One of the classics

Spa is one of my favourite tracks, and along with Monza it’s certainly one of my favourite Grand Prix. Spa always throws up the unexpected, it’s a long track, has elevation changes, a couple of places that separate the men from the boys, and to be charitable we’ll call the weather “changeable”.

It’s very much a driver’s track, Eau Rouge is a classic and a well set up car can take it flat, it’s just up to the driver if it will actually happen. The TV does not show how steep the road into and out of the corner is, even in a road car the compression at the bottom is substantial, and in an F1 car at 180 it must be huge.

I’ve thrashed a rental car around the circuit many years ago; it’s really an incredible place. At that time part of it was still a regular road for most of the year. The transition from full-time race track tarmac to part-time track/road was startling and not easy. That challenge has gone, but plenty still remain.

Every race I’ve been to at Spa the weather was always the centre of conversation, and this weekend was no different, practices were run in both the wet and the dry. Race day promised showers, and the forecasters were right.

The front of the grid was the usual mix of Ferraris, McLarens and Red Bulls. I missed morning practice, but the time sheets saw the same cars at the top. The question was could Red Bull make the best of their equipment, while not expected to be as dominant here as they were at the last two races at Hockenhem and the Hungaroring where they were the class of the field. Today Weber was on pole and Vettel third.

McLaren have been at their strongest on the fast circuits, and Spa today and Monza in a couple of weeks are the fastest two tracks of the year. The team certainly seemed confident and expected to do well and pick some points over these races.

The one thing TV will never be able to convey is the noise of 26 Grand Prix cars running together on the start grid and flat out on the opening lap. If you have heard it and it did not move you, I’ve no idea what to say. You can feel it in your chest; it’s an incredible thing to be exposed too.

At Spa I think the best place to a spectator is after La Source on the run down to Eau Rouge. You see the cars at their slowest and at about their fastest. The acceleration of an F1 car out of the hairpin is breathtaking and the speed carried through the fast corner at the bottom of the hill is astounding.

On-off showers marked the morning and after lunch it dried up for the start. Mark Weber missed his start; Lewis Hamilton came out of La Source on the first lap in front. Jenson Button was trying to make it a McLaren 1-2, but Vettel slammed the door hard. Weber came through fighting with Robert Kubica for 4^th.

After a couple of laps the rain started, never that hard. But for a 650 horsepower car on slicks it does not need to be much to cause problems. This was always a race where the team had a huge role to play on race day, making calls about the incoming weather, when to change rubber and actually performing the pit stops.

Alonso changed early, surprisingly into full wets. Cars were certainly struggling to get the power down out of the hairpin and a couple used all the run off available when they messed up their braking points.

As the track dried it was Hamilton comfortably ahead of Kubica and Weber, who were in a great battle and had opened up a little gap to Vettel trying to get around Button for fourth. A battle that was soon over when Vettel messed up his braking into Bus Stop and took out Jenson Button. Vettel was able to carry on, but lost a lot of time.

The rain came out again and most cars dived into the pits. Hamilton stayed out another lap and importantly Weber emerged from the pits ahead of Kubica. This time the rain was heavier and lasted until the end.

Felipe Massa span his Ferrari into the wall after Radilion and brought out the safety car for three laps. The order stayed the same for the last few laps, Hamilton from Weber, from Kubica.

Hamilton and Weber had great days while the other three contenders for the drivers’ title either finished outside the points (Vettel) or failed to finish (Button and Massa). Once again Red Bull have not lived up to the promise of qualifying. Vettel made a huge error under braking and took out Button. Weber had pole and did not get the start right. There is still something not quite right with Red Bull, if they had cut out the errors they would be running away with both the drivers and manufacturers championships, but that’s not happening.

Monza in two weeks, I wont be there unfortunately, but I will go to more GPs. I’d forgotten how good race day could be, thanks to the boys in Silver for the invite.