Belgian Grand Prix - Preview

Thursday's press conference – Belgium

Drivers: Sebastien BUEMI (Toro Rosso), Romain GROSJEAN (Renault), Heikki KOVALAINEN (McLaren Mercedes), Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull) PRESS CONFERENCE Q: Sebastian, what are your feelings about last weekend? You had new bits on the car. Sebastien BUEMI: I would say that it was a difficult weekend in the end but we could improve our performance. We see that if we put everything together we can be in the top 10 which is quite positive. We just need to keep pushing hard. We will have another small step on the car for this weekend, so hopefully we will be able to have a clean weekend without any mistakes or whatever. I am sure if we can put everything together we can finish around P10 or P8. Q: You have got a new team-mate. Has that affected your decisions as obviously Sebastien Bourdais had more experience than Jaime Alguersuari? SB: I would say not really. I am not looking too much at him. I can look at the testing he is doing and if I can improve myself I always take it but in the end I really try to keep all the focus on myself with my engineer. It is important to see what your team-mate is doing but in the end it doesn't make you faster. For sure it changes a little bit because Bourdais had quite a bit more experience than me and now maybe I am a little bit more leading with decisions in the testing, so for sure it is a bit different but I would say that it doesn't change so much. Q: What about this circuit? You have been here in GP2 but it is the first time here in a Formula One car. Talk about the commitment to this circuit with the fast curves compared to say Valencia last weekend. SB: It is going to be quite a big difference I think. If you look at the lap time it is nearly 10 seconds, so it is quite big. Now it is nearly 11 races I have done in F1, so I am getting used to it. We will see what we can do. The circuit should be good for our car as we saw Red Bull performed really well in Silverstone. It was a fast circuit and it is again the case here, so we should be quite confident at the moment. Q: How are your thoughts about coming here and the commitment around these fast corners in only your second Formula 1 race? Romain GROSJEAN: Well, it is going to be interesting to see the difference between the Formula One car and the GP2 car. For me the aim is still to learn. I think there are still many things to learn. Having Fernando (Alonso) is a great help for me. I try to improve and see what he is doing to improve myself. Q: What about your feelings after your first grand prix? Were there any surprises for you? RG: Very hot. No, it was a nice grand prix. The aim was to finish the race, trying to get as much experience as possible. In this particular case it was very good. I could notice some things on the car which I didn't notice before the race, so we know a little bit more where we can work here. It was very interesting for me, the start and all the procedures, the pit stop procedure, the length of the race. All this was quite new and there is still a lot to do about it but it was good to finish the race and get some experience. Q: And since then working up to this race? How much more homework have you done for this race? RG: Well, not much difference. I think the team helped me a lot before Valencia trying to send me as much information as possible and here I think they are doing the same. We have to take the weekend in the same way that we did Valencia, trying to improve session by session and to see what we can achieve by the end of the weekend. Q: Just a little personal question. Is it true you still work in your father's bank? RG: Well, it is not my father's bank. But, yes, I am still working in Geneva in the bank and I went on Tuesday morning, the only day I had in Geneva, and it was very good to stay with my previous life and get back to the bank. Everybody was very happy to see me there and it was a great moment. Q: Heikki is just considering whether to move his account to your bank? RG: Very nice. Heikki KOVALAINEN: I think what Romain did was to go on Tuesday to check his bank account to see if Flavio (Briatore) had already paid it for him. Q: Heikki, it is interesting to read that the team is not very confident about this race. Why is that? HK: Well, I think the characteristics of the circuit previously this year have not favoured our car. But, obviously, the last two races have been exceptionally good and if we could repeat that it would be fantastic. But like you said, expectations of the team are not quite as high because of the nature of the circuit but, who knows, we must not give up at this point. We will have to see how practice goes. I am quite confident that we have improved the high-speed performance of the car significantly since Silverstone time. I think it will be interesting to see where we end up. Q: Just tell us about the commitment for this circuit. HK: Well, it has got quite a few high-speed corners, many corners that are almost flat out, but not quite, so you need to get a good balance with the car. I think the corners because they are not quite flat out, maybe apart from Eau Rouge which is not as exciting as it might look. The challenge is to nail those high-speed corners and get the car balance right, so you need to work hard on Friday and Saturday morning. Q: Tell us about the effect of having the short wheel base car. HK: I think first of all this weekend we are not going to be running the short wheel base car on both sides. I think there was some uncertainty about it in Valencia, so the team's decided not to run the spec that Lewis (Hamilton) had in Valencia. I was happy with the long wheel base car and all the preparations have been with the long wheel base. It would not have been a big advantage for me as I am lighter and I can set up the car and move the weight around easier than Lewis, so they are the facts why we are not running them. I don't think we even have it here with us this weekend, so I don't even think we will be testing it. Q: Are you a bit disappointed with the final result having started second on the grid? HK: Maybe a little bit. You would rather go one step forward from the second place but overall I think it was my best race of the season and the second race with the upgraded package, so I was quite happy about that. I was on the front row and I could have been on pole. I think in the race, without wrong tyres that were fitted on the last stint, I think the result could have been even better, so I am actually quite pleased about the result and coming here to Spa, one of my favourite circuits, I feel actually very positive and I look forward to driving tomorrow. Q: Sebastian, last weekend was obviously not a very good weekend for you. First of all, two engines failures which means you have got two less for the rest of the season. What are the repercussions you expect from that? HK: I have got three left if you fancy a Mercedes. Sebastian VETTEL: Well, we need to see. Obviously it is not a good thing as you said. Last weekend having two failures within two days was not a good thing. Surely it affects the programme for the rest of the season. The last thing we want is to take a penalty, so the question now is what can we do. We are considering now all our options and possibly this means less running for myself on a Friday, so less practice which for sure is not an advantage. But in the end of the day do you want to take a grid penalty, yes or no, and I think you know maybe it is better to have a bit of time off and take some coffee in the break rather than starting 10 places back at some race, so we will see but for sure from now onwards we cannot have any mistakes or failures again. That's for sure. Q: And how do you feel about your championship chances still? SV: I think it is still possible. I am not giving up, definitely not. For sure 25 points is not easy but we have seen how quickly things can change. Also I think one thing that extremely helps is that Jenson has not been very consistent the last races. He hasn't scored a lot of points. I don't know what was wrong but in the end it helps us. We should have been scoring some points the last few races, we did not, so that doesn't help but for the future it still remains open. We will push and we will fight. We are in the hunting position, so we will have to score big points. Q: Sebastian was just talking about how the car was well suited at Silverstone. Are you feeling the same about this race as well? SV: I think it should suit our car more than Valencia but in the end of the day we have to find out. Just by the layout, the speed of the corners, I think it favours our car, but we still need to see how quick we are. I hope we are extremely quick. I hope the weather will be according to what we need and according to our liking. If that means rain, then it is rain. If it is dry, then it is dry. We will see. But, for sure, looking at the championship we are in the hunting position, so we have to win races and score big points, so our target for this weekend is to win and I think it looks good so far. We haven't done a single lap, so we need to find out.