F1 2024: Belgian GP - Spa-Francorchamps (July 28)

[CMW33]

Outlets are reporting Renault is planning to sell the Alpine F1 team...

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by HeelToeShift

Good start to the weekend it appears given this is only FP1 and a good foundational setup. Max's advantage was all in S2...which says that despite running more wing he is as quick as anyone else in S1/S3. And that's not even taking into account the RB's detuned engines.

They removed all the Hungarian upgrades from the RB20.
At least from MAX's car . The car runs better now , but they still have setup issues.

Think MAX will be P3 in the QF . So that means P13 at the startgrid.
But there's a big chance of rain during the QF . At this moment the sky is very cloudy and dark.

MAX and Gianpiero Lambiase (GP) at SPA

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by Davil

I wonder if they are going to stick with a typical Belgian guy singing the national anthem or go with something a little more outlandish this time?

Can’t wait for this race. Always delivers.

That clown was a true shame for Belgium and motorsports (!)

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by minn19

Max didn’t win in 2021, that was given to him.

So it was also the case for the entire top 10 .

I'm pretty sure , you are still butthurt .

[///M Power-Belgium]

.

[minn19]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

So it was also the case for the entire top 10 .

I'm pretty sure , you are still butthurt .

Apparently you didn’t see my agreement with the post that said no race points should have been awarded. No surprise.

Every true F1 fan should’ve been butthurt, it has to do with a word you are unfamiliar with, it’s called integrity. More so for constructor’s championship reasons than the WDC. But obviously both are extremely important.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by minn19

Apparently you didn’t see my agreement with the post that said no race points should have been awarded. No surprise.

Every true F1 fan should’ve been butthurt, it has to do with a word you are unfamiliar with, it’s called integrity. More so for constructor’s championship reasons than the WDC. But obviously both are extremely important.

It happened according to the FIA regulations . Otherwise it would never have happened .

It was just too dangerous to race with 2-3 cm of water at the track .
The spray was insane . Visibility was ZERO (!)

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

It happened according to the FIA regulations . Otherwise it would never have happened .

It was just too dangerous to race with 2-3 cm of water at the track .
The spray was insane . Visibility was ZERO (!)

The regulations are what they are, no one disputing that but it really took them 3 laps to determine you could not properly race? I can't recall the race from 3 years ago but I remember the radio with everyone complaining they couldn't even see, I think Max even complained and he was lead car. You combine the complaints and a very dumb rule where points are given out after two laps, there should be outrage regardless of who your favorite team/driver is - the process just doesn't make sense to even hand out points and count it officially as a race.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by TheBingoBalls

The regulations are what they are, no one disputing that but it really took them 3 laps to determine you could not properly race? I can't recall the race from 3 years ago but I remember the radio with everyone complaining they couldn't even see, I think Max even complained and he was lead car. You combine the complaints and a very dumb rule where points are given out after two laps, there should be outrage regardless of who your favorite team/driver is - the process just doesn't make sense to even hand out points and count it officially as a race.

The whole day It was a flood of water at the SPA track. Teams ,drivers and crowd were waiting for 3 hours ...
Finally they had to try 'something so see if a race was possible (or not)! And that was a test with all the cars 3 laps behind the pace car .
As you say : Everyone was complaining they couldn't even see (!)

There was no point in waiting any longer . Because within 2 hours it would have been too dark to race at SPA in the Belgian Ardennes .
So the FIA took the SPA QF ranking for the race , according to the FIA regulations .

[minn19]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

The whole day It was a flood of water at the SPA track. Teams ,drivers and crowd were waiting for 3 hours ...
Finally they had to try 'something so see if a race was possible (or not)! And that was a test with all the cars 3 laps behind the pace car .
As you say : Everyone was complaining they couldn't even see (!)

There was no point in waiting any longer . Because within 2 hours it would have been too dark to race at SPA in the Belgian Ardennes .
So the FIA took the SPA QF ranking for the race , according to the FIA regulations .

We all know how it went, they should’ve never went out in the first place. It was pretty clear that it wasn’t possible to hold the race that day. Should’ve been canceled/no points.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by minn19

We all know how it went, they should’ve never went out in the first place. It was pretty clear that it wasn’t possible to hold the race that day. Should’ve been canceled/no points.

You should address your post and comments to the FIA .

Mate . We can not change the FIA regulations...

[///M Power-Belgium]

***

[minn19]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

You should address your post and comments to the FIA .

Mate . We can not change the FIA regulations...

Do FIA regulations require a race to start even though it’s clear it should be cancelled/can’t be safely run?

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by minn19

Do FIA regulations require a race to start even though it’s clear it should be cancelled/can’t be safely run?

The list of the FIA race regulations is extremely long => https://www.fia.com/sites/default/fi...2023-09-26.pdf

[Artemis]

"The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix" (July 25, 2024):
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Ibd4A15c1MyaVV





Picture from the past: every marriage table was a Spa-Francorchamps circuit corner/place (the picture is 100% genuine - my beloved wife had kept the concept as a surprise for me ):

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

"The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix" (July 25, 2024):
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Ibd4A15c1MyaVV

Attachment 3512334

Attachment 3512335

Picture from the past: every marriage table was a Spa-Francorchamps circuit corner/place (the picture is 100% genuine - my beloved wife had kept the concept as a surprise for me ):

Congrats on your big day at Spa then which looked sunny also!

