[F1] Belgian Grand Prix : Kimi takes 1st victory of 2009
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Venue: Spa-Francorchamps
Laps: 44
Race start: 2000 HRS SINSpa is a firm favourite among the drivers. Fast, flowing and undulating, each lap is almost 7km long. It is also susceptible to wet weather, which we saw in last year's race, but due to the size of the track, conditions can vary wildly in different parts, creating headaches for team strategists and drivers alike.
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Belgian Grand Prix free practice session one times
1. TRULLI Toyota 1m49.675s
2. BUTTON Brawn 1m50.283s
3. ALONSO Renault 1m50.368s
4. BUEMI Toro Rosso 1m51.045s
5. ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso 1m51.529s
6. BARRICHELLO Brawn 1m52.321s
7. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m52.930s
8. KOVALAINEN McLaren 1m53.383s
9. KUBICA BMW 1m53.650s
10. BADOER Ferrari 1m55.068s
11. FISICHELLA Force India 2m03.972s
12. ROSBERG Williams 2m04.505s
13. GROSJEAN Renault 2m05.513s
14. HEIDFELD BMW 2m05.614s
15. NAKAJIMA Williams 2m05.705s
16. SUTIL Force India 2m05.839s
17. WEBBER Red Bull 2m06.181s
18. GLOCK Toyota 2m06.331s
19. VETTEL Red Bull no time
20. HAMILTON McLaren no time -
Belgian Grand Prix free practice session two
1. HAMILTON McLaren 1m47.201s
2. GLOCK Toyota 1m47.217s
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m47.285s
4. WEBBER Red Bull 1m47.329s
5. GROSJEAN Renault 1m47.333s
6. FISICHELLA Force India 1m47.506s
7. TRULLI Toyota 1m47.559s
8. KUBICA BMW 1m47.578s
9. ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso 1m47.579s
10. VETTEL Red Bull 1m47.602s
11. BUEMI Toro Rosso 1m47.702s
12. KOVALAINEN McLaren 1m47.743s
13. SUTIL Force India 1m47.790s
14. ALONSO Renault 1m47.862s
15. NAKAJIMA Williams 1m47.961s
16. HEIDFELD BMW 1m48.017s
17. BUTTON Brawn 1m48.125s
18. BARRICHELLO Brawn 1m48.130s
19. ROSBERG Williams 1m48.360s
20. BADOER Ferrari 1m49.211s -
Belgian Grand Prix free practice session three
1. HEIDFELD BMW 1m45.388s
2. TRULLI Toyota 1m45.462s
3. SUTIL Force India 1m45.677s
4. GROSJEAN Renault 1m45.878s
5. GLOCK Toyota 1m45.908s
6. KUBICA BMW 1m45.987s
7. ROSBERG Williams 1m46.040s
8. FISICHELLA Force India 1m46.114s
9. HAMILTON McLaren 1m46.301s
10. BUTTON Brawn 1m46.406s
11. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m46.409s
12. BUEMI Toro Rosso 1m46.417s
13. KOVALAINEN McLaren 1m46.462s
14. VETTEL Red Bull 1m46.747s
15. ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso 1m46.814s
16. BARRICHELLO Brawn 1m46.815s
17. ALONSO Renault 1m46.926s
18. BADOER Ferrari 1m47.055s
19. NAKAJIMA Williams 1m47.078s
20. WEBBER Red Bull no time -
sad for schumi cannot participate on spa, his 1st debut of f1
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Surprise, surprise... and it wasn't raining at all.
Belgian Grand Prix starting grid
1. FISICHELLA Force India
2. TRULLI Toyota
3. HEIDFELD BMW
4. BARRICHELLO Brawn
5. KUBICA BMW
6. RAIKKONEN Ferrari
7. GLOCK Toyota
8. VETTEL Red Bull
9. WEBBER Red Bull
10. ROSBERG Williams
11. SUTIL Force India
12. HAMILTON McLaren
13. ALONSO Renault
14. BUTTON Brawn
15. KOVALAINEN McLaren
16. BUEMI Toro Rosso
17. ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso
18. NAKAJIMA Williams
19. GROSJEAN Renault
20. BADOER Ferrari -
Belgian Grand Prix result (44 laps)
1. RAIKKONEN Ferrari
2. FISICHELLA Force India +0.9s
3. VETTEL Red Bull +3.8s
4. KUBICA BMW +9.9s
5. HEIDFELD BMW +11.2s
6. KOVALAINEN McLaren +32.7s
7. BARRICHELLO Brawn +35.4s
8. ROSBERG Williams +36.2s
9. WEBBER Red Bull +36.9s
10. GLOCK Toyota +41.4s
11. SUTIL Force India +42.6s
12. BUEMI Toro Rosso +46.1s
13. NAKAJIMA Williams +54.2s
14. BADOER Ferrari +1m42.1s
15. ALONSO Renault +18 laps
16. TRULLI Toyota +23 laps
17. BUTTON Brawn +44 laps
18. GROSJEAN Renault +44 laps
19. HAMILTON McLaren +44 laps
20. ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso +44 laps
Fastest lap: VETTEL 1m47.263s (lap 38) -
Raikkonen wins again as Fisichella stars
Kimi Raikkonen used Ferrari's KERS technology to full effect as he scored a breathless victory for the Scuderia in the Belgian Grand Prix just ahead of Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella, who scored the team's first ever points.