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR Q: (Frederic Ferret - L'Equipe) Romain and Sebastien, what do you expect from the corners here? Are there some which you are looking out for, some where you will be cautious in a Formula One car? SB: I think that for sure, on the first lap I will be a bit cautious through Eau Rouge, so maybe I will be looking out for that. I'm just looking forward to driving the circuit because it's a beautiful circuit, it's one of my favourites. Yeah, I'm happy when this day will be over and it will soon be tomorrow and we will see what we can do. RG: As Sébastien said, we have to go gradually during the session. Basically there is much more testing than in GP2, so we will have the time to go step by step and see where the biggest differences are and what we can do. Q: (Joris Fioriti - AFP) Sebastien, you used to be the youngest driver on the grid, you're not any more. Do you have less pressure because of that and then to Romain, do you take Sebastien as an example right from his first race at the beginning of the season he has scored some points and did a pretty good job? SB: I think that when you are driving the car you are not really thinking about being the youngest or the oldest. So it's not making any changes to my driving and doesn't change the pressure or whatever. I don't feel much pressure. I feel the pressure that I put on myself and OK, maybe my team-mate is younger but it doesn't change anything. RG: I think that for myself it's difficult to compare to anybody else. Every situation is different; I had no testing, I had just one race last week and we are here in Spa which is a monument in racing, a fantastic circuit but very difficult, I think. I will see. I will do my best and try to still learn a lot and at the end we will see. Q: (Will Buxton – Australasian Motor Sport News) Heikki, it's getting to that point of the year when everyone is talking about driver contracts for next year. As far as we are aware McLaren haven't taken up their option on you yet, so what are you looking at for next year? Are you talking with other teams? How are things looking? HK: Well, first of all I will not talk about the contractual situation here in public. I did once this year which I regret. But I think that apart from that, the most important thing now is to focus on performance and that's what I'm here to do. I had a great weekend last weekend with the updated car. I was on the front row, as I said, and could have been on pole and the race could have been better without the last stint troubles, so I'm quite looking forward to building on that and I feel I'm in great form. Here we are at Spa, a fantastic circuit, so that's what I'm focussing on at the moment. Q: (Bob McKenzie – The Daily Express) Sebastian, at the end of the race in Valencia, Jenson (Button) wasn't very happy. He said that you cut him up at the first corner, he dropped back to ninth; there's aggression and there's over-aggression, he said. I wonder if he'd spoken to you about it and if you felt you had been over-aggressive? SV: I haven't heard about it. I think we are here to race, so I don't know. Maybe I have to talk to him later if it was a problem for him. As I said, we try to race, we try to defend our position, so there's not much more to say. Q: (Bob McKenzie – The Daily Express) Does the title aspect of it come in? You know you're up against him for the title? SV: Well, I think you know, you're not sitting in the car and voluntarily giving a place to the guy who is starting behind you. For sure, in that moment it doesn't really matter how many points you have, you try to defend your position and try to get as far in front as you can. Obviously, looking back at Valencia, I had no chance to stay in front of Kimi (Räikkönen) at the start, he had some button to press and easily got me round the outside. I started on the dirty side and I knew that at the first and especially second corner it would be crucial to be on the inside and on the clean side, so I tried to get to the inside as early as possible. I think it was fine, so for me I don't think there was any problem, but maybe I have to talk to Jenson later, I don't know. Q: (Luis Fernando Ramos – Racing Magazine) A question for all drivers: as young drivers in your first seasons, even racers in Formula One, how do you see Barrichello's motivation to keep racing and also winning, and do you see yourself in 15 years also motivated to be in Formula One? SV: As far as I'm concerned, I enjoy driving the car, so I can see the pleasure he feels every time he jumps into the car. But obviously ten years, 15 years is a long, long time. I don't know. I think you have to do it step-by-step. If someone would have stepped up to Rubens's car at his first or second Grand Prix and would have said 'you will race more than 260 Grands Prix in Formula One' it's difficult to realise what it means or how long it is. I think you have to do it step-by-step and as long as you feel happy, as Sebastien said before, you don't think about how young or how old you are. I think, as David (Coulthard) said last year or two years ago, as long as you are quick enough you are not too old and as soon as you are quick enough you are not too young any more. I don't think age matters. At some point yes, probably, when you get grey and fat but he's still in good shape. HK: Rubens is clearly doing a fantastic job. I think it's difficult to predict, in the future, what I will be doing when I'm 37 or 38. I would like to think I would still obviously be in good shape and good form but I think that when the day comes when I don't give a hundred percent any more that then will be the time to stop but I don't see it happening very soon yet. RG: It's impossible to say what you are going to do in 15 years. For sure, Formula One is the best thing in the world for every driver who is here. We don't want to leave and I think the best thing Rubens could do is win the race last week and this shows that he's still fast enough and there is no age problem. SB: I think the other drivers have summed it up quite well, so as long as he's enjoying it I think it's the most important thing and then you've got to be fast and that's what he is. He won the race and you can see that it's possible to be fast even if you're a bit older than the other guys. I don't, for the moment, imagine myself in 15 years but why not? Q: (Joonas Partanen – Iltalehti) Heikki, there has been some criticism about your race pace., Do you personally think that criticism has been justified and if so, what is the biggest problem? HK: Well, first of all, I haven't had any criticism about my race pace from anyone in the team. I myself have talked to many people in the team and said that I can do much better, and last weekend in Valencia, particularly, was quite a lot better. I think it's quite a lot down to driving style, how you manage these tyres. One weekend you have softer tyres, one weekend you've got harder tyres and how you manage them throughout the race is quite crucial, so that's what I've been working on very hard in these last few weeks, especially this last week and a half, since we've been back at work. That's all I can say, really. Q: (Balazs Vajta – Autosport Es Formula) Heikki, as we all know, Spa is a race where it can rain, and my question is actually a double question: first of all, do you expect your car to be better in the rain than in the dry, and my second question is, do you expect any difference from the short wheel base car in the rain compared to the dry? HK: Well, I think it's difficult to say whether the car will be better or worse in the dry than in the rain. I think I would expect the performance of the cars, relatively, around our car will be similar in any kind of conditions. I think that if you have the grip, if you've got the downforce, you're going to go quickly in the rain and you are going to go quickly in the dry. If you haven't got it, you're going to be in trouble. I think it's more down to how much water there is on the track and which tyres you're on, whether you're on the intermediate tyres or on the full wet tyres that can then play a part in the result of the Grand Prix. Apart from that, I think it's difficult to predict what's going to happen if it rains. Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – Antenna TV) Sebastian, you said you would welcome any weather we might have on Sunday but since this circuit suits your car, would you prefer an eventful dry race than your favourite rain? SV: In the end, our target here, as I said, is to get the maximum points, so our target is to win, so I would like to have winning conditions on Sunday. I don't care if it's wet or dry or both. In the end, you have to be quick, no matter what the conditions. Q: (Will Buxton – Australasian Motor Sport News) Romain, it was your Grand Prix debut last weekend but you were involved in a bit of weird situation in the pits when Luca Badoer moved out of your way. You guys were fighting for position on track. Have you ever experienced anything like that before, how did it compute in your head when that happened? RG: It's still competition in the pits. I gained a place which was quite good. It was a bit of a moment but nothing different to what I was used to in GP2. I think we were fighting and it was the way to gain a position and at the end, it helped my race quite a lot. Q: (MC) Can I ask a question to Romain to compare GP2 and F1 because sometimes we watch GP2 races and they seem to be pretty chaotic, whereas F1 seems to be relatively, can I say, sensible. What are your feelings about it? RG: Well, to be honest I was quite surprised how difficult it is to follow a car in Formula One. I don't know from where it came but for sure I was behind Luca Badoer for quite a long time in the first stint and I couldn't get closer than 0.8s because you lose most of the downforce and the car goes much faster and this makes your life quite hard when you follow another car. I think there's a different spirit of building the car. In GP2 all the cars are the same and the ground effect is quite big compared to the aero and in Formula One we are using more aerodynamic downforce than ground effect, so in the end it makes the race much harder to fight and to get close to another car.

