2009 Formula 1 - Belgium Grand Prix

[cmo]

Race Day Results - updates
Pos - Driver - Team = Pts
1 - Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari = 10
2 - Giancarlo Fisichella - Force India-Mercedes = 8
3 - Sebastian Vettel - RBR-Renault = 6
4 - Robert Kubica - BMW Sauber = 5
5 - Nick Heidfeld - BMW Sauber = 4
6 - Heikki Kovalainen - McLaren-Mercedes = 3
7 - Rubens Barrichello - Brawn-Mercedes = 2
8 - Nico Rosberg - Williams-Toyota = 1
9 - Mark Webber - RBR-Renault
10 - Timo Glock - Toyota
11 - Adrian Sutil - Force India-Mercedes
12 - Sebastien Buemi - STR-Ferrari
13 - Kazuki Nakajima - Williams-Toyota
14 - Luca Badoer - Ferrari
Ret - Fernando Alonso - Renault
Ret - Jarno Trulli - Toyota
Ret - Jenson Button - Brawn-Mercedes
Ret - Romain Grosjean - Renault
Ret - Lewis Hamilton - McLaren-Mercedes
Ret - Jaime Alguersuari - STR-Ferrari


Qualifying results - updates
Pos - Driver - Team
1 - Giancarlo Fisichella - Force India-Mercedes
2 - Jarno Trulli - Toyota
3 - Nick Heidfeld - BMW Sauber
4 - Rubens Barrichello - Brawn-Mercedes
5 - Robert Kubica - BMW Sauber
6 - Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari
7 - Timo Glock - Toyota
8 - Sebastian Vettel - RBR-Renault
9 - Mark Webber - RBR-Renault
10 - Nico Rosberg - Williams-Toyota
11 - Adrian Sutil - Force India-Mercedes
12 - Lewis Hamilton - McLaren-Mercedes
13 - Fernando Alonso - Renault
14 - Jenson Button - Brawn-Mercedes
15 - Heikki Kovalainen - McLaren-Mercedes
16 - Sebastien Buemi - STR-Ferrari
17 - Jaime Alguersuari - STR-Ferrari
18 - Kazuki Nakajima - Williams-Toyota
19 - Romain Grosjean - Renault
20 - Luca Badoer - Ferrari


http://www.formula1.com/photos/347x231/sutton/2009/d09bel1013.jpg

Qualifying - Fisichella gives Force India first pole in Belgium

If anyone tells you Formula One racing is predictable, they weren’t watching at Spa on Saturday as Giancarlo Fisichella took pole position for Force India ahead of Toyota’s Jarno Trulli and BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld. Yes, you read that right. In one of the best qualifying sessions of the year the times in Q1 were separated first to last by only 1.8 seconds, in Q2 by eight-tenths and in Q3 by one second.

Fisichella had already been quickest for a while in Q2, but his 1m 46.308s had everyone gasping, especially when Trulli, who has been fast all weekend, came up short with 1m 46.395s as he edged out Heidfeld’s 1m 46.500s.

Rubens Barrichello was the first of the four championship contenders in a fourth place for Brawn (1m 46.513s) which showed how much trouble team mate Jenson Button was in down in 14th. Robert Kubica put the second BMW Sauber into fifth with 1m 46.586s, followed by Kimi Raikkonen on 1m 46.633s for Ferrari. Then came Toyota’s Timo Glock (1m 46.677s), Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in their Red Bulls (1m 46.761s and 1m 46.788s respectively), and Williams’ Nico Rosberg (1m 47.362s).

A bizarre Q2 brought nasty shocks for McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, Renault’s Fernando Alonso and Brawn GP’s Jenson Button, as they qualified 12th (1m 45.122s), 13th (1m 45.136s) and 14th (1m 45.251s) respectively, sandwiched between 11th fastest Adrian Sutil in the Force India (1m 45.119s) and McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen (1m 45.259s). Then there was Fisichella going fastest for a moment, until being pushed down to fourth by Trulli, Kubica and Vettel. What was going on?

Q1 had already been a cliffhanger for both Button and Hamilton, and the latter was probably saved when Ferrari’s Luca Badoer spun on his final run and thus brought out yellow flags that hampered Renault’s Romain Grosjean.

