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===Qualifying===
===Qualifying===
This was only [[Force India|Force India's]] second race with seamless-shift [[Transmission (mechanics)|gearboxes]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&id=43788|title=Belgian GP form card|date=2008-09-03|publisher=ITV-F1.com|accessdate=2008-10-04}}</ref> and with [[WilliamsF1|Williams]] and [[Honda Racing F1|Honda]] both having problems<ref>{{cite web
This was only [[Force India|Force India's]] second race with [[Formula_one_car#Transmission|seamless-shift gearboxes]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&id=43788|title=Belgian GP form card|date=2008-09-03|publisher=ITV-F1.com|accessdate=2008-10-04}}</ref> and with [[WilliamsF1|Williams]] and [[Honda Racing F1|Honda]] both having problems<ref>{{cite web
|url= http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/70340
|url= http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/70340
|title= Rosberg susprised by poor showing
|title= Rosberg susprised by poor showing

Revision as of 04:40, 4 October 2008

2008 Belgian Grand Prix
Race 13 of 18 in the 2008 Formula One World Championship
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Race details
Date September 7, 2008
Official name LXIV ING Belgian Grand Prix
Location Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 7.004 km (4.352 miles)
Distance 44 laps, 308.176 km (191.492 miles)
Weather Cloudy, rain in last 3 laps
Pole position
Driver
McLaren-Mercedes
Time 1:47.338
Fastest lap
Driver Finland Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari
Time 1:47.930 on lap 24
Podium
First
Ferrari
Second
BMW Sauber
Third
McLaren-Mercedes

The 2008 Belgian Grand Prix (formally the 2008 Formula 1 ING Belgian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on September 7, 2008 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium. It was the 13th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 44 laps, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team. Lewis Hamilton, of McLaren, crossed the finishing line first after overtaking Kimi Räikkönen, also of Ferrari, with 2 laps to go. After the end of the race, Hamilton received a drive-through penalty for cutting a chicane (changed to a 25 second penalty as it occured in the last five laps of the race), handing victory to Massa. McLaren appealed unsuccessfully against the penalty.[1]

Hamilton started from pole position alongside premier title rival Massa. Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen started from third next to the 2007 winner Räikkönen. Following a spin by Hamilton on the second lap, Räikkönen led the race, until rain fell on lap 41 and Hamilton performed the penalised pass. Räikkönen later crashed. Massa finished second on the road after Hamilton, followed by Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber.

Massa's retrospective win, with Hamilton demoted to third, narrowed the gap in the Championship from six points to just two. The decision by the FIA to penalise Hamilton was described by former world champion Niki Lauda as "the worst judgement in the history of F1."[2]

Report

Practice

Felipe Massa was fastest during the first practice session, ahead of teammate Kimi Räikkönen and McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen. They were followed by Alonso, Webber and both Toro Rossos. Toyota's Jarno Trulli was out most of the session after his car suffered electrical problem.[3][4]

The second session saw reduced practice time due to rain and bad track conditions. This caused multiple accidents including Webber, who slid of the Rivage and had to abandon his session. Räikkönen spun on Turn 9 and hit the back of his car on the barriers, causing large amount of water to be dislodged on the track. Giancarlo Fisichella fell victim to this wet patch and his car aquaplaned into barriers . Fisichella's crash resulted the session being red flagged for 10 minutes while the Turn 9 was attended to. The track still remained difficult to drive, with Piquet Jr. nearly replicating Räikkönen accident on Turn 9. It was only in the closing minutes that drivers were able to log better timings, with Alonso topping the sheets at the end of session.[5][6]

Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber topped the final session, ahead of the McLarens on second and fourth positions, with Alonso securing third position. The conditions were damp at the start, and became worse as the rain continued throughout early part of the session. The track, however, dried towards the end of the practice.[7][8]