Bridgestone

Just one week after Rubens Barrichello achieved Brawn GP’s seventh victory of the 2009 Formula One season in Valencia, Round 12 takes the team to Spa in the forests of the Ardennes for the Belgian Grand Prix. One of the most historic races in Formula One having been staged in the World Championship’s inaugural season in 1950, the Spa circuit has been shortened over the years from its original 14.9km length but remains the longest track on the calendar. The current 7.004km lap retains much of its original character and follows the natural undulations of the Ardennes region. The circuit is dominated by straights at the start and end of the lap with a twisty middle section from turns five to 14. Fast and sweeping corners, including the legendary Eau Rouge, make the venue a favourite with Formula One’s drivers. ROSS BRAWN, TEAM PRINCIPAL Q. The back-to-back races are at two contrasting venues. How will you approach the weekend in Spa? “Our return to form in Valencia and the very well-deserved win for Rubens has given everyone at the team a timely boost as we head into the final part of the season. Looking ahead to the race in Spa, this will be another challenge with a very different type of circuit and ambient weather conditions. Although we believe that we now have a better understanding of our recent tyre issues, the lower track temperatures at Spa will be the proving ground for this. We will have another busy testing programme on Friday to validate the conclusions reached in Valencia and then build our weekend from there. Spa ranks as one of the great classic racing circuits, loved by drivers, engineers and fans, so we hope to put on a good show.” JENSON BUTTON Q. Are you looking forward to racing at Spa this weekend? “Spa is one of my favourite circuits and has a layout which gives everything you could want as a driver. It’s one of the fastest and most challenging circuits in the world with hills, fast corners and long straights which combine to give you a real buzz to drive, just like Suzuka and Silverstone. It’s also a very beautiful circuit with the forest setting although the weather can be unpredictable! It can play a big part in the race weekend, even in the summer, so you have to be ready to react but that unpredictability is part of the thrill of racing at Spa. Eau Rouge is still a legendary corner, although it is usually easy flat for us in the dry, but the feeling when you hit the bottom of the hill, touch the ground and shoot straight back up again is amazing. It’s been a tough few races for me recently but the car felt very good in Valencia and the pace was right up there when I was able to run in clear air during the race. So we’re feeling positive and very much looking forward to the weekend.” *RUBENS BARRICHELLO Q. Following the win in Valencia on Sunday, what are your thoughts ahead of the next race at Spa? “Valencia was a fantastic weekend and the memories will stay with me for a long time. Winning again feels pretty good! I always knew that we had both the car and the pace to deliver a win this season and stayed positive. I’ve had a few days to relax and reflect now but I can’t wait to get back in the car again in Spa! For me, Spa is unquestionably on one of the best circuits in the world and I love racing there. The lap is really long and fast with some great corners and it gives you a fantastic feeling in a Formula One car. Experience is a key factor as you can pick up a lot of time if you get the car set-up just right and you have to be precise in your timing to make the most of the track time in practice and qualifying. We’ve picked up some momentum again now after the result in Valencia and know that we have to make the most of the next few races.”   Spa-Francorchamps Stats Circuit Length: 7.004km Race Distance: 308.052km Number of Laps: 44 Full Throttle: 65% Brake Wear: Low Tyre Compounds: Soft / Medium Downforce Level: Medium 5/10 Tyre Usage: Medium Average Speed: 234 kph (145mph)   Race Weekend Schedule (all times are local) Friday 28 August Practice 1: 1000 - 1130 Practice 2: 1400 - 1530 Saturday 29 August Practice 3: 1100 - 1200 Qualifying: 1400 - 1500 Sunday 30 August Race: 1400

Brawn GP

Just one week after Rubens Barrichello achieved Brawn GP’s seventh victory of the 2009 Formula One season in Valencia, Round 12 takes the team to Spa in the forests of the Ardennes for the Belgian Grand Prix. One of the most historic races in Formula One having been staged in the World Championship’s inaugural season in 1950, the Spa circuit has been shortened over the years from its original 14.9km length but remains the longest track on the calendar. The current 7.004km lap retains much of its original character and follows the natural undulations of the Ardennes region. The circuit is dominated by straights at the start and end of the lap with a twisty middle section from turns five to 14. Fast and sweeping corners, including the legendary Eau Rouge, make the venue a favourite with Formula One’s drivers. ROSS BRAWN, TEAM PRINCIPAL Q. The back-to-back races are at two contrasting venues. How will you approach the weekend in Spa? “Our return to form in Valencia and the very well-deserved win for Rubens has given everyone at the team a timely boost as we head into the final part of the season. Looking ahead to the race in Spa, this will be another challenge with a very different type of circuit and ambient weather conditions. Although we believe that we now have a better understanding of our recent tyre issues, the lower track temperatures at Spa will be the proving ground for this. We will have another busy testing programme on Friday to validate the conclusions reached in Valencia and then build our weekend from there. Spa ranks as one of the great classic racing circuits, loved by drivers, engineers and fans, so we hope to put on a good show.” JENSON BUTTON Q. Are you looking forward to racing at Spa this weekend? “Spa is one of my favourite circuits and has a layout which gives everything you could want as a driver. It’s one of the fastest and most challenging circuits in the world with hills, fast corners and long straights which combine to give you a real buzz to drive, just like Suzuka and Silverstone. It’s also a very beautiful circuit with the forest setting although the weather can be unpredictable! It can play a big part in the race weekend, even in the summer, so you have to be ready to react but that unpredictability is part of the thrill of racing at Spa. Eau Rouge is still a legendary corner, although it is usually easy flat for us in the dry, but the feeling when you hit the bottom of the hill, touch the ground and shoot straight back up again is amazing. It’s been a tough few races for me recently but the car felt very good in Valencia and the pace was right up there when I was able to run in clear air during the race. So we’re feeling positive and very much looking forward to the weekend.” *RUBENS BARRICHELLO Q. Following the win in Valencia on Sunday, what are your thoughts ahead of the next race at Spa? “Valencia was a fantastic weekend and the memories will stay with me for a long time. Winning again feels pretty good! I always knew that we had both the car and the pace to deliver a win this season and stayed positive. I’ve had a few days to relax and reflect now but I can’t wait to get back in the car again in Spa! For me, Spa is unquestionably on one of the best circuits in the world and I love racing there. The lap is really long and fast with some great corners and it gives you a fantastic feeling in a Formula One car. Experience is a key factor as you can pick up a lot of time if you get the car set-up just right and you have to be precise in your timing to make the most of the track time in practice and qualifying. We’ve picked up some momentum again now after the result in Valencia and know that we have to make the most of the next few races.”   Spa-Francorchamps Stats Circuit Length: 7.004km Race Distance: 308.052km Number of Laps: 44 Full Throttle: 65% Brake Wear: Low Tyre Compounds: Soft / Medium Downforce Level: Medium 5/10 Tyre Usage: Medium Average Speed: 234 kph (145mph)   Race Weekend Schedule (all times are local) Friday 28 August Practice 1: 1000 - 1130 Practice 2: 1400 - 1530 Saturday 29 August Practice 3: 1100 - 1200 Qualifying: 1400 - 1500 Sunday 30 August Race: 1400

Interview with Vijay Mallya : ‘Tracks like Spa and Monza will suit us’

Helped by an update package Adrian Sutil earned an excellent 10th place for Force India at Valencia last weekend. Now the team is heading to Spa, where it has run strongly in the recent past, so an even better performance could be on the cards. We asked Dr Vijay Mallya for his thoughts on his team’s current form. Q: Adrian had a great run to 10th place in Valencia, and was not far from the points. How encouraged are you by that performance? ‘What I’m really happy about is the fact that we have demonstrated consistent improvement. I think now it’s fair to say that we are a strong midfield contender. I know how difficult it is and how hugely and fiercely competitive this sport is. If you look at the times, we’re fighting for fractions of seconds. It’s just not realistic to expect miracles.’ Q: Was it a little frustrating that only one car ahead retired? ‘What I’ve always said to my guys is that we must earn points on merit. We can’t hope for something to go wrong for somebody else. We’re there now, and this is the fourth top 10 finish this season. It’s pretty good considering where the team was in the last few years. Now we just have to work hard at it and keep improving until we are in the points. The whole of last year Q2 seemed completely elusive, and getting into Q2 was a struggle. I think I can quite safely say today both of our cars are definitely Q2 cars, which is a step forward. We just have to keep improving, and get there on merit. I will not accept we’re earning points just because something goes wrong with the guys in front. That’s not being competitive enough.’ *Q: In Valencia Adrian beat some several works cars, including a BMW and both Toyotas. How pleasing is that? ‘We are beating some top teams, with a quarter of their budget! That’s pretty good. At the end of the day we’re also showing to the world that with a small budget we are capable of delivering performance. That’s a very big statement to be making, firstly in today’s economic context, and secondly in the light of this recent discussions on costs. It isn’t as if money can buy you performance, necessarily.’ Q: You came close in Valencia, but do you think you will be able to get into Q1 in the coming races? ‘If you look at the speed trap classifications, our cars are really quick. Tracks like Spa and Monza will suit us. So I’m hoping we can better this result. As I’ve said, one step at a time.’ Q: Adrian has been pretty good at Spa even in uncompetitive cars. Does that give you extra confidence? ‘Adrian had matured brilliantly this season. He’s really risen to the challenge. He’s blindingly quick, and he’s also now looking after the tyres well and driving responsibly, and his finishing record is much better than in the past. So I’m really encouraged by that.’

