Race 12: Belgian Grand Prix

So, who saw that one coming? I’m guessing just about no one. But, Spa is a magical place, and anything can, and did, happen. Plus, there wasn’t even any rain and it was still an amazing result. The real fireworks started on Saturday in qualifying, where Giancarlo Fisichella took pole position in his Force India Mercedes. Next to him was another Italian in Jarno Trulli with his Toyota, and finally Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber in third. It really was quite the scene. The race started off just as I had predicted too. It always seems like Kimi can make up at least two spots from his grid position with the KERS system and this race didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was even better than that. Thanks to Rubens Barrichello semi-stalling on the grid, Kimi made a charge around him and to the outside of the La Source hairpin. From there, he continued on to the runoff area and took the widest line I have ever seen for that corner. Then, he seemed to hit the afterburners because he ended up in second place down the Kemmel Straight after starting in sixth! And then, at the end of the straight, all kinds of stuff happened as Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and a slew of others ended up in a big kerfuffle. That brought out the safety car and gave Kimi the only shot that he would get to pass the Force India of Fisi.

            On the restart, Kimi used the KERS to give him the speed he needed to get around the Force India. Once there, Kimi never looked back and led the race for the rest of the way. In fact, afterward, Fisi noted that he was faster than Kimi and was disappointed to have not won the race outright. Whatever the case, it seems that the Iceman was in top form on a track that he really seems to shine on. So the final results of the race were Raikkonen, Fisichella and Vettel on the podium. The rest of the runners in the points were Kubica, Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Barrichello and Rosberg.

            So, how did my predictions go? Not too badly, considering that nobody foresaw the Force India up that far. This is what I said on Friday:

 

So for Sunday, I have Vettel leading home Hamilton, with Kimi in third and Webber in fourth. The rest of the points scorers will be Glock, Rosberg, Barrichello and Alonso. And since I would like to give myself somewhat better odds at getting some correct, I will say no particular order for those last guys.

 

All you need to do is switch around Kimi and Vettel and I was right on. I also had Rosberg and Barrichello scoring points. Overall, just about 50% right…well, at least that’s how I’m seeing it. And in the Driver’s Championship standings, with Webber finishing out of the points and both Rubens and Vettel not scoring significant points, Jenson Button is still leading the championship by 16 over Rubens and 19 over Vettel. If Button really wants to put this thing away, he needs to dominate the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in two weeks. If he can do that, he can get back on track to winning his first world title. If not, then it will be another close battle that will probably come down to a track that no one has raced on before in Abu Dhabi to end the season. Whatever the case, this is still much better than the stupid medals that Bernie still wants because this thing would really be over with. But it isn’t and that’s the main thing. There will be much more news to happen before Monza I’m sure (probably regarding who will take over for Luca Badoer) and I will try to have it all up here as quickly as possible.

Spa-Francorchamps Preview and Predictions

It’s Spa weekend. And I don’t mean getting a facial and sitting in a mud bath. I mean this is the race weekend that pretty much all of the drivers in the Formula One field are excited about. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is situated in the heart of the Ardennes Forest and is vast, sweeping and seriously quick. In fact, it is one of the faster circuits on the calendar and almost always provides some very good racing. I haven’t been to this race, but I did travel to the circuit and it is steeped in history. As you walk down from the town, you can see the La Source hairpin stretching out in front of you. When I was there, they had a motorcycle track day and it was very interesting to watch as the two-wheelers came screaming into the hairpin and then powered out and down the famous hill that leads to the very picturesque and very famous Eau Rouge corner. This is the one that all the drivers love. It is at the very bottom of the hill and starts to go up right as you reach the bottom. You are also having to turn very quickly from right to left and back to the right again as you go through. They say the compression that happens here can literally take your breath away, and just from seeing it, I believe it. The whole atmosphere of the place was amazing. Because of the bikes racing that day, we even got to go into the old pit lane and paddock area and walk almost onto the podium. If you get the chance to go here, please take that opportunity because it is very much worth it.

            As for the opening practice session, Lewis is out front with Timo Glock and Kimi Raikkonen chasing. Of course, as I usually point out, these really mean nothing, but they can give an indication of where a team is heading. For instance, the Red Bulls are predicted to do well as the circuit suits their cars, and their Brawn rivals are situated down in 17^th and 18^th as of right now. Of course, this can all change based on the weather. Much like the Nurburgring, which is very near to Spa, the weather can change very quickly. One minute it can be sunny and bright and the next it can cloud over and start to rain. We saw this happen last year and it wouldn’t surprise me if it happened again. And if it does, all the better, because it opens the door for so many possibilities. My prediction is for the Red Bulls to shine and the McLaren of Hamilton to be on the pace. So for Sunday, I have Vettel leading home Hamilton, with Kimi in third and Webber in fourth. The rest of the points scorers will be Glock, Rosberg, Barrichello and Alonso. And since I would like to give myself somewhat better odds at getting some correct, I will say no particular order for those last guys.

            Stay tuned for what should be one of the better races of the year, and don’t be surprised to see a different face in the other Ferrari come Monza time in another two weeks.

Race 11: European Grand Prix

I’m not sure if this has happened before, but I finally got one right…the winner anyway. Rubens Barrichello scored an emotional victory for Brawn GP in Valencia at the European Grand Prix. It was his first win in over five years and the first to be in anything other than a Ferrari. Coming in second place, after leading for much of the race, was Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren, while Kimi Raikkonen got a great start and jumped three places to third by the end of the race. Rounding out the points paying positions were Heikki Kovalainen in fourth, Nico Rosberg in fifth, Fernando Alonso in sixth, Jenson Button in seventh and finally Robert Kubica in eighth.

So, how close did I come to being correct? I had Barrichello winning followed by Button and Webber. So I had the winner right, and I also had points for Button, Raikkonen, Hamilton and Rosberg, so not too bad.

With this win, Rubens has leapfrogged the two Red Bull drivers and taken over second place in the championship. He is now only 18 points ahead of the charging Rubens, who is only a few points ahead of both Webber and Vettel – neither of whom scored any points on the weekend.

Of course, the emotional part is not just due to the fact that he won the race as a 37-year-old, or the fact that it had been five years, it was down to the fact that he was racing for Felipe Massa, his Brazilian countryman who was hit by a spring from Rubens’ car at the last race. He really wanted to win this one for Massa, and ended up doing so in fine style.

Also, it is nice that Formula one is back in action because we are now less than a week away from the next grand prix. This one is held at the daunting and always interesting Spa-Francorchamps circuit. If you want to see just how much of a great race this one can be, all you have to do is look to last year where in a dry race that turned wet, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton had a hell of a battle in the final laps and Lewis went on to what he thought was a victory, only to have it taken away after the race. I don’t want to see that happen again – the penalty part – but if the race turns wet…look out because anything can, and will, happen. Here’s hoping it’s a fantastic race.