be no exception to most drivers, the track times and love.
In the summer there has been little movement in Formula One. Crews and journalists were on vacation, was as not as good. Course has been planned and thought through, but most things do have located forcibly on ice. Some news we had yesterday, but back in the news reports .
Spa ushers in the closing stages of the season. There are still to go (with spa) seven races, even if Korea fails, there are only six. To which it goes down from now on in the 14-day cycle and at the same time, the teams are already developing the 2011 chassis, you have to think where to put the priorities. For the three top teams, McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari the matter is clear - we will keep turning on the development bolt, until the title is safe, or is just out.
Not only from this point of the race for Ferrari in particular is extremely important. Alonso in the championship 20 points behind, is therefore still close enough to catch up. A zero-point can not afford, because then the Spaniard would probably all over again, because too many drivers fighting for the championship crown, and the chance that all turn out four front is relatively low. With Ferrari the pressure is high, but this one has not willed otherwise. It has been with Alonso a costly double world champion, last year's World Cup has it been abandoned in the summer to prepare for 2010 can and with the B variant of the F60 team has been presented as the only team to an almost completely new car in the middle of the season . Its track record is not bad but not outstanding. In Hungary, it was seen as all the other teams from over Red Bull very bad as the car will go in Belgium, is hard to say.
Both McLaren and Red Bull and Ferrari to be under the suspicion that they outsmart anything with the front, so that the front wing is lower than during the journey to the actual minimum distance to the ground. The photos seem to prove, at least, television pictures showed at least at the Red Bull, that the wing is visible while driving down motion. All teams with rigid front wing plows to himself through the air are wondering now, how do the three teams that. At the material, as many had suspected, along with that. The rumor that composite materials would deform only under great pressure could not be confirmed. Instead, we now suspect that the entire front end and moves at least at the Red Bull of the sub-floor can be lowered also. That would be technically illegal, but with the previous tests, the FIA can not prove, television images, there are not logically. The FIA tests the wing while at Spa with a higher load (100 Newtons, instead of 50), but no one assumes that the Red Bull so must convert only a part of the car.
At least they seem to be able to isolate the problem and you understand why Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull all the other teams so go around the ears. Change will be out this year, but nothing more. Most interesting is the question, how far does the double diffuser banned in 2011 a part in the trickery.
Assuming you can probably already tell that the winner of Spa will come from one of the three aforementioned teams. Especially in the spa with many, very fast corners Downforce is everything. I suspect that we will see in the qualification very large time intervals. Who will be the end to stay ahead is hard to say, but at least McLaren in recent weeks, before the break, made a bad image. Limit the list of possible winners is one of Vettel, Webber and Alonso, the one thing probably comes very close to.
A surprise like last year, when Fisichella would have won by a hair in the Force India is not expected. Mercedes lack of downforce, Renault of speed, the Indians all along and the rest is not seriously capable of winning. But in places it is likely to go close, and I see a slight advantage for Mercedes, which are easily fast enough. Nico Rosberg has also been suggested that both spa as well, especially Monza could be the line on which the MGP will be fine.
Right at the back it is getting exciting, which of the three new teams will most likely end up as "best losers". I'm a little surprised how long Virgin and Lotus need to even begin to get in the proximity of Q2. Sure, it has shortened the distance, and although the course has developed, the competition continues. In other words, we caught up faster than other teams could develop. However, all three teams had so much room for improvement. Still - it takes so long until they are reasonably competitive, I did not expect. As you can see how hard it is to make it in F1 even one step forward. Praise must be in place then they're on HRT, which can at least compete in the race. That is a scrap chassis and has no money, does Colin Kolles really good job.
It is exciting course on the weekend, the weather question. Usually applies to the route of the old saying "If you know the cows are no longer in the pasture look, get more out of the rain tires" and how it's raining do it on the wide track also like to have only one corner with rain, while the rest bone-dry. For Friday is already a lot of times predicted rain, but Saturday it will remain dry. On Sunday, one must, at least as of today, get out again old cow's norm.
At the same time it also was not much. 16 degrees, it is right now, maybe less. Bridgestone has only the medium and hard tires in the baggage, which might be for some teams a really tough decision.
As you can see - the sign of a really exciting weekend so are all there.
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Let's hope that it will similarly exciting as 2008. And the cows go on a walk.
The cows are rotated well
http://www.wetter.com/belgien/spa/BE0LG0131.html