Force India

The next round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, the Belgian Grand Prix, will take place just one week after last weekend’s European Grand Prix in Valencia. Held at the 7km Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the heart of the country’s Ardennes Forest, it is famed for its dramatic undulation changes and challenging corners that generally produce close, exciting racing. The Force India Formula One Team looks forward to Belgium following a competitive weekend performance in Valencia where new upgrades saw the team secure a slot in Q2 yet again and a promising double top 12 finish in the race. Team Q&A Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal Were you pleased with the results of Valencia? I was really delighted with the entire weekend performance from the team, right through from practice. Going into the weekend we anticipated a step forward of over half a second with the new aero package, but you never know what the other teams will be bringing with them and how our performance will translate. I think we can all be very proud of the progress we made. From the off we were quick and we really achieved the maximum we could do. Two top 12 finishes might seem frustrating as we’re still outside the points, but when you look at the people in front of us and then behind we can’t be disappointed at all. I don’t think I’ve looked forward to a race quite as much as I am looking forward to Spa! Driver Q&A Adrian Sutil (car 20, VJM02/01) How would you review the Valencia weekend? I feel we did the maximum possible performance in Valencia. It was a tough race in very, very high temperatures but the whole team did a fantastic job. Our stops were great so we could jump Heidfeld in the pits and then in the final third of the race I was just behind Webber, which was very encouraging considering how well the Red Bulls have been performing this season. Getting P1 on Saturday in practice was a real bonus but top 12 is where we are at the moment. This is itself is a real boost for everyone after so long being at the back. What are your thoughts looking forward to Spa? Along with Monaco, Spa is one of favourite tracks. It’s a real nature track through the forest where you really get into the rhythm of the corners. It also gives very interesting racing - last year the race was dry until two laps from the end, then it all changed suddenly. This year I think we are looking good. Our new aero package gave a very good step forward and we’ve been quick at lower downforce tracks so far this year so I’m very confident of getting another good result. I hope top 10 or even better. Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21, VJM02/04) Looking forward to Belgium, it’s a real drivers’ favourite. What makes it so special? Every driver loves Spa and, for me, it’s the best circuit of the year. It’s 7km long so you get a lot of different corners, from hairpins to fast sections and then obviously the best corner of the year, Eau Rouge. Actually this corner is not as exciting as it was a few years ago when you only took it flat in qualifying. Now we have more downforce and a bit less power with the V8 so you are usually flat out every time you go through. Even though it’s not as challenging now, it’s still very exciting. There’s a lot of compression when you go down and then you have to jink left and right – it’s a complete corner. The weather in Spa is always unpredictable as well. You can have rain in sector one and then it could be sunny in sector three so anything could happen. We are going there at the end of August this year, but we could have any type of weather! You’ve had some good results at the circuit – what have been your high points? My first appearance at Spa was in 1997 with Jordan and I had a great result. I finished second, just behind Hakkinen – at the time it was my best career result. Then I went on to have some more good results and was third in 2001 with Renault. At the time the car was not too good but the team brought some new upgrades to Spa. I made a great start from eighth on the grid and going into the first corner I was fourth. For the rest of the race we were very competitive and I finished third, which was a fantastic result for the team. What would the aims this year be? Valencia was a great result for Force India. We could really race in the midfield and seemed to have an advantage over quite a few teams and drivers now. The upgrades made a big difference and the car was nice to drive. Spa is a bit different to Valencia but it’s still very quick so I hope we can transfer the performance this week. My aim will be to qualify well so we can start a bit further up the grid, have a strong race and finally score some points. Force India Belgian Grand Prix points of note: Force India will be using a new low downforce rear wing in Spa to cope with the lower drag levels needed as it’s the first true low downforce circuit of the year and something of a build up to Monza, which will be the lowest level the team runs. The new upgrades debuted in Valencia will be used yet again but there is a new front wing to match as the one used in Valencia will be too powerful to balance the reduced rear downforce. Adrian was perhaps not surprisingly the most improved driver in Valencia compared to 2008. He managed to go eight tenths quicker than in ‘08, when the average performance was six tenths slower. He even bettered the improvement shown by Barrichello and Button who were in last year’s Honda. He is now the only driver to have improved in every qualifying session so far ‘08 compared to ‘09. Post Spa the team will be conducting yet another aero test: its third of the year. Tonio Liuzzi will be driving at Kemble airfield, UK, on 3 September. Both drivers returned to their respective homes (Adrian near Zurich in Switzerland and Fisi to Rome) between Europe and Belgium. The team’s mechanics and truckies travelled directly to Belgium to begin set-up for the race. At over 1,600km distance this is the longest European double header in recent memory. Force India’s predecessors Jordan Grand Prix scored its first-ever win at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1998 with Damon Hill. Ralf Schumacher, also driving a Jordan, was second for a 1-2 result. Giancarlo Fisichella scored his second-ever podium at Spa in 1997 (second, driving a Jordan) and has finished on the podium again in 2001 with Renault. Adrian Sutil set the Euro F3 lap record round Spa in 2005 when he was team-mate to Lewis Hamilton. When the series visited the track that year he won one of the two races and finished second in the final round. Belgian Grand Prix: View from the pit wall with Force India’s chief engineer, Dominic Harlow: Spa is a classic circuit and motorsport in its purest form. The Spa-Francorchamps track incorporates three of the most challenging high speed corners on the calendar and these combine with nearly 7km of flowing corners and elevation change starting at the first gear La Source hairpin and ending at the new Bus Stop chicane. One thing we can be sure of is that it will almost certainly be wet at some stage, although the race is slightly earlier this year so not in the wetter conditions of autumn. The team has a good history at this event and it should suit the VJM02 technical package well. This race will see the introduction of a lower downforce rear wing that will allow speeds of up to 330km/h. With these long straights the engine is given its toughest work out of the year in terms of inertial loading in Spa and so we will carefully manage the use of our Mercedes Benz engines. Adrian “Top 10 was goal for us” At first glance a 10th place finish might not seem spectacular, but in reality Adrian Sutil’s result in Valencia was extremely impressive, and demonstrated once more than Force India is now very much in the hunt for points. Just one car in front retired – that of Sebastian Vettel – and Adrian finished right behind Mark Webber, who won the German GP just a few weeks ago. What’s more at the flag he was only 13s behind World Championship leader Jenson Button after a race that was not affected by safety cars or any other interruptions. Despite the summer factory shut down the team had made very efficient use of the limited time available since Hungary. A major update package for Valencia proved to be so effective that Adrian was sixth fastest on Friday morning and again in the afternoon. He was fastest when Saturday morning’s session. While the top teams tend to run heavier fuel loads in that session, it was clear that the update was working well. “It’s a very simple track, it just goes straight on, so you don’t need a lot of downforce,” he says. “But I think we gained about half a second, and it should be even more in Spa.” Adrian had high hopes of making it into Q3, but in the end he missed out by a slender margin, and ended the session 12th. Adrian was hoping to gain some ground at the start. In fact all the chaos happened right behind him (and helped team mate Giancarlo Fisichella), and he finished the lap still in 12th place. “It was all blocked let’s say, and it was very hard to pass anybody. I was on the outside so I tried to go to the inside, because the outside isn’t very good for the second corner. I just kept my position, nothing really happened.” For the first part of the race he chased Nick Heidfeld’s BMW. At one point he got alongside, but his countryman held his line into the next corner, and forced Adrian wide. “Once I nearly made it on the outside, because the next turn was a lefthander so it would have been good for me. I was running out of space a little bit!” In the end he made it past on strategy at the second pit stops, and with Vettel retiring early, he moved up to 10th place. Aside from Heidfeld, Adrian also beat both Toyotas, a Renault and a Ferrari. His fastest lap was less than 0.1s slower than Webber’s, and less than 0.3s off that of Heikki Kovalainen, who finished fourth. “I think it was a strong race, and I’m really happy with it. I have done a few other races which were similar and maybe even had a better position in the end. But here almost nobody retired. And it was a dry race, and normally we’re strong in the wet races. “When I scored my point in Fuji it was a very good race because it was so difficult to stay on the circuit. But it’s important to have some good races in the dry, so I’m quite pleased with it. It was a good race and a good weekend. Finishing in the top 10 was a goal for us, and we achieved it, so I’m happy.” Attention now turns to Spa, one of Adrian’s favourite tracks and a place where he has shown well with much less competitive cars than he currently has. He’s looking forward to it. “Spa I think is our circuit. We were quite good there last year, and this year must be much, much better. I’ll be happy with a dry weekend. The circuit is amazing in the dry, and our car is now good in the dry. I want to see how our update works there!”