Sebastien Buemi was the first man to get the chop, qualifying 16th for Toro Rosso on 1m 45.951s ahead of team mate Jaime Alguersuari on 1m 46.032s, Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima on 1m 46.307s and Grosjean on 1m 46.359s. Badoer was last again, on 1m 46.957s.

So we have the most topsy-turvy grid of the season, and a race that could be anyone’s. Formula One racing at its best, on a great circuit! Never have the fuel weight figures been so eagerly awaited…
source (http://formula1.com)

[cmo]

It's victory for them.... Force India!

http://www.formula1.com/photos/225x/sutton/2009/d09bel1450.jpg http://www.formula1.com/photos/225x/sutton/2009/d09bel1622.jpg

Force India rejoice at first world championship points

Just as there are always frontrunners in Formula One racing, there are always backmarkers, and for the past two seasons Force India have almost always been the latter, struggling to make even the tiniest impression. But at Spa months of hard work finally came good and on Sunday the team enjoyed the spoils.

From their promising pace during practice, to Giancarlo Fisichella’s astonishing pole position on Saturday, the ever-improving VJM02 looked quick all weekend. And during Sunday’s race Fisichella pushed Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen all the way to take a brilliant second place and with it the team’s first-ever world championship points.

The Italian was understandably ecstatic, even though he thought he could have won: “It's been another great day and it was an amazing result today. Before coming to Spa if you had asked all the team if we would have been happy to finish eighth we would have said it was a fantastic result but second is a dream, just great.

“Actually if I can be honest I am a little disappointed as I felt we could have won the race. I was unlucky with the safety car when Kimi came past me at the restart and overtook me with the KERS. Actually behind him I was quicker but with the KERS I couldn't get past as it was impossible to be quick on the long straight.”

Back in October 2007 the former Spyker team, which in previous incarnations had been Midland, and before that Jordan, was bought by a consortium led by Indian billionaire Dr Vijay Mallya and renamed Force India for the 2008 season. Their debut year, however, was tough, with Fisichella and team mate Adrian Sutil failing to score.

This season the team’s development work has paid off, with the VJM02 looking stronger and stronger as each upgrade was added to the car. In Germany, Sutil came very close to scoring points, but a collision forced him into retirement. For team principal Mallya, finally breaking their duck couldn’t have come sooner.

“What a result,” he said. “I am so proud of this race. It's been a fantastic Saturday, fantastic race and to get our first podium and championship points is just unbelievable. We've worked so very hard to get this with a solid plan of upgrades coming through on the factory. Giancarlo drove a truly outstanding race. We can all be so proud of the entire effort.”

With Fisichella’s podium, Force India have overtaken Toro Rosso in the constructors’ standings and now lie ninth, just eight points adrift of eighth-placed Renault.

source (http://www.formula1.com)

[cmo]

http://www.formula1.com/photos/225x/sutton/2009/d09eur458.jpg http://www.formula1.com/photos/225x/sutton/2009/d09bel1349.jpg

Ferrari evaluating Badoer’s future

Ferrari are expected to wait until later this week before announcing any decision on whether Luca Badoer will race again for the world champions at next month’s Italian Grand Prix.

Test driver Badoer stood in for the injured Felipe Massa at the last two rounds at Valencia and Spa, but failed to shine at either venue, finishing 17th and 14th, prompting speculation that he will be replaced for the team’s home race at Monza.

Massa, whose skull was fractured in a qualifying accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix, is currently in the United States where he will undergo more medical tests on Monday. According to team principal Stefano Domenicali, who saw Kimi Raikkonen score Ferrari’s first 2009 victory on Sunday, the results of those tests could have a bearing on their line-up for Italy.

“Luca did the best he could and this win also reflects his contribution within the team,” said Domenicali at Spa. “Now we will take a few days to evaluate his immediate future, also based on what Felipe’s recovery time might be.”

After qualifying 20th in Belgium, Badoer came home last on Sunday, over a minute and a half behind victor Raikkonen, and the 38-year-old Italian’s best race lap was over two seconds slower than the Finn’s.

source