I watched the bit vid of Hakkinen's overtake on Schumacher using Zonta as a slingshot on the Kemmel rise and to me it was just a straightforward pass without all the razzmatazz from the media at the time saying it was the 'overtake of the decade'. Zonta could see them coming and froze in the middle probably taking foot off the gas a little so he wouldn't get caught up in the impending move but he also could have moved to the right before MH arrived also which thankfully he didn't.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

Congrats on your big day at Spa then which looked sunny also!

It was elsewhere on the planet, on a bright sunny day many years ago.

Originally Posted by M5Rick

I watched the bit vid of Hakkinen's overtake on Schumacher using Zonta as a slingshot on the Kemmel rise and to me it was just a straightforward pass without all the razzmatazz from the media at the time saying it was the 'overtake of the decade'. Zonta could see them coming and froze in the middle probably taking foot off the gas a little so he wouldn't get caught up in the impending move but he also could have moved to the right before MH arrived also which thankfully he didn't.

Hakkinen caught Schumacher off guard. It was a daunting maneuver at top speed by Hakkinen. Zonta (the backmarker) could have moved swiftly out of the way to the right to let Schumacher and Hakkinen pass - but he didn't, so Hakkinen decided in a split second to overtake both Schumacher and Zonta on the right on one of the fastest sections of the track. If Hakkinen had made contact with Zonta, it would have ended badly.

Different angles and MH and MS comments: here

"A speedy blast through the Ardennes forest
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps poses a technical challenge for drivers navigating fast corners and long straights. Here’s a circuit-related history lesson as we take a walk through the Ardennes forest:
Turn 1: La Source
When the drivers leave the starting grid, they’re met with a hairpin: one of the slowest corners on the track. The U-shaped turn’s name supposedly comes from water sources in the area.
Turn 2: Eau Rouge
Named after a stream that runs under the circuit, Eau Rouge means “red water.” The stones and riverbed have a reddish color to them from the rich iron-oxide deposits. The great Michael Schumacher once described this turn as “flying downhill and seeing a big mountain in front of you.”
Turn 3: Raidillon
Introduced in 1939, the Raidillon drops drivers approximately 40 meters (131 feet) from the curve’s start to the exit.
Raidillon to the Kemmel Straight
As drivers crest the hill at Raidillon and navigate onto the kilometer-long straight, they face a blind corner, posing a risk, particularly during wet conditions. This is the crash site that killed van ‘t Hoff and where F2 driver Anthoine Hubert was killed in August 2019.
In the wake of van ‘t Hoff’s death, many F1 drivers called for changes. “Even if it’s dry and someone loses the car, it’s a blind corner – hit the wall, car comes out, 300 plus km/h (186 mph), you’re toast,” Lance Stroll said.
Turn 10-11: Pouhon
Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean has called this “mega” double lefthander “probably the best corner of the whole season.” It’s taken at dizzying speeds as drivers slightly lift off on the first bend before going full throttle through the second.
Turns 18-19: Chicane, formerly known as Bus Stop
Meet the slow S-shaped sequence where there literally used to be a bus stop back when the track was open to traffic. It’s a tight sequence and requires precision as it is one of the strongest braking zones."
(source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/473...belgian-gp-f1/)

About the fatal 1985 Ickx-Bellof crash at Eau Rouge:
https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...4#post29211224





Missing the F1 V8 sound (Ferrari F60 2009 and Red Bull RB5 2009 - Spa):

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

It was elsewhere on the planet, on a bright sunny day many years ago.

Hakkinen caught Schumacher off guard. It was a daunting maneuver at top speed by Hakkinen. Zonta (the backmarker) could have moved swiftly out of the way to the right to let Schumacher and Hakkinen pass - but he didn't, so Hakkinen decided in a split second to overtake both Schumacher and Zonta on the right on one of the fastest sections of the track. If Hakkinen had made contact with Zonta, it would have ended badly.

Different angles and MH and MS comments: here

Our registry marriage was here in GB and the main wedding 3 weeks later was not a thousand miles away somewhere in Europe

As you say thank goodness Zonta didn't move from the middle and had the brain power to stay where he was and let the road runners through.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

Our registry marriage was here in GB and the main wedding 3 weeks later was not a thousand miles away somewhere in Europe

As you say thank goodness Zonta didn't move from the middle and had the brain power to stay where he was and let the road runners through.

RAIN (!)

Non-stop RAIN in last 2 hours...

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

RAIN (!)

Non-stop RAIN in last 2 hours...

It was forecast..one good thing is you did your gardening chores while it was dry. Shortly cutting the grass here now while the going is good with some fresh 99 gas going into the mower but after the FP3

[G30M]

f1 is a fairweather sport. nobody bothers using wets, then stroll crashes on inters, then FIA just red flags the whole session

[M5Rick]

MAX nails FP3 at the right moment and roll on quali round the corner, he knows the weather so well being born and brought up close to there.