Renault

The ING Renault F1 Team looks forward to round twelve of the season, the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. Fernando Alonso: “Determined to keep pushing hard” Fernando, you came away from Valencia with three points – do you feel you got the most from the weekend? We were certainly disappointed after qualifying as we thought we had the pace to be higher up the grid, but we had an issue with the brakes and all the teams are so competitive this year that every tenth counts and qualifying is especially tight. We were happier with the performance of the car in the race and to come away with three points was not a bad result considering that we started eighth. I would have loved to reward my Spanish fans with a better result, but being totally honest I think we got the maximum that we could from the race. Spa is one of your favourite tracks – what makes it so special? It’s one of the traditional circuits that has a lot of history and a special atmosphere. All the drivers love to race there and it’s the greatest driving challenge of the year. The high-speed corners are amazing, especially Eau Rouge and Pouhon, and it’s always a pleasure to drive there in an F1 car. *What are you expectations for the weekend? Spa is a circuit where you need a complete car because it’s a very long lap and you need to find a set-up to cope with a lot of different challenges. There are quick corners, slow corners and long straights where you need good top speed to overtake or defend position, especially on the approach to Les Combes. Our car has been strong in the last few races so I think we can be quick in Spa too where I will continue pushing hard. Romain Grosjean: “Spa is one of the classic circuits of the world” Romain, you made your Grand Prix debut in Valencia – did you enjoy your first race? Yes, it was very exciting for me; I enjoyed every second of my first race I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to the team for their support and help through the weekend. Everything was new and I had to learn quickly, but I managed to get comfortable with the car and gradually built my confidence over the weekend. Overall I was pleased with my performance and glad to finish the race and gain some experience. When I crossed the line all my mechanics were on the pit wall cheering me on, which made me really happy. My aim now is to continue in the same way this weekend, working well with my engineers and making progress. *How did you spend the days after your first Grand Prix? I stayed in Valencia for a day to enjoy the city and get some rest before I went home to Geneva. Then on Tuesday I went back to work at the bank* to keep in touch with reality! I think it’s important to continue like this as I enjoy working there and this routine has always worked well for me in the past. Romain works part-time at a bank in Geneva Is Spa-Francorchamps a circuit that you know well? Yes, it’s one of my favourites and I know it very well as I won the GP2 feature race there last year. Spa is one of the classic circuits of the world and I can’t wait to experience corners like Eau Rouge in my F1 car. After a street circuit, it will be nice to go to a more traditional track with fast, flowing corners as I continue to learn about the R29. *What’s your target this weekend? So far the team has been very helpful and not put any pressure on me, but I would like to be more competitive in Spa and closer to Fernando. I know that I still have a lot to learn and so I will take things one day at a time and see how I feel after free practice before I start setting myself objectives. You also have to remember that in Spa the weather can be unpredictable and there’s usually a chance of rain so we need to be ready to react quickly to any opportunities in the race. Bob Bell: “We can be just as competitive in Spa” The team’s Technical Director looks forward to this weekend’s race. Bob, Fernando picked up three points in Valencia – were you satisfied with that? It was good to be back in the points, but overall we were disappointed as we had hoped for more from the weekend and believe we could have been fighting for a podium. Fernando was quick in practice and we were quite confident that he had the potential to get on the front row in qualifying, but unfortunately he had a brake problem which meant he started eighth. To make up two places in the race on a street circuit where overtaking is difficult was probably as much as we could have hoped for from the race. Romain Grosjean made his debut for the team – how did you assess his performance? Romain did an excellent job during his first Grand Prix. He settled in very well with the team, has a good relationship with the engineers and was sensible and consistent, which is as much as we could expect of anybody making their debut with little Formula One experience. I’m sure he’ll continue to mature and progress with each of the remaining races. Tell us about the technical challenge of Spa and how you expect the R29 to perform... It’s a technical circuit with a wide range of challenges: both high and low-speed. We haven’t got the quickest car on the grid, but that’s because the R29 is still missing a little bit of performance in all areas rather than a specific weakness that is likely to show up at certain circuits. Based on our performance in recent races, I’d expect to see a similar level of competitiveness in Spa. What new developments will be on the car this weekend and is the team planning to use KERS? We’re always adding new developments and for the next couple of races we’ll be using a low downforce package on the car. As for KERS, we don’t plan to use it in Spa, but we’re considering it for Monza as we believe it will provide a real advantage there. How is the team balancing the development of the R29 with next year’s car? Pushing the development of the R29 late into the season while also working on the R30 is stretching our resources to the limit. We’re managing things on a week-by-week basis and gradually allocating more and more resources onto next year’s car whist still pushing hard to improve the R29. We’re fortunate that the aerodynamic regulations next year remain the same and we can transfer what we learn from the R30 onto the current car, but it’s fair to say that the majority of the effort is now going into next year’s car.

McLaren

BELGIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW Lewis Hamilton "Like Monaco, Silverstone and Monza, it's one of the historic circuits that I grew up watching on television when I was younger - which makes it just that bit more special for me, because it's so easy to imagine the heroes of the past racing here. It's also a magnificent circuit, a place where you can really push the limits of a Formula 1 car: driving through Eau Rouge, Pouhon or Blanchimont is an incredible sensation - your whole body is on the limit and you are still pushing to go faster still. I love Spa - I don't think it should ever leave the Formula 1 calendar." Heikki Kovalainen "I think everyone in Formula 1 looks forward to Spa. For the drivers, the circuit is a fantastic challenge: unlike some of the places we visit, Spa has real character, and it's a place where the confidence and commitment of the driver can make a difference. The big corners mean you need to be brave and take risks - and also mean you'll have a big accident if you get it wrong. I love this place, I think it's the best circuit on the calendar." Martin Whitmarsh Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes "Despite making some major improvements to MP4-24, we go to Spa knowing that the circuit's high-speed configuration is unlikely to play to our strengths of our car. Having said that, our new technical package makes us confident that we'll be a strong contender for points as we look to improve on our fourth position in the constructors' championship. We've enjoyed a tremendous record here, winning 10 times, and both Lewis and Heikki love this place so I'm looking forward to another exciting race." Norbert Haug, Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport "Spa has every element to make a circuit interesting, from long and demanding corners like Pouhon and Stavelot to the tight hairpin La Source which can be taken at a speed of only 70km/h. We have won four of the previous eight grands prix at this demanding circuit, the one with the second highest average speed after Monza of all grand prix circuits. The last two grands prix at Budapest and Valencia have completely different characteristics and according to experience at Spa there will hardly be tropical temperatures like at the previous two races. In these two races, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes scored 27 of 36 possible points - no other team was more successful. After 46 races, Lewis continues to be the driver in the field who during this period, since the beginning of the 2007 season, scored the most points and wins and he started almost half of his Formula 1 races from the front row. Only twice he did not finish. Heikki showed a good upward trend with second on the grid and fourth in the race lately. Spa will be a big challenge for everybody in the team and I don't see us in a position to perform there as well as in the previous two races. Nevertheless, we approach the second grand prix which will be held within eight days after the summer break with great impetus and very positively - at least, our hit rate there was not so bad in the previous eight grands prix." McLaren at the Belgian Grand Prix&ldots; 10 years ago (August 29 1999) Victory went to David Coulthard, pole and fastest lap to Mika Hakkinen. The pair touched at the first corner, enabling the Scot to establish a decisive lead over the Finn that he maintained to the end. Mika finished second - 10 seconds behind. 20 years ago (August 27 1989) McLaren dominates the race - Ayrton Senna dominates the race driving an MP4/5, leading every lap from pole position. Team-mate Alain Prost ably backs him up, setting fastest lap on his way to runner-up spot. 30 years ago (May 13 1979) John Watson salvages a point for the team, starting 19th but climbing to a points finish in sixth at the wheel of an M28B at Zolder. Watson's team-mate Patrick Tambay underlines the team's poor form by failing to qualify his M26.