In a thoroughly absorbing, and sometimes chaotic race at Spa, Raikkonen and Fisichella fought a race long-battle for the victory.
Although Fisichella led away from pole position, an accident-filled first lap that eliminated world champion Lewis Hamilton and world championship leader Jenson Button prompted an early safety car period.
Button's championship lead has now been reduced to 13 points after that chaotic start.
Fisichella had got a clean getaway, but behind him, Jarno Trulli was swallowed up by the fast starting, and wide-turning, Raikkonen. The two BMWs of Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica also passed the Toyota, the Pole sneaking past both on the inside.
Trulli somehow clipped the back of Heidfeld's car at this point, which ultimately led to the Italian's later retirement and disappointment after qualifying.
By the time the field reached Les Combes all hell broke loose as Romain Grosjean hit Button and Jaime Alguersuari hit Lewis Hamilton. All four cars ended in a heap in the barrier.
When the pace car pulled in at the end of lap four, Raikkonen sized up Fisichella through Eau Rouge, pushed his KERS button and blasted past the Force India on the run-up to Les Combes.
Fisichella ducked in to his tow immediately, but could not re-pass, and that became the story of his race.
The extraordinary pace of the Force India meant that at times during the race, Fisichella's was the quicker of the two cars. But crucially, Raikkonen's KERS system meant the Ferrari was impenetrable at the circuit's two key passing spots at Les Combes and the Bus Stop chicane.
Regardless, Fisichella's performance was extraordinary, and Ferrari admitted that Raikkonen was forced to drive flat out to beat a team that began the year at the back of the field.
Sebastian Vettel finished third after a wise drive that saw him race through the early chaos and take advantage of several pit mistakes and problems for others to cruise up from eighth on the grid.
In the end he used the inherent pace of the Red Bull to finish just 3.8s off the lead.
Kubica enjoyed a strong race to finish fourth, one place ahead of his BMW team-mate Nick Heidfeld.
The Pole ran a strong third early on and was in the hunt for a podium until being jumped by Vettel at the second stops, the Red Bull driver having done the same thing to Heidfeld in the first ones.
Two other drivers that should have been in the fight were Fernando Alonso and Timo Glock.
The Renault driver ran a long first stint, which allowed him to cruise up behind the battling leaders, but when he finally pitted it became clear he had picked up damage to his left-front at the first corner. The team took a while to change it, then called in the Spaniard a lap later for good.
A pit crisis with a fuel rig also ruined Glock's race, the German having run fourth early on, but eventually finished 10th.
Heikki Kovalainen was sixth after a battling drive that owed much to consistency and the misfortune of others - and a one-stop strategy.
Rubens Barrichello pitted under the safety car having made a terrible start, having dropped so far down he had nothing to lose. The change of strategy saw him charge back into contention.
By the end of the race he was breathing down Kovalainen's neck for sixth, but two laps from the end of the race he suffered an oil leak and backed off to secure two points.
Nico Rosberg took the final point after a long first stint, just holding off Mark Webber in the second Red Bull.
Webber had a nightmare race. Having also looked strong early on, the Australian was released into the path of Heidfeld in the first pitstops and was given an almost immediate drive-through. After that his chances of points were always going to be reduced. -
Glad to hear the Italian National anthem again with the Finish National anthem, great win for kimi and Ferrari. If Alonso joins Ferrari next season, I'm done supporting them.
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i still can't get over Force India getting pole and coming in 2nd.. and the fact that Kimi, even with the KERS, could not shake Fisi
coolest thing (or maybe hottest) that happened was Rubens going in at the finish and the car burning away merrily
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It's a shame that the men who are behid Button are so inconsistent that they can't capitalise when he has a poor race or retires. He may still hang on and seal the title by the Japanese GP if his lead continues to be nibbled away at this rate.