Qualifying

This was only Force India's second race with seamless-shift gearboxes,[9] and with Williams and Honda both having problems[10][11] they were hopeful of getting into Q2 for the first time this year. Felipe Massa went fastest early on. However Sébastien Bourdais surprised by setting the fastest time, and jumping thirteen places. Both Hondas and Force Indias, along with Kazuki Nakajima, were eliminated in Q1. Force India remained confident of gaining places off the line.[12]

In Q2 Heikki Kovalainen was the fastest, closely followed by his McLaren team-mate Hamilton. Williams' problems with grip continued into the session, with Nico Rosberg the first to be eliminated, followed by David Coulthard, Piquet, and both Toyotas. Both Trulli and Timo Glock reported having problems heating up their tyres.[13]

In Q3 Felipe Massa took pole at the end, before having it taken away by Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Räikkönen dropped to fourth after Heikki Kovalainen took third. Sebastian Vettel did one very slow lap and qualified 10th, over 2 seconds behind 9th-placed Bourdais.

Race

The start of the race, with Lewis Hamilton maintaining his pole position advantage into La Source.

Several cars were slow away on the slippery track, most notably Heikki Kovalainen. The main beneficiaries off the line were Sebastien Bourdais and Jarno Trulli, however they made contact in turn one. Trulli then spun later on the lap. Lewis Hamilton lead from Kimi Räikkönen, with Felipe Massa third. Nelson Piquet, Jr. was the only driver not to start on dry tyres, and he gained five places on lap one; his team-mate Fernando Alonso also made a quick start. Sebastian Vettel locked up and ran wide, losing two places.

On lap 2 at La Source Lewis Hamilton spun and lost his lead to Kimi Räikkönen on the main straight. On lap ten Heikki Kovalainen attempted to pass Mark Webber at the bus stop chicane, but hit Webber, causing him to spin. Kovalainen was given a drive-through penalty, and dropped to the back of the grid. Räikkönen put a three second lead on Hamilton and stayed out a lap longer in the first stint. On lap 13 Piquet spun off into the wall and retired. On lap 17 Rubens Barrichello retired with a gearbox problem.

Last few laps

Hamilton spins on the second lap of the race, allowing Kimi Räikkönen to pass him for the lead.
Hamilton passes Räikkönen in the closing stages, having cut the previous corner.

By the second pit stops Räikkönen was five seconds ahead of Hamilton, but Hamilton began to close in on Räikkönen during the last stint as a result of the harder compound tyres suiting his McLaren Mercedes.[14] Rain appeared on lap 41, Hamilton then closed the gap on Räikkönen to 0.988 seconds, still six seconds ahead of Massa. Hamilton attempted to pass Räikkönen at the Bus Stop chicane but he cut across the corner. Consequently, Hamilton led out of the chicane but allowed Räikkönen to re-pass him halfway down the straight. Hamilton then immediately passed him again at the La Source hairpin under braking. Räikkönen tried an over and under to get the position back but the line was defended resulting in Räikkönen touching his front wing on Hamilton's gearbox. The rain started coming down heavier and Hamilton adjusted much better than Räikkönen, who started using the run off areas at turn 10 to gain momentum and nearly passed Hamilton. Rosberg spun in front of both causing Hamilton to run onto the grass. At the next corner, Räikkönen spun and gave the lead back to Hamilton. He then spun again coming out of Blanchimont and hit the barrier, causing him to retire.

Hamilton was first to finish the race, followed by Massa and Heidfeld. Heidfeld rose from ninth position during final laps, thanks to intermediate tyres he put on during a pitstop two laps prior to the end of the race.[15] Fernando Alonso and Timo Glock similarly benefited from intermediate tyres, Alonso finishing fourth and Glock eighth. On the other hand, Toro Rosso drivers Bourdais and Vettel, who were third and fouth with one lap to go, was pushed down to seventh and fifth positions due to incompatibility of dry weather tyres.[16]

Post race

Timo Glock was handed a 25-second penalty for overtaking Mark Webber under yellow flags during the final lap of the race. The penalty pushed Glock from eighth to ninth place.[17]

Hamilton Penalty

Hamilton celebrates his on-track victory.