Raikkonen in Spa for another place on the podium

Maranello, 25th August 2009 - I really enjoy winning, but even a third place can give you some good feelings. We started into the European GP from the sixth position on the starting grid, we had a good start and we managed to gain another place on the podium: we can hardly expect more than this. Our goal is to fight for a position amongst the first three teams and we’ve reached this goal. It was definitely one of my best weekends so far this year, together with the ones in Monaco and Budapest, obviously from a technical point of view. This year the car runs very well on the city circuits and on the ones with slower corners. In Valencia I had a very good feeling since Friday’s first practice session, when we drove a lot with lots of petrol on board and we knew that if we could gain a decent result in the qualifying and had a good start we’d have the possibility to fight for a place on the podium – and that is how it went in the end. The F60’s race set up is better than the one for the qualifying; due to that fact we could be faster than Kovalainen’s McLaren during the middle stint: during this part of the race I was constantly informed about my own and Heikki’s lap times, giving 110%. The car was set up well and the speed was high enough to overtake him during the pit stop. With the points we gained, we are still ahead of McLaren in the Constructors’ Championsip. This is our goal as a team, but it’s very difficult to reach, considering that we stopped developing this car, concentrating on the one for the upcoming season. In a couple of days we’ll be on the track again for the Belgian GP. The main goal is to hold the standard of the last races, which means that we have to try to get on the podium again. I always loved racing at Spa where I’ve won many times since I started my career in the smaller racing series. I really like driving here: 44 laps might be not enough! Last year everything went up in smoke due to the rain at the end of the race and I ran into a wall: I set all on victory and I didn’t have anything to lose. This year the situation is slightly different, also because we don’t have a car that’s able to compete on the highest performance level. But we’ll give it our all - and even more - for a good result. You need a very good set up for the car for the fast corners in Spa. Overtaking doesn’t happen very often this year so it’s very important to have a good qualifying. We’ll always have the KERS at the start.

Q & A with Toyota's Pascal Vasselon

Q. Why is Spa so special? Pascal Vasselon: For most of the drivers Spa is probably the best circuit in the world, with only Suzuka coming close. The reason for this is that Spa is one of the last natural circuits left in Formula 1, which means the lay-out is not artificial and it is dictated by the surroundings. Then you have the countryside around Spa, with the hills and forests which create a wonderful atmosphere. The other reason is that it is a fast circuit; drivers and spectators are fascinated by speed. Apart from Monaco, which is an exception to the rule, I have never heard a driver excited about a low-speed circuit. The combination of these factors makes it a really special place. Q. Is it still magical, even after the recent changes? PV: The Spa circuit has a long history and you could argue that it lost some of its magic with the big change in the late 1970s, when it went from being a very long circuit a little bit like the Nurburgring Nordschleife to the lay-out we know now. That first lay-out just seems crazy to us now because cars were going flat-out through villages and the safety standards were very far away from what we are used to today. At the time it was a magical place but it had to change. The current generation of Spa lay-out was adjusted recently but that did not really change the nature of the circuit and the attraction of the track has not been diluted at all. Q. What about Eau Rouge? PV: It is a fantastic corner because you have changes of curvature in all directions; you go left and right but also down and up at the same time. This combination makes it unique but I have to say it has lost a bit of its magic now that it is easily flat out. We expect it to remain flat out in the dry this season even considering the aerodynamic changes, largely because the slick tyres compensate for the loss of downforce with increased grip. But where Eau Rouge regains its magic is in the rain; to watch a Formula 1 car through there on a wet track is just unbelievable. It is especially impressive if you have watched other types of car go through the corner in similar conditions because the Formula 1 cars are massively faster. Q. How important is Eau Rouge to the whole lap? Is it important or just another corner? PV: It is no longer a place where you could win or lose a second a lap as could have been the case in the past before it was flat out. It is not a straight, obviously, but considering it is flat out you largely treat it as such. Still, you have to take this corner into account to some extent when you think about set-ups because you want to avoid bottoming, so it has some influence. Q. What forces does a car experience through Eau Rouge? PV: We design the car to resist the most extreme loading conditions and Eau Rouge is one of the factors we have to take into account because you combine very high vertical acceleration, because of the compression, with a very high lateral load. These factors are not surpassed anywhere else in the season so our cars, particularly the suspension, are designed to cope specifically with the forces generated through Eau Rouge. Q. How demanding is Spa on the engines? PV: It is simply the most important track of the year for engines, even more so than Monza. That is because at Spa you have high-speed engine limited corners as well as long straights, whereas at Monza you only have long straights and slow chicanes. As a result we are planning to use a new engine in both cars for this race. Q. Is there any part of the car which isn't under severe stress at Spa? PV: The braking severity is below average and this is really the only system that is not stretched too much. Q. How much of a factor is the potential for bad weather? PV: At Spa it is possible to be in a situation where you develop a wet set-up and we did this in 2005 when rain on Sunday was an absolute certainty. Even when the weather seems reasonable at Spa you have to be prepared for anything. But don't think that Spa cannot offer very good weather. I live close to there and the number of nice sunny days is actually very high; its reputation is exaggerated! Q. Will the team have any upgrades for the Belgian Grand Prix? PV: This season Spa and Monza are the two circuits which stand out as requiring a lower downforce package so we have taken that into account. As a result we have a special package for these two races, meaning revised front and rear wings as well as other aerodynamic changes. Q. What is the team doing to address the recent difference between qualifying and race pace? PV: Timo set the fastest race lap in Valencia and that was not a one-off; if you go through all the lap times he was consistently fast but we clearly have an issue with qualifying pace. We are not happy with this situation and we are looking into every area - tyre handling, set-up, how we prepare for qualifying - to get more from the car over one lap. We are studying every factor which could explain why we have more relative pace in the race compared to qualifying and we will take whatever action is necessary.

ING Renault F1 Team gears up for Sochi Roadshow

The ING Renault F1 Team is pleased to announce that Sochi, Russia will be the latest stop on its 2009 Roadshow calendar. The Russian city will echo to the sounds of the team’s F1 cars on Friday 18th September when race driver Romain Grosjean and demo driver Adam Khan stage a series of spectacular demonstrations on the streets of the city. This Roadshow will be run in collaboration with MegaFon, one of the team’s partners, under the support of the Sochi City Government and will coincide with the Sochi Economic Forum, which will be chaired by Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, and attended by President Dmitry Medvedev. This unique event will help showcase the excitement of Formula One to the Sochi public and Russia’s business elite, and is an opportunity for the team’s drivers to learn more about the tremendous developments taking place in Sochi in preparation for the 2014 winter Olympics – of which MegaFon is the Official Communications Partner. The team will take its single, two and three-seater experiential F1 cars normally used during its Feel-It day programmes in France to the event allowing selected media and guests at the Economic Forum the exclusive opportunity to experience a passenger ride in an F1 car. Flavio Briatore, ING Renault F1 Team Managing Director, underlined: “Our Roadshow events continue to take the sport to the public and offer fans the chance to get close to the team and experience Formula One in a friendly and relaxed environment. The decision to stage this event in Sochi, which is undergoing such massive transformation as it readies for the 2014 Winter Olympics, is the ideal way to showcase the unique atmosphere of Formula One within a new yet unexplored market where we know there to be significant interest in our sport.” Romain Grosjean noted: “Renault’s Roadshow events are always special and the chance to drive an F1 car on the streets of Sochi is something I’m really looking forward to. I will do my best to put on a spectacular show for the fans and give a few lucky people the drive of a lifetime.” Demonstration driver, Adam Khan, added: “I’m really excited about the upcoming event in Sochi. Russia is a new market for Formula One and many of the fans will get to experience the sight and sound of an F1 car up-close for the first time. Driving an F1 car is always fun, but to do it on the public streets with the fans so close will be especially exciting.” Renault will also be transporting a number of its historic racing cars, as well as pit-stop equipment and race simulators to allow the assembled audience to get a hands-on feel for the excitement of F1 in the southern Russian resort city of Sochi. Andrey Kraynik, CEO of MegaFon branch in Northern Caucause, commented: “We are so pleased that we have the opportunity to demonstrate the excitement of the ING Renault F1 Team Roadshow alongside the 2009 Sochi Economic Forum. Formula One expresses the ideas close to MegaFon’s corporate values: perfection, development of high technologies, good results, and striving for new victories. We are happy to present such a unique sporting spectacle to our Winter Olympic Capital, the people of Sochi and the participants of the Economic Forum to help demonstrate Sochi’s ability to stage exciting international events.”

