[shibujp]

Spa-Francorchamps : the name that sends a thrill down the spine of any Formula 1 fans and is equally loved and feared by drivers. The most exciting bit is the climb up Eau Rouge and cresting it onto Kemmel straight.

Out of the summer break and onto the second half. Red Bull are snapping at Ferrari's heels in the constructors with Albon replacing Gasly.

The Circuit


Charateristics

• One of the circuits that does a all round test of a Formula 1 race car
• 200mph straights with 45mph corners. Few sweepers as well
• The fast corners really put the aero to test and the two high speed straights call for relatively low downforce to maximise top speed. So aero compromise is critical.
• With Monza this is the most demanding for engine with 72% of the time on full throttle
• The most famous part Eau Rouge comes in between an approximately 23 second run from La Source to Les Combes.
  
  

  "The most challenging of these is undoubtedly the run of approximately 23 seconds from La Source to Les Combes, which includes Eau Rouge. This sequence exposes the engine and its ancillaries to extreme positive and negative vertical 'G' forces through the compression and over the crest that follows. This is a factor we take into account when designing our lubrication systems, in order to avoid problems with oil feed under the extreme loadings."

  Link
  
• Brakes are the only system that have it relatively easy. Just three braking events before turns 1, 5 and 18.

Lap Data
Lap length 7.004km (4.352 miles)
Race laps 44
Race distance 308.052km (191.415 miles)
Pole position Right-hand side of the track
Lap record* 1’47.263 (Sebastian Vettel, 2009)
Fastest lap 1’44.503 (Jarno Trulli, 2009, qualifying two)
Maximum speed 319.6kph (198.59 mph)
DRS zone/s (race) Pit straight and Kemmel straight

2018 Race
Hamilton won pole in a wet qualifying but on a dry race day Vettel put the pace of the Ferrari to good use to pass Hamilton in the opening lap on the Kemmel straight.

Weather
Possibility of rains on race day : 40%


2019 Tyre choice
Mercedes type choice has been labelled as conservative by virtue of having picked the most white walled compounds - the mediums. Both Bottas and Hamilton have identical sets.

[Red Liner]

Can you please begin putting the time when the race or qualifying is going to be beamed in india as well, will make this post a bit more complete.

[fz_rider]

Originally Posted by shibujp

2019 Tyre choice
Mercedes type choice has been labelled as conservative by virtue of having picked the most white walled compounds - the mediums. Both Bottas and Hamilton have identical sets.

Mediums are yellow walled. I don't think anyone will be using hards, as it is too hard for the track.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Can you please begin putting the time when the race or qualifying is going to be beamed in india as well, will make this post a bit more complete.

Qualifying will start at 6.30 pm Saturday, and race will start at 6.40 pm Sunday.

[RM Motorsports]

Belgian GP - Pre Race build up, Practice 1 & 2 Highlights.

Ferrari seems to have upper hand. Redbull & Mercedes almost matching each other. Midfield battle will be interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62lwdHLUnUo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuc9WlaQYT8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PrMSsEjzHA

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by fz_rider

Mediums are yellow walled. I don't think anyone will be using hards, as it is too hard for the track.
Qualifying will start at 6.30 pm Saturday, and race will start at 6.40 pm Sunday.

True. Mediums were white walled for last year. I mistakenly chose the 2018 graphic. Here are the tyre choices. Most have a set of hards but usage is very unlikely unless someone has an off very early in the race and wants to go long till the end.





Race Timings
Qualifying : 6:30 PM IST
Race : 6:40 PM


Drive on,
Shibu.

[Red Liner]

Wow. Lec was faultless. Looks like the Ferraris got the memo during the summer break and came back to put some scores on the board.

Hope lec keeps is cool on p1 and vettel keeps Hamilton off leclercs back during the start.

Albon seems way way off pace compared to where max is. He is certainly not going to get more than two or three races to prove himself.

[fz_rider]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Wow. Lec was faultless. Looks like the Ferraris got the memo during the summer break and came back to put some scores on the board.

Hope lec keeps is cool on p1 and vettel keeps Hamilton off leclercs back during the start.

Albon seems way way off pace compared to where max is. He is certainly not going to get more than two or three races to prove himself.

Ferrari's were always going to be strong at Spa, considering the number of long straights. Awesome lap by Leclerc who was in a league of his own, far above anyone. Vettel barely made the P2.
As for Albon, he is doing the job perfectly. He will be starting from the back, so the qualifying lap times are not indicative of his true pace. He was pretty close to Max in FP1.
It will be interesting race with mixed up grid. Mercedes will be having the hearts in their mouths, both Perez (FP2) and Kubica (Qualifying) suffering engine failure.

[avaneesh.]

Off topic but apparently there has been a horrific crash in Formula 2. Alesi lost it at the top of radillon and hit the wall. Hubert and correa collided with alesi in which Hubert's car was split in half. Horrific to watch. No news of Hubert yet

https://youtu.be/zr7vCoHVYew

[SilentEngine]

Good show by Ferrari drivers to lock out the front row. I only wonder if their pit wall and strategy team have any surprises in store for tomorrow.

Albon didn't come out to set a representative lap in Q2. But real test is tomorrow. His goal is straight forward in races to come. He needs to score P6 consistently and be close to the leading pack.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by avaneesh.

Off topic but apparently there has been a horrific crash in Formula 2. Alesi lost it at the top of radillon and hit the wall. Hubert and correa collided with alesi in which Hubert's car was split in half. Horrific to watch. No news of Hubert yet

Hubert died due to the injuries:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...l-correa-crash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecVG0USAF7o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3jV4X6rbLY

[fz_rider]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Hubert died due to the injuries:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...l-correa-crash

What a horrific crash. Despite all the moves towards making racing safe, at such speed, its so dangerous. Rest in peace Anthoine Hubert.

[SilentEngine]

Horrific incident! Feel sorry for his family, to lose him at such a young age.

[FURY_44]

Spa this year feels very unusual with high temps scorching the track. 2 of Mercs engines going kaput and 1 of Ferrari's, mistakes by many drivers, a crash for Lewis in FP3, people toppling over each other on their quali runs. And to top it all the death of Anthonie Hubert in an F2 race. #RIPHubert

With Sunday's weather-predicting a bit of rain, I hope everything goes well with no more dramas. Looking forward to an exciting race.

[speedmiester]

Very sad to hear about the incident.
RIP Hubert!
No matter how safe the cars are, such incidents really brings forth the inherent dangers of motorsport.

[motorworks]

A well deserved win for Charles Leclerc! After coming close on 2 occasions earlier this year, he finally gets on to the top step of the podium. I must say that Ferrari has made the right choice in investing in him early. And he is not as much under pressure as Seb, so he can take it easy this year, target the occasional podiums and probably mount a championship challenge when the car is up to it.

Another driver who had a good day was Albon, his first race with RBR, seemed very cautious in the first stint and rightfully so. But he later picked up his pace and finished 5th.

Max & Leclerc are surely the stars to watch for the next 2-3 years. Of course, Lewis is clearly the numero uno right now, but largely thanks to the huge advantage Mercedes have had in the Hybrid era. No one, apart from Rosberg has come close to Lewis in the last 5-6 years! I wish this scenario changes at least in 2021 when massive new changes kick in.