Hamilton appeared on the podium and subsequent press conference in the winner's position. When questioned on the incident at the press conference, Hamilton defended his actions:

[Räikkönen] pushed me to the point where I would either have been on the kerb and crashed into him or have to go on the escape route, so I went on the escape route. I understood I had to let him past, so I did. I got in his tow and he was ducking and diving left and right and I did the same and managed to get back to the inside of him. But then he hit me at the apex of the corner but I think I was pretty much gone from there.

— Lewis Hamilton, [18]

Two hours after the conclusion of the race, the FIA issued a statement announcing that Hamilton was guilty of contravening Article 30.3 (a) of the 2008 FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations and Appendix L, Chapter 4, Article 2 (g) of the International Sporting Code which states that cutting a chicane and gaining an advantage is subject to a drive-through penalty.[19] As the race had finished, a 25 second penalty was added to Hamilton's time instead.[20] As a result of the penalty, Massa was promoted to winner of the Grand Prix, and Hamilton was dropped down to third position.[21]

Appeal

On September 9, two days after the race, McLaren lodged an official complaint with the FIA about the incident.[22] In their appeal hearing on September 22, McLaren alledged that they had twice been advised by race director Charlie Whiting that Hamilton had correctly returned the position to Räikkönen.[23] Further, they presented telemetry evidence suggesting that Hamilton had not only crossed the finish line after Räikkönen, but that he was travelling 6.7km/h slower at the time.[24] Finally, they presented the previous case of Vitantonio Liuzzi at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix, specifically the FIA's claim that the presiding chief steward at the race, Tony Scott Andrews, had admitted fault in awarding the penalty to Liuzzi, a claim Andrews denied.[25] McLaren went on to use the case as a precedent for the Spa incident.

The biggest issue for McLaren was that drive-through penalties cannot subject to appeal.[26] McLaren lawyer Mark Phillips, QC, attempted to convince the court that since the penalty was in the form of time added on, the case was admissible.[27]

A day later, the Court of Appeal issued its decision, ruling that the appeal was inadmissible.[28]

Reaction

Räikkönen's damaged Ferrari F2008 is brought back to the pits after the Finn crashed with two laps to go.

The original penalty received mixed reactions in the world press. Byron Young in Britain's Daily Mirror said that it was the stewards' decision "that mars sport and turns fans away, that ruins the efforts of even the best competitors, taints the day and leaves fans wondering what exactly they are "fans" of."[29]

However, in Italy, the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport declared that the decision was justified, stating that Hamilton "should have waited at least another turn rather than attacking so soon."[30]

For his part, Räikkönen agreed with the stewards' decision:

From the position where [Hamilton] was, because he cut the chicane, he was [able to pass into turn one]. But if he had would have been behind me through the chicane then it may have been a different story.

— Kimi Räikkönen, [31]

Other Formula One drivers believed that though Hamilton had gained an advantage, the penalty was too harsh. Sébastien Bourdais of Toro Rosso said that "the penalty is really rough but in the end it's up to you to give the position back or not. Pretty straightforward." The view was reiterated by his fellow drivers Nico Rosberg and Jarno Trulli.[32] Trulli stated that "In my opinion Hamilton got an advantage by cutting the chicane", and going on to add "Had he stayed on the road, he wouldn't have had the speed to overtake the Ferrari. In the same way at Monza someone could cut the first chicane, catch a rival's draft, and overtake him under braking at Roggia."[33]

Former world champion Niki Lauda stated that he did "not understand this completely wrong decision ... It's unbelievable how the best driver in yesterday's race makes no mistakes and only gets six points." He called for the formation of permanent race stewards, instead on the tempory steward system currently in place. He called it "the worst judgement in the history of F1", adding "It's absolutely unacceptable when three [stewards] influence the championship like this."[34]