European Grand Prix Debrief - Q+A with Timo Glock

The European Grand Prix marked the return to racing after a four-week summer break; were you relaxed heading to Valencia? I had a great break, mainly just relaxing with friends and family near my home and I actually went to Valencia a little before I needed to so I could be completely rested and ready for action. As a Formula 1 driver you don’t get much time to yourself so I was happy to have a quiet break and avoid travelling or anything like that. As well as relaxing I also did quite a bit of fitness work, especially cycling which I enjoy. How tough was it to drive in such hot conditions? It was really hot and you do notice that in the cockpit. I work a lot on my fitness so it doesn’t cause any problems but it can be uncomfortable, especially at a track like Valencia where you have to concentrate hard with the concrete walls quite close by. At least this year was easier than last as I didn’t have any illness, which made it less exhausting. Obviously before the race you need to drink a lot of water to compensate for the amount you lose through sweat and I did that so it was okay in the end. How was the race weekend overall? It was tricky to be honest because we did not perform at the level we expected. The car felt okay on Friday and, even though the standings were not in our favour, we still felt reasonably confident. Unfortunately on Saturday we were struggling a bit with pace already in final practice and that continued into qualifying, so we qualified much lower than expected. That made it really tough to score any points and that’s how it turned out, so it was disappointing in the end. What happened in the race? My chances of fighting back into the points were basically destroyed on the first lap when I got a puncture after being struck from behind. It was quite tight at the first corner and I had to dive down the inside, then I felt a hit from behind and it was obvious I had a right rear puncture so I needed to make a pit stop. There was no realistic chance of points after that but I continued pushing as hard as I could because you never know, and it is also useful for the team to get as much data as possible. What about your fastest lap? As I said, I was pushing really hard all through the race and my pace was pretty good. Even on my first full lap after the unscheduled pit stop, when I had a completely full fuel load, my lap time was one minute 41.7 seconds which was extremely quick relative to the other guys when you consider they all had less fuel on board. So I was still trying to get the most out of the car and after my third pit stop I found a really good rhythm on the super soft tyres. I was just going quicker and quicker then after the race they told me I set the fastest lap. It’s the first time I’ve done that in Formula 1 so it’s quite a nice achievement but to be honest I would have much preferred to be in the points! What are your thoughts about the team’s recent qualifying performances? We know this is an area to improve and everyone is working really hard to get more out of the car on one lap. Our race pace is much stronger relative to the other cars than our qualifying pace and this is a bit frustrating because it makes it harder to get the results we expect. In Valencia I was really giving it everything but the tyres were dropping off in the last few corners and, when the field is so close, that costs you quite a lot in terms of grid position. What are your expectations for the Belgian Grand Prix? I hope we can be strong. Last year I crossed the line in eighth place but was given a time penalty after the race because the stewards said I overtook under a yellow flag. I had to accept it, even though I didn’t feel I did anything wrong and this weekend I will be fighting to make up for that disappointment by scoring my first Formula 1 points at Spa.

Bridgestone introduces tin balance weights

Bridgestone has introduced new tin weights for its Formula One and GP2 Series wheel and tyre balancing process from the European Grand Prix onwards. Processes have also been put in place to enable the recycling of these new tin weights. The use of tin as balance weights is believed to have less of an environmental impact than weights made of lead, as previously used. Bridgestone uses almost a metric tonne (1000 kg) of wheel balance weights over the course of a season. Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says: “Bridgestone’s Environmental Philosophy is to help ensure a healthy environment for current and future generations so we are always looking at ways to reduce our environmental impact. Lead weights have been used in Formula One for many years and offered a good technical solution. However we now believe that we have a more environmentally sound method with tin weights. We have also changed our processes as well to enable recycling of all the waste weights after they have been used. We are very grateful for the close co-operation of all the teams in assisting us to make this change.” Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says: “Even a highly sophisticated Formula One or GP2 tyre and wheel requires balancing as there are subtle variations in the tyre and wheel as well as a valve and sensors connected to the wheel rim. An unbalanced wheel causes vibrations, making the job for the driver very unpleasant, and even potentially causing problems for components on the car. This means that ensuring the wheel and tyre is balanced correctly is an important consideration for Bridgestone and the teams. We are happy that these new weights offer a good solution.” James Gresham - Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Logistics Manager, says: “Although this may seem like a small change there are many considerations involved and we have been working closely with our weight supplier and the teams to ensure this development is made. Each team has its own wheel rims and brake and ducting systems, so we had to ensure everyone was happy with the change. Although we only add small amounts of weight to each wheel rim, over the course of a season this adds up to almost a metric tonne, so recycling these weights will be beneficial.”

Williams

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium In the slipstream of two circuits that render overtaking all but impossible, Spa offers welcome relief to frustrated drivers. Fast and challenging, the longest track on the calendar incorporates a raft of passing opportunities and some of the most exhilarating corners of the season, notably Pouhon and Eau Rouge. The weather often generates a little unwanted excitement, too, in the form of sudden cloudbursts. Drivers plump for both one-and two-stop strategies (the latter favoured by the quicker qualifiers), but adverse weather in 2008 meant two or three stops became the order of the day. Talking technical Car dynamics Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time. Average turn angle at Spa-Francorchamps is 760 which is the lowest in the Championship and highlights the flowing nature of the circuit. The end of straight (EOS) speed at Spa was 319kp/h in 2008. The Belgium track ranks as having the 2nd highest EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. Meanwhile, Spa has the 2nd highest average lap speed of any of the tracks on the calendar. Pitlane & refuelling strategy The pitlane length and profile contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at Spa is approximately 19.8 seconds, which is the 6th least penalising pitlane in the Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around Spa requires 2.25kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, ranking the circuit as the 2nd least demanding in terms of fuel consumption. Safety car Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is the likelihood of safety car deployments, which are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start of the race. There have been 4 safety car deployments in the last 7 races at Spa, which means that there is a 57% chance that the circuit’s character will induce a safety car period. Temperature, pressure & humidity As an example, it is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine and aerodynamic performance during the season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic performance and cooling. The losses can come close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if races are run at the same time each year, the factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is elevation. Spa Francorchamps is 410m above sea level and has the 3rd lowest average pressure (968 mbar) of any race venue in the 2009 championship. As a consequence, the circuit’s ambient characteristics will result in a significant reduction in engine power. What the drivers say Reflections on the European Grand Prix Nico “It was a good weekend for us. Again, the car performed really well which is good to see. It’s been consistent on every single track so far so I’m pleased with the way the team is working. In relation to other teams, we’ve done well on the development front as well. We should have been on the podium this race, but McLaren have made an even bigger jump than us which is frustrating, but we are always there and a podium should come soon. Hopefully Kazuki will have some more good fortune on his side for the rest of the season as he was very quick this weekend and he could have scored some points if it weren’t for the puncture.” Kazuki “From Saturday on, it was a bad weekend for me. We had a problem with the car in qualifying which ruled me out of Q2 and put me right down the grid in P17. From there, it was hard work to make any headway even though I made up three places in the opening lap. I was running in 13th and racing for 11th when I then had a puncture which was really frustrating. Up until then, it was going quite well considering so the end result was a shame.” What we did after Valencia Kazuki “We only have a couple of days before heading over to Belgium, so I’ll be going to the factory to do some simulator work with my engineers.” Nico “I don’t have any plans really. I’m going home to Monaco and will just be relaxing with friends and fitting in some training.” *Spa – from a technical perspective Nico “Spa should be good for the team. It’s a very high speed track, very different to Valencia, but our car goes really well everywhere. This track, in particular, will suit our car because we have a strong aero package for the quick corners so I’m looking forward to it.” Kazuki “It’s very different to Valencia with its medium and high speed corners. We struggled a bit there in 2008 but this year’s car is competitive everywhere so it should be fine. The weather made it a difficult race last year so hopefully it will be more stable this year.” Belgium: love it or hate it? Nico “Belgium’s in the middle of nowhere really so it will make a change to the places where we’ve visited recently. Going to different places is what Formula One’s about though so it will be nice.” Kazuki “I don’t have much experience of the country as a whole, but Spa and the surrounding countryside is really beautiful. It’s quiet, but the people are really passionate about Formula One so always really nice to go there.”

