There are plenty of talking points going into tomorrow’s Belgian Grand Prix. Read Motorsport discusses the major things to look out for in the race.
The weather
The weather at Spa is always a crucial factor. So far we have had near perfect conditions on Friday and Saturday, but it has rained at some point during the weekend for the last 15 years. The forecast for tomorrow, for what it’s worth at this track, is for rain roughly one hour into the race. If that holds true, then we could be in for a Silverstone style finish.
The Start
The revised start rules have been well documented over the summer, with some drivers and team bosses expressing concerns over the lack of pit wall intervention. Effective from this race, a driver will not be allowed any pit wall assistance as soon as they leave the garage for the first time on Sunday afternoon.
Previously, the pit wall could tell a driver how to set up his clutch & how many burnouts to perform at the end of the warm-up lap, as well as giving out tyre and brake temperature information.
Now, a driver has to do it himself.
Once lined up on the grid, the drivers have only the throttle and clutch paddles at their disposal to control their start – no more computers, no more advice.
For pole man Hamilton, this could be his chance to redeem his starts. The reigning champion has lost out to Nico Rosberg at the start for the majority of the season, and both Mercedes have been beaten into the first corner by two teammates at the last two races.
The Ferraris
Kimi Raikkonen suffered a sudden oil leak during Q2 before he was able to set a lap time, meaning that the Fin will start from 14th on the grid for the Grand Prix. His team mate Sebastian Vettel didn’t have the best of sessions either, only managing to come home ninth.
It’ll be interesting to see them fight their way up the field tomorrow, with Sebastian Vettel wanting to take consecutive race wins for the first time in 18 months and Kimi Raikkonen desperate to show that Ferrari were right to renew his contract.
Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez has looked extremely strong for Force India this weekend. He has had the advantage over Nico Hulkenberg throughout the two days, qualifying a strong 5th compared to Hulkenberg’s 11th.
Due to Romain Grosjean’s grid penalty, the Mexican will line up 4th on the grid – his best starting place of the season.
Force India have traditionally gone well at this circuit, with Giancarlo Fisichella taking the team’s maiden (and so far only) pole position at Spa in 2009. He went on to finish second, and Perez will be desperate to add another podium to the four he has scored already in his career.
The grid penalties
A story of the season and one that has reemerged once again. McLaren have been given a combined 105 place grid penalty this weekend due to the amount of power unit parts that they have used this weekend. Elsewhere, Romain Grosjean has a gearbox penalty that pushes him down to ninth, with Max Verstappen having an engine change penalty at what is his home race.
Fortunately, the FIA no longer add race penalties for unserved grid positions from this race onwards.
Whilst the McLarens are only really going to be able to challenge the Manors, it will be interesting to watch Grosjean and Verstappen fight back through the field. Lotus look strong this weekend despite their legal troubles, and we’ve seen some feisty drives from the 17-year-old Belgian-born Dutchman Max Verstappen this season. He will start 18th, and a low downforce set up on his Toro Rosso should allow him to overtake fairly easily on the long straights – despite the Renault engine’s lack of power.
