Belgium Grand Prix Review

On Saturday night......a Force India on pole position......A shock?




Here we are tonight looking at a Force India on the podium and having more pace than Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari..... Another shock?


It has been a brilliant weekend for the little Silverstone team and shows the hard work that has been put in this season. The car started the season by holding it's own at the back of grid, as like last season. Australia produced a late safety car and Malaysia was stopped after the downpour so the Chinese GP was the first race to produce a "normal finish" this season but Adrian Sutil lost control of the car while in the points. From then on, the smallest team on the grid have been producing great displays in practice but not following it up in qualifying and the race. Then the circus turned up in Germany, practice went well again and Sutil managed a brilliant seventh on the grid. From there, he produced a stunning drive until leaving from his pit stop when he ran into the side of Kimi Raikkonen. This showed that, in the right conditions, they could fight against the big teams.


The team in it's earliest form, Jordan Grand Prix, collected their first pole position at the Spa circuit in 1994 with Rubens Barrichello and their first victory (in the form of a 1-2) with Damon Hill in the memorable grand prix in 1998 so they have always gone well here. Their two drivers, Sutil and Fisichella, both have great records at the circuit with Sutil holding the Formula3 lap record and Fisichella collecting podiums for Jordan and Benetton.


It is such a shame that the KERS system is what lost the team its first grand prix victory (in it's current form). The Mercedes engine is one of the strongest in the field (shown by Sutil and Barrichello today) and this, in the back of Fisichella's car, against the Ferrari was the quicker package. This is disappointing for this year's formula one because it shows that the quickest car does not always have a chance of winning when at the front. Anyway, it will be gone next season and I will be one person (of many) who will be glad to see the back of it.


All this does not take anything away from Kimi’s drive, which was one of composure and control. Fisichella was never more than two or three seconds back and some people would have expected him to crack under the pressure of winning for the first time in 2009. Luckily, the true former world champion was back and I think he made it look quite easy from outside the cockpit. Sebastian Vettel also produced a good drive to make his way passed the BMWs and claim the most points out of the championship contenders. Except for his few engine failures, Vettel has looked a good bet for the title and I would defiantly not rule him out just yet, especially with the luck that Button has had since Turkey. Barrichello only claimed two points on his team mate and Webber was unfortunate to finish ninth but the teams mistake in the pit lane cost the Aussie dear and it is mistakes like that which cost championships…….just ask Felipe Massa about Singapore last season!
Hopefully this grand prix has saved the BMW and will bring in a new buyer to help Peter Sauber take over his old team. It would be great to see Sauber back on the grid and I can not see Ferrari having any problems with supplying engines to the team, like they did from 1997 until BMW’s takeover in 2006. A Sauber-Ferrari with a Ferrari youngster being placed inside the team……the same as what happened with Massa…..and look what a brilliant driver he has become. I am praying a buyer will be found and hopefully Peter Sauber will be at the head of it.


The Belgium GP has produced a sixth different winner in six races……we might very well get a seventh in Monza and how about some money on a Mercedes powered vehicle after it was the engine to have at Spa. All I know is not to put a bet on after the grid has closed up so much that the whole field is covered by about 1.5 seconds.

Replacement drivers

Anthony Davidson
Nelson Piquet
Sebastien Bourdais
Christian Klien
Giorgio Pantano
Adam Carroll


Here are just a few names who would have been watching the European GP thinking why have I been overlooked for the 2009 season....Why is a driver, who will not be racing in 2010 (as much as I like Luca) given a chance when we could be getting practice in for next year? In this list, we have GP2 race winners and team test drivers, who like Luca, have not driven the 2009 car extensively. Apart from loyalty, I can not see why Luca was picked over any other driver. Ferrari would have been expecting more from their 10 year test driver but what do they do now that the gamble has not worked? The next round after Spa is Monza. Ferrari fans from all over the world travel to Monza as a pilgrimage each year and they will not appreciate one of "their nations" cars being 1.5 seconds off the next car, whether that car be a Force India or a Toro Rosso. They will expect, at least, points from both cars with even victory in their sights, especially with the KERS system showing a distinct advantage down the long straights. Can Luca deliver this? I doubt it after his performance in Valencia. Who would be able to do this with testing banned during the season? One name that has been mentioned has been Nico Hulkenberg, the current GP2 championship leader. Do I think he is good enough for formula one? Yes, he has shown this through EuroF3, A1GP and this season's GP2. Would a move to Ferrari for the rest of the year be right? I feel it would not be to anyone's advantage for Nico to move up early. He is almost guaranteed a Grand Prix seat next season, most likely with Williams, who have him under contract and moving up would not reveal a new talent. There are two things that can happen if he went to Ferrari this year -


1. Hulkenberg can go to Ferrari and show his skill, giving Ferrari a headache for next season with Alonso rumored to have signed; Kimi Raikkonen digging his heals in about his contract for 2010 and the returning Felipe Massa.


2. Hulkenberg drives the car and finishes low on the timesheets and ruins his chances of a Williams drive next season.


If I was Nico, I'd stay in GP2 and win the title with more victories this year and continue showing his talent off. With Formula one drivers moving around this year and with the lack of rookies, can "The Hulk" (as he is nicknamed) really risk his big chance?


Ferrari need a driver is not going to cause them concern for next season but will help them stay ahead of Mclaren and Toyota in the constructor’s championship. There is only one driver, who is free and looking like they may leave formula one at the end of the year, and this is Giancarlo Fisichella. He is experienced as a number 2 (when at Renault) and would there be any complainants at an Italian in a Ferrari at Monza? He is a great bet for a top eight finish and would help Ferrari to keep the points rolling in, with Mclaren so strong at the moment. It would be a special end to a strong career, which started in 1996 with the Italian Minardi team (now Toro Rosso), and giving him a last chance to win a grand prix. It could also save his career after being beaten by a strong Adrian Sutil in recent races. I guess it will be down to Spa to see if Luca Badoer can produce the biggest turnaround in grand prix history.