Ferrari

No break for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro eight days after the summer halt. After the European GP the Team is already getting ready for the next race, which will be held at Spa-Francorchamps: the two F60s used last Sunday in Valencia are on their way to Belgium, while some mechanics already arrived at the track. The main part of the team will leave for the Ardennes tomorrow afternoon, while the rest of the men and women will arrive Wednesday morning. The cars will be checked in the box at the probably most fascinating track in the world. Therefore it will be necessary to set up the garage as soon as possible, much faster than it usually happens for transfers in Europe. Meanwhile the usual meetings after the race were held in Maranello, where the race in Valencia has been analysed in all its details. Chairman Montezemolo met Stefano Domenicali and the technicians with an eye to the upcoming races, but also talking about the development of next year’s single-seater. The two Scuderia drivers will start into the race at Spa with a particular spirit: at the Belgium circuit some of the most beautiful races have been driven by Kimi, who won there three times in a row, while last year, he was leading the race just a couple of kilometres before the chequered flag. Luca will have the possibility to demonstrate his ability on a track he knows, after his debut in Spain, where he gained confidence with the car during a race.

Midnight Run: Valencia to Spa

F1’s dash across Europe Anybody who’s ever set foot in the paddock on Sunday afternoon knows that Formula One teams don’t like to hang around. As soon as the chequered flag falls, the pack-up begins. It’s a remarkable scene as the temporary paddock city of trucks, garages and motor-homes disappear in just a matter of hours. Like everything in Formula One, speed is of the essence. But when you’re faced with back-to-back races in Spain and Belgium on consecutive weekends, packing up becomes a race against the clock as the ING Renault F1 Team explains&ldots; Packing up The pack-up after yesterday’s race in Valencia was the same as any other European race this season. However, the sooner we were packed up, the sooner the trucks could get on the road and on their way to Spa. As usual, the garage structure was the first thing to be dismantled and packed away, while the cars were the final items to be loaded. Soon after 10:00pm the first few trucks had navigated their way out of the paddock to begin the 36-hour journey to Spa. From now on each truck will be manned by two truckies, stopping only for fuel and a driver change in Metz in eastern France on Monday evening. For obvious reasons, the team’s vast motor-homes take the longest time to dismantle – about nine hours in total, so there’s no time to be lost in packing them away. Writing the post-race press release in Valencia was therefore quite an experience as poles, chairs and floor panels were stacked around me. There was also the ever-present threat of losing internet connection hanging over my head, although the truckies gave me two hours grace before they pulled the plug. By midnight the motorhome trucks were packed and beginning the 1,600km trek to Spa. The airport While the trucks wind their way through France, the mechanics and engineers will make their way to Valencia’s airport this morning and fly to Brussels (the nearest airport to Spa). After a busy weekend of racing it’s important that they have a day off on Tuesday before they get back to work on Wednesday. Set-up in Spa For a typical European race the trucks would normally arrive at the circuit on the Monday before the race so that the support crew can begin building the garage and constructing the motor-homes. However, this week the trucks won’t arrive in Spa until Tuesday morning, which means that a full day of set-up time is lost. As the mechanics will be at the track on Wednesday morning to strip and rebuild the chassis, the set-up crew have just one day to construct most of the team’s infrastructure. It’s a case of condensing two days work into one day, as Race Team Coordinator Geoff Simmonds explains: “We won’t leave the circuit until the whole thing is set up on Tuesday evening so that everything is in place for the race team. It just means the lads have to put in a lot of hard work to get things done in a much shorter space of time.” The motor-homes take the most time to build – almost a day and a half, but most of the outer structure will be up by the end of Tuesday and ready for completion on Wednesday morning. That’s when the chefs can move into the temporary kitchens and start cooking up lunch for the team as a reward for all the hard work. So there you have it. Just three days after racing in Valencia, the ING Renault F1 Team will be set-up and ready to face the next challenge in Spa. It’s a good example of the just how relentless Formula One can be and the efforts that go on behind the scenes to keep the show on the road.

Toyota

Jarno Trulli, Toyota 2008 Qualifying - 11th, 2008 Race - 16th "Spa is a fantastic track and definitely my favourite in Formula One. It is a real driver's circuit and that suits me perfectly. There is almost every type of corner, so all the way around the lap you are challenged and I love that. Every time you drive around Spa it is amazing but I have to say it was special to get pole position there a few years ago. It was disappointing not to achieve more last weekend in Valencia but it's a different style of lay-out compared to Spa. The competition in F1 is particularly tough at the moment but we are fighting hard and it would be great to get a good result at such a special place. Spa always gives me a positive feeling and we'll be pushing as hard as we can to get the best possible result." Timo Glock, Toyota 2008 Qualifying - 13th, 2008 Race - 9th "Along with Monaco, Spa is my favourite circuit. To drive a Formula 1 car around it is a fantastic experience and it's one of the best feelings you can have in this sport. It's one of those circuits you dream about racing on when you are growing up; it's just a very impressive track. Even though I really enjoy the circuit, I have some frustrating memories of the place; being taken out by another driver on the warm-up lap in 2007 and being penalised last year when I did one of the best final laps of my career to get into the points. That was all down to bad luck so I am due a change! Last year the weather was a big factor in the race and rain always seems to be a risk at Spa, but I have been quick there in the wet and dry so I am excited about this weekend." Pascal Vasselon, Toyota Senior General Manager Chassis "Spa is a truly spectacular circuit, not just for the drivers, but for anyone who has the privilege of watching a Formula One car there, particularly through Eau Rouge. The forces generated through this corner are extreme, especially for the suspension. It will be interesting to see how the 2009 cars behave; even though there is less downforce, we now have more grip with the slick tyres so I expect it to remain flat-out in the dry. Spa is in the medium-low downforce range and it is quite severe on almost all components, with only the brakes having a relatively easy time because there is plenty of cooling and not so much heavy braking. We will use the soft and medium compound tyres and it will be the first time we have used these together at a race weekend this season. However, we have plenty of experience of both so we have a clear idea of what to expect."

BMW Sauber

Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber 2008 Qualifying - 8th, 2008 Race - 6th "We are heading to the final stage of the season which offers a lot of nice tracks, beginning with Spa-Francorchamps. It is a race track with a great history. Most of the drivers like driving here. The circuit is very long with a lot of challenging high-speed corners. Finding the right balance is one crucial factor in Spa, which is quite difficult. The weather is always unpredictable and mostly changeable. It might be dry on some parts of the track and it might rain heavily on others. Driving in Spa is challenging and it is always exciting to come here." Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber 2008 Qualifying - 5th, 2008 Race - 2nd "Spa is a sensational race track. The 2008 race was one of my best ever. I was running in the points and decided shortly before the end of the race to switch onto wet-weather tyres. It turned out to be a spot-on decision and put me eventually into second. Sudden changes in the weather can have a decisive effect on this grand prix. Even if it's hot all over Europe, there might still be torrential rain at Spa. Plus, Spa is only an hour or so from Monchengladbach by car, so this race always gives me the chance to make a quick visit back to my old home town." Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director "Spa - only three letters, but a place with so much motor racing history. Spa is an essential date on the F1 calendar. We love coming to this small, sleepy Belgian town. Spa is a fantastic natural race circuit tucked away in the beautiful, rugged Ardennes. Recent modifications have meant Eau Rouge is now taken flat out in the dry, creating the longest full-throttle section of the season. As this part of the track also rises significantly, engine output and durability are really put to the test. The second defining feature of Spa is the unpredictable weather. It changes very quickly; rain can suddenly set in, but sometimes only over one section of the track. We are aiming to record another good result in the penultimate race of the European season." Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber head of engineering "Spa is the longest circuit on the F1 calendar and the race is therefore run over the least number of laps. This significantly restricts the teams' room for manoeuvre in terms of race strategy, because staying out one lap more or less makes a big difference to the amount of fuel a driver has on board. "As far as the track characteristics are concerned, Spa is the first circuit this season where we will be running medium downforce with the 2009 cars. Up to now, we have sent the cars out with high downforce for every GP. The difference is considerable and means we will use special wings at Spa. The track layout has a real excitement factor, which goes beyond the renowned Eau Rouge. The spectrum of cornering speeds is huge; the corners range from the extremely tight Bus Stop chicane to the high-speed Blanchimont. "We can usually expect relatively low ambient temperatures at Spa, so getting heat into the tyres is sure to be an issue. Spa is traditionally the only race where you also prepare a rain set-up for every session. That makes this weekend an extremely exacting one for the engineers because, in addition to adapting the car to the particular characteristics of the circuit, you also have to factor in the weather."