Three-time world champion Jackie Stewart agreed with Lauda, saying that "F1 attracts the largest capital investment in sport ... but it’s being overseen by people who are not doing it full-time and we get inconsistent decisions."[35]

The incident led to a clarification by the FIA, saying that drivers must wait one further corner after cutting a chicane before attempting another overtaking manoeuvre.[36]

Formula One Driver Mark Webber, who is also a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, said that the clarification had made the issue much clearer:

Lewis would probably never ever have had a crack at Kimi around the outside at the first part of the Bus Stop without knowing he had the option of going onto the asphalt part. I think we've got to get on top of the chicanes going forward, and we're not too far away from that at the moment, where drivers know that if you gain a position or gain an advantage, you have to give it back a bit more.

— Mark Webber, [37]

Classification

Qualifying

Pos No Name Constructor Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Grid
1 22 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:46.887 1:46.088 1:47.338 1
2 2 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:46.873 1:46.391 1:47.678 2
3 23 Finland Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:46.812 1:46.037 1:47.815 3
4 1 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:46.960 1:46.298 1:47.992 4
5 3 Germany Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:47.419 1:46.311 1:48.315 5
6 5 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault 1:47.154 1:46.491 1:48.504 6
7 10 Australia Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:47.270 1:46.814 1:48.736 7
8 4 Poland Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:47.093 1:46.494 1:48.763 8
9 14 France Sébastien Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:46.777 1:46.544 1:48.951 9
10 15 Germany Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:47.152 1:46.804 1:50.319 10
11 11 Italy Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:47.400 1:46.949 11
12 6 Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault 1:47.052 1:46.965 12
13 12 Germany Timo Glock Toyota 1:47.359 1:46.995 13
14 9 United Kingdom David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:47.132 1:47.018 14
15 7 Germany Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:47.503 1:47.429 15
16 17 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:48.153 16
17 16 United Kingdom Jenson Button Honda 1:48.211 17
18 20 Germany Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:48.226 18
19 8 Japan Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:48.268 19
20 21 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:48.447 20

Race

Felipe Massa inherited the race victory after Hamilton's penalty.
Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 2 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari 44 1:22:59.394 2 10
2 3 Germany Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 44 +9.383 5 8
3 22 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton1 McLaren-Mercedes 44 +10.539 1 6
4 5 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault 44 +14.478 6 5
5 15 Germany Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 44 +14.576 10 4
6 4 Poland Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 44 +15.037 8 3
7 14 France Sébastien Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 44 +16.735 9 2
8 10 Australia Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 44 +42.776 7 1
9 12 Germany Timo Glock2 Toyota 44 +1:07.045 13
10 23 Finland Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 43 Gearbox 3
11 9 United Kingdom David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 43 +1 Lap 14
12 7 Germany Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 43 +1 Lap 15
13 20 Germany Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari 43 +1 Lap 18
14 8 Japan Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 43 +1 Lap 19
15 16 United Kingdom Jenson Button Honda 43 +1 Lap 17
16 11 Italy Jarno Trulli Toyota 43 +1 Lap 11
17 21 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 43 +1 Lap 20
18 1 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 42 Spun off 4
Ret 17 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Honda 19 Gearbox 16
Ret 6 Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault 13 Spun off 12
  • Template:Fnb Hamilton given a 25-second penalty for cutting a chicane and gaining an advantage, losing first place.[21]
  • Template:Fnb Glock given a 25-second penalty for overtaking Webber under yellow-flags, losing eighth place.[17]

Standings after the race

Notes

  • Lap Leaders: Lewis Hamilton 3 (1, 43-44), Kimi Räikkönen 37 (2-12, 14-25, 29-42), Felipe Massa 4 (13, 26-28).
  • Räikkönen's accident ended his chances to win four consecutive Belgian Grands Prix. He won in 2004, 2005 and 2007. The 2006 Belgian Grand Prix was not held due to the reconstruction of the track.

