2010 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix

[iceman1]

Replace the A with an E in "Snoras".

[phil1993]

Barrichello will use a special helmet + livery for his 300th race this weekend

[andrebires]

Barrichello will use a special helmet + livery for his 300th race this weekend

From Barrichello's twitter:

[swca92]

Surely you'd want to keep the helmet design that got you 299 starts???

[Wolfie]

Here are a couple of exclusive interviews with Kubica from Spa:

Renault's continuance depends on the F-Duct

Turun Sanomat 25.8 2010 22:37:42

Renault will get their own version of McLaren's F-Duct to the race in Belgium GP this weekend.

– We can only hope that it works properly. If it works straight away then we are in for a good endseason. If it doesn't work then it's going to be difficult to get it better, Renault's first driver Robert Kubica says.

– There are many races left. I don't know the team's exact plans but at some point we have to start focusing on next year's car. The team is trying to find out what the best way to proceed would be from our point of view.

Kubica has felt better in Renault than he did in BMW Sauber.

What is the difference between a British and a German team?

– The nationality is different and the mentality is different. Each team have their own working habits during GP-weekends. I do my job the same way and I feel good in this team. The circumstances are different and maybe this suits me better.

Renault's second seat for next season hasn't been filled yet.

Vitali Petrov has been given a couple of more races to show what he has to give after he made a good job in Hockenheim and Hungaroring. If the Russian gets close Kubica on tracks like Spa and Monza then Renault has no need to change the driver.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Kubica has the best game eye of the F1-tracks

Turun Sanomat 25.8 2010 22:46:17

Robert Kubica has got championship-points for Renault from nine GP-races.

One can say for a reason that Kubica together with McLaren's Jenson Button is a real master in timing and ability to read the race beforehand better than the rest.

Renault's Polish star is yet downplaying his merits in Turun Sanomat's interview.

– I think that I have been able to maximize different situations to my own pace and possible risks during GP-weekends. In the final games if you don't have a winning-car then the most important is to invest in continuance and consistency and take the best possible points each time.

– If everything falls in place it's worth more than taking huge risks everytime. That way you could win somewhere once but in the long run you wouldn't often get any good positions.

– For me the only way to stay near the top is to drive consistently and have the right timing. It's extremely difficult to read racing beforehand - if not impossible. Of course you can plan something to do in your own race to some extent but it doesn't help since you can't know what the others are going to do.

– When I play golf for example or bowling or play tennis I can plan ahead quite precisely. In motorsport it's impossible in practice. I can of course plan to take a certain line before the start but in the end I might find myself from driving on the completely opposite side.

– It's more a question of trusting your own quick decisions and instincts.

– Maybe it's easier for Jenson. He has climbed up from the back in a few races after first failing in qualification. When you start with a top team's car from 12th or 15th position then something has gone wrong, Kubica reminds.

Kubica is pleased because he has been able to maximize the competitive ability of his R30-car to the limits.

– The best example was in Silverstone. There our car was pace-wise 12th but we were able to put it 6th in qualification and after the first lap I was already 3rd. When thinking of the race we got the two most important pieces to fall in place although I had to retire due to a technical failure.

– Besides one can't expect any big overtakes from me when I have succeeded in qualification. If you have a car that could be in the second row but is 16th, then you can overtake. It was easier for Button to climb up from the back to the lead after he first failed in qualification, Kubica thinks.

What kind of a routine does Kubica have when he prepares himself for the race?

– I have certain habits and my own schedule that I follow. I try to relax, concentrate and gather energy. The most important phase is concentration when you already sit in the car on the starting grid. The last five minutes before the start I completely concentrate on the race so that I'm prepared for the start. The start and the first lap are the most important details in the whole race.

Kimi Räikkönen used to sleep before the race. Is the Pole a similar iceman in that too?

– I don't sleep but occasionally I lay down and relax for about 15-20 minutes before I have to climb into the car, Kubica tells.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

[swca92]

Raikkonen had a habit of falling asleep before races??? Shame that on quite a few occasions he never woke up.

[Wolfie]

Raikkonen had a habit of falling asleep before races??? Shame that on quite a few occasions he never woke up.

Ah, you are referring to the myth launched by James Allen, aren't you? See in Finland we never really got the 'sleeping when driving and waking up only when the race is almost over' until on foreign forums it became clear that it was something Allen had commented and that people started believing in.

He had problems with the tyres in 2008 and they started working only later during the race. Kimi set 10 fastest laps in 2008, something that only Schumacher has been able to match

But Räikkönen used to sleep in cardboard boxes during his karting-years - his employer thought that he was so poor that he had to sleep in a box so he gave Kimi and his mechanic money enough so they could go to a hotel. Kimi and his mechanic partied and spent the money right away and slept in the car during the tournament. And Kimi won the championship that year so it didn't affect him that much

[phil1993]

Shock news from Spa this morning: it is pouring down!

Morning! Not sure if I have ever seen so much rain fall, last night, through the night and now!

Happy Birthday to Mark Webber

[phil1993]

- Formula BMW practice red flagged due to standing water
- It is still raining heavily
- Massive thunderbolt just took out the power temporarily
- Mike Gascoyne reckons the teams are going to conserve wet tyres and not run this morning

[Mitsuro Sano]

Lol! We are about to see something crazy Sunday! Imagine if it's completly dry, with teams having no run in the dry ^^

[phil1993]

It may well be that way. Today is probably going to be completely wet, with more rain for tomorrow (but not as heavy). But Spa is back

[Tom Vandenhove]

Hmmm, i am not sure if we should be happy about the rain today, tomorrow okay, but today ? Remember last year, what happened in the Friday Practice sessions ? Almost nothing.

EDIT : Any streams btw ?

[phil1993]

Chandhok & Davidson joining Crofty this morning. Lots of standing water about...

[phil1993]

RBR - New rear wing.
McLaren - 'small upgrades'
Ferrari - new floor + blown diffuser upgrade
Mercedes - upgraded floor, refinements to F-Duct
Renault - Huge upgrade, running F-Duct
Force India - New blown diffuser on Liuzzi's car this morning
Williams - New front + rear wing

Les Combes looks horrible.

[JoostLamers]

Stream anyone?