2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

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Who will win the 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix ?

Poll ended at 07 Sep 2008, 15:34

Lewis Hamilton
22
25%
Felipe Massa
29
33%
Kimi Räikkönen
27
31%
Robert Kubica
5
6%
Heikki Kovalainen
0
No votes
Nick Heidfeld
2
2%
Jarno Trulli
1
1%
Fernando Alonso
1
1%
Mark Webber
0
No votes
Timo Glock
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 87

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Arrows_F1
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2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by Arrows_F1 » 25 Aug 2008, 15:34

2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix
LXIV ING Belgian Grand Prix (official)

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Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

Race Date: 7th September 2008
Laps: 44
Lap Distance: 7,004 km
Race Distance: 308,176 km
Lap Record: 1:48,036 - Felipe Massa (2007)

Historic Information:
Wikipedia wrote:n 1925, the first Belgian Grand Prix was won by Antonio Ascari whose son Alberto would win the race in 1952 and 1953. Unfortunately, after winning the Belgian race, Antonio Ascari would be killed in his next outing at the French Grand Prix. In 1939, the race claimed the life of British driver Richard "d**k" Seaman while leading the race. During the 1960 race Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey lost their lives in separate incidents, the latter in a freak occurrence when hit in the face by a bird.

In 1972 Spa was considered too dangerous for Formula 1 machinery. Following that decision, the Belgians decided to alternate their Grand Prix between Zolder and a characterless circuit at Nivelles-Baulers near Brussels. The first race at Nivelles was won by Emerson Fittipaldi but although the track was safe, it inspired little enthusiasm when compared to the magnificent old Spa circuit. Zolder hosted the race the following year and it was won by Jackie Stewart. Formula One returned to Nivelles in 1974. Once again the race was won by Emerson Fittipaldi, but after that event the organizers were unable to sustain a Grand Prix at Nivelles and the track faded from the racing scene.

Afterwards, the race returned to Zolder. The Belgian Grand Prix would be held there a further nine times. Niki Lauda scored back-to-back victories at the track in 1975 and 1976, and in 1977 Gunnar Nilsson scored his only F1 victory at Zolder. The following year Mario Andretti won the race for Lotus. In 1979, Jody Scheckter won the race in his Ferrari. In 1980 Didier Pironi became a first time winner at the track in his Ligier. The 1981 meeting that was won by Carlos Reutemann was chaotic with a mechanic being killed in the pitlane, a drivers' strike and then a nasty startline accident. Zolder will always be remembered, however, as the place where Gilles Villeneuve died in 1982. John Watson won the race for McLaren, but a year later the rebuilt Spa circuit opened for racing and the Belgian Grand Prix returned there. The 1982 Belgian Grand Prix was held at Zolder. In 1983, the race returned to Spa before returning to Zolder in 1984. This was the last F1 race held at Zolder with Michele Alboreto taking the final victory there. In 1985 the Belgian F1 Grand Prix returned to Spa-Francorchamps where it has remained ever since.

World Champion Michael Schumacher, who made his debut at Spa in 1991 and won his first F1 race there in 1992, won his 52nd Grand Prix at Spa in 2001, surpassing Alain Prost's all-time record of 51 wins. Schumacher also won his seventh World Drivers' Championship title at Spa in 2004. There was no Belgian Grand Prix in 2003 because of the country's tobacco advertising laws but it returned to the schedule again in 2004.

Another notable race was the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix which took place in torrential conditions. The race was originally stopped after a massive accident involving thirteen of the twenty-two runners at the first corner. The heavy rain caused low visibility, and Michael Schumacher ran into the back of David Coulthard, an event that angered Schumacher so much he stormed into the McLaren garage to confront Coulthard, claiming he had tried to kill him. Coulthard later admitted he had been at fault, due to his own inexperience (despite it being his fourth year of Formula One)[1] Only eight drivers were classified finishers (two of whom were five laps behind, one of whom was Coulthard) and Damon Hill secured a memorable victory ahead of team mate Ralf Schumacher to record the previously underperforming Jordan team's first Formula One win in its history, and a 1-2 to top it off.

In 2006, the FIA announced the Belgian Grand Prix would not be part of the 2006 Formula One season, since the local authorities had started major repair work in Spa Francorchamps.

The Belgian Grand Prix returned in 2007, when Kimi Räikkönen took pole position and his 3rd Belgian Grand Prix win in a row.
Current Driver Standings
01 Lewis Hamilton 70
02 Felipe Massa 64
03 Kimi Räikkönen 57
04 Robert Kubica 55
05 Heikki Kovalainen 43
06 Nick Heidfeld 41
07 Jarno Trulli 26
08 Fernando Alonso 18
09 Mark Webber 18
10 Timo Glock 15
11 Nelsinho Piquet 13
12 Rubens Barrichello 11
13 Nico Rosberg 9
14 Sebastian Vettel 9
15 Kazuki Nakajima 8
Current Constructor Standings
01 Ferrari 121
02 McLaren-Mercedes 113
03 BMW Sauber 96
04 Toyota 41
05 Renault 31
06 Red Bull-Renault 24
07 Williams-Toyota 17
08 Honda 14
09 STR-Ferrari 11
10 Force India-Ferrari 0
Winners 1995 - 2007*

Code: Select all

1995: Michael Schumacher  Benetton-Renault B195    1:36.47,875 = 190,204 km/h
1996: Michael Schumacher  Ferrari F310             1:28.15,125 = 208,442 km/h
1997: Michael Schumacher  Ferrari F310B            1:33.46,717 = 196,149 km/h
1998: Damon Hill          Jordan-Mugen 198         1:43.47,407 = 177,229 km/h
1999: David Coulthard     McLaren-Mercedes MP4/14  1:25.43,057 = 214,595 km/h
2000: Mika Häkkinen       McLaren-Mercedes MP4/15  1:28.14,494 = 208,467 km/h
2001: Michael Schumacher  Ferrari F2001            1:08.05,002 = 221,050 km/h**
2002: Michael Schumacher  Ferrari F2002            1:21.20,634 = 225,970 km/h
2004: Kimi Räikkönen      McLaren-Mercedes MP4/19B 1:32.35,274 = 198,898 km/h
2005: Kimi Räikkönen      McLaren-Mercedes MP4/20  1:30.01,295 = 204,568 km/h
2007: Kimi Räikkönen      Ferrari F2007            1:20.39,066 = 229,174 km/h
*=No race held in 2003 and 2006
**=Race was shortened by 8 laps

Timetable

Code: Select all

Local time:                              CEST (UTC + 2 Hours)
Western European Times (UK etc.):        CEST - 1 Hour
Eastern European Times (Finland etc.):   CEST + 1 Hour

Session                      UTC/GMT          CEST             EDT            Stream / Channel
Friday 5th September
F1 Friday Practice 1         08:00-09:30      10:00-11:30      04:00-05:30    ITV
F1 Friday Practice 2         12:00-13:30      14:00-15:30      08:00-09:30    Several Available (See Streams)

Saturday 6th September
F1 Saturday Practice         09:00-10:00      11:00-12:00      05:00-06:00    See Streams
F1 Qualifying                12:00            14:00            08:00          Several Available (See Streams)

Sunday 7th September
F1  Race (44 Laps)           12:00            14:00            08:00          Several Available (See Streams)
Notes: Times are only listed in UTC/GMT, CEST and EDT (Europe and US).


Weather
Check these sites for weather updates, 5-10 day forecast:
Weather.com
Accuweather
Yahoo Weather
BBC Weather

Live Streams
Programs used: Sopcast, TVU Player, PPMate, TV Ants
Schedule

Code: Select all

CHANNEL            STREAM          STREAM ID  TYPE                FP1  FP2  FP3  Qualifying  Race  
ITV                ITV Web         N/A        Flash - Web based     X    X                X     X
SpeedTV            Wheels          N/A        TVU Player                 X                X     X       
Star Sports        Star Sports     10005      TVU Player                                  X     X 
                   Star Sports     N/A        PPMate                                      X     X 
CCTV5              CCTV5           10007      TVUPlayer                                         X 
                   CCTV5           6002       SopCast                                           X  
RTL                RTL Web         N/A        MMS - Web based                             X     X
Eurosport France   Eurosport (?)   N/A        TVAnts                X    X    X                     
Links:
F1stream.co.nr, [url=tvu://53060]Wheels[/url], [url=tvu://10005]Star Sports TVU[/url], [url=ppmate://www.ppsportstv.com/channels/PCAST182.txt]Star Sports PPMate[/url], [url=sop://broker1.sopcast.com:3912/6002]CCTV 5 SopCast[/url], [url=tvu://10007]CCTV 5 TVU[/url], [url=tvants://www.tvants.com/tvants/?k=66c19d44a27ecb46]CCTV 5 TVAnts[/url], [url=ppmate://ps.itv.mop.com/channels/DEFAULT/txt/1,0,0,75/PCAST_26.txt]CCTV 5 PPMate[/url], RTL

Predicition league topic
http://www.f1zone.net/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=3182

Live Timing
Live Timing for all sessions, requires Java & account on F1.com:
http://www.formula1.com/services/live_t ... popup.html

Video thread
Gp Thread : http://www.f1zone.net/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=3233
F1Michi's Thread : http://www.f1zone.net/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2080

Results
Free Pratice 1
Free Pratice 2
Free Pratice 3
Qualifying
Race

Sources and links:
Wikipedia - Bellgian Grand Prix
The Official Formula 1 Website

@ Mods: Feel free to add anything you have
@ Other Members: Feel Free pm Me
Last edited by Zack on 05 Sep 2008, 18:40, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Updated! :R
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syafiqa
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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by syafiqa » 25 Aug 2008, 16:45

Yeaa..I'm the first..and my voting to win at spa goes to 3 times winner belgium gp, kimi raikkonen. :C:
Kimi.. I'm dyeing to see u win the races. It took so long.. :pray:
And I hope kimi will become perpetually the 4th times winner at Spa. :1st:

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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by RoCkSt@R » 25 Aug 2008, 16:55

I can't wait for Spa, its my all time favorite. :D

But I want to hear your predictions..

1. Who will take pole?
2. Will we see any surprising podium finishes?
3. Who will be in the top of the constructors championship?
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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by JoostLamers » 25 Aug 2008, 17:03

1. Can Raikkonen take his 4th(!) win here?
2. Can Hamilton stay in the lead of the Drivers Championship?
3. Will Massa be as good as the last 2 races?
4. Is Heidfeld able to close the gap with teammate Kubica?
5. Can STR stay in there recent form?
6. Will Toyota be able to fight for the position of 'best of the rest'?

Few questions, of which I would love to hear you're opinions..
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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by JoostLamers » 25 Aug 2008, 17:04

RoCkSt@R wrote:I can't wait for Spa, its my all time favorite. :D

But I want to hear your predictions..

1. Who will take pole?
2. Will we see any surprising podium finishes?
3. Who will be in the top of the constructors championship?
I think it's to early to answer any of these questions yet.. Think I want to know first how the pratices will turn out to be :thumbsup:
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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by syafiqa » 25 Aug 2008, 17:18

Hey joostlamers..I think kimi will take pole and win the races for the 4th times. :n
Others, to soon to predict. :p

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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by syafiqa » 25 Aug 2008, 17:40

But I cant denied, massa is a great qualifier. :thumbsup:
His improved a lots..!! :E

I've no surprised if massa can beat kimi.
All i can say, Kimi's teammate is the biggest threat to spoil kimi chances to win. #Fear

Only give massa the fastest car,and then he will done his job during quali session.

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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by iceman1 » 28 Aug 2008, 20:26

2002 - MS wins
2003 - Not on the calendar
2004 - Kimi wins (during a dreadful season and against the most dominant Ferrari ever built!)
2005 - Kimi wins
2006 - Not on the calendar
2007 - Kimi wins

If Kimi doesn't win Spa then his title chances are pretty much gone :(

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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by shailf1 » 28 Aug 2008, 21:03

well i think this time maasa could battle with kimi for the belgian gp. Last year he was about 2 tenths lower but he was 1 lap heavy and we have seen massa wanting to be light so he might take pole nad with recent qualy problem for kimi, if he gets behind lewis or some other guy then he might take a few laps to pass him and in that time maasa would just build up a huge lead and dont forget massa had set the fastest lap record in 2007