References

  1. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/motorsport/formula_one/7627941.stm McLaren appeal rejected.
  2. ^ "World media bemused by Lewis Hamilton decision". TimesOnline. 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  3. ^ "Friday Practice One - Ferrari lead the way at Spa". Formula.com. 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  4. ^ Matt Beer (2008-09-05). "Massa dominates first practice at Spa". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  5. ^ "Friday Practice Two - Alonso the surprise leader at Spa". Formula.com. 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  6. ^ Matt Beer (2008-09-05). "Alonso tops times in second practice". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  7. ^ "Final practice - Heidfeld quickest on drying track". Formula.com. 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  8. ^ Matt Beer (2008-09-05). "Heidfeld tops rainy practice in Belgium". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  9. ^ "Belgian GP form card". ITV-F1.com. 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  10. ^ Pablo Elizalde (2008-09-06). "Rosberg susprised by poor showing". autosport.com. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  11. ^ "Qualifying - selected driver quotes". Formula1.com. 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  12. ^ Pablo Elizalde (2008-09-06). "Force India targeting Honda, Williams". autosport.com. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  13. ^ Pablo Elizalde (2008-09-06). "Trulli blames low temperature for struggle". autosport.com. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  14. ^ James Allen (2008-09-08). "James Allen's verdict". ITV-F1. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  15. ^ Jonathan Noble (2008-09-07). "Pitstop gamble pays off for Heidfeld". autosport.com. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  16. ^ Pablo Elizade (2008-09-07). "Bourdais laments last-lap slump". autosport.com. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  17. ^ a b Pablo Elizade (2008-09-07). "Glock hit with 25-second penalty". autosport.com. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  18. ^ Lewis Hamilton (2008-09-07). "Press Conference - Sunday". FIA. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  19. ^ "International Court of Appeal - Decision 23/09/2008". FIA.com. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  20. ^ FIA, the Stewards of the Meeting (2008-09-07). "2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Document 49" (PDF). FIA.com. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  21. ^ a b Elizalde, Pablo (2008-09-07). "Hamilton penalised, Massa handed win". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2008-09-07. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "McLaren lodge Belgian Grand Prix appeal". Formula 1.com. 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  23. ^ "Whiting's role in Hamilton investigation thrust into the spotlight". Planet F1.com. 2008-09-11. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  24. ^ Manipe F1 (2008-09-10). "Chicanegate: The full story". Manipe F1.com. Retrieved 2008-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "Lewis Hamilton makes his case clear as McLaren pin their hopes on e-mail". Times Online. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  26. ^ FIA, the Stewards of the Meeting (2008-09-07). "2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Document 49" (PDF). FIA.com. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  27. ^ "Whiting's role in Hamilton investigation thrust into the spotlight". Planet F1.com. 2008-09-11. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  28. ^ FIA, the Stewards of the Meeting (2008-09-07). "2008 Belgian Grand Prix, Document 49" (PDF). FIA.com. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  29. ^ Byron Young (2008-09-08). "What does Lewis Hamilton have to do to win Formula 1 title?". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  30. ^ "World media bemused by Lewis Hamilton decision". TimesOnline. 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  31. ^ Kimi Räikkönen (2008-09-12). "Kimi Raikkonen Q&A". ITV-F1. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  32. ^ "Drivers: Hamilton penalty didn't fit crime". ITV-F1. 2008-09-11. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  33. ^ "Hamilton gained an advantage". Autosport.com. 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  34. ^ "Lauda: Hamilton penalty will harm F1". ITV-F1. 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  35. ^ "Sir Jackie Stewart wants full-time stewards after Lewis Hamilton penalty". Telegraph.co.uk. 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  36. ^ Jonathan Noble (2008-09-12). "FIA clarifies chicane-cutting position". autosport.com. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  37. ^ "Webber: Chicane controversy is over". ITV-F1. 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2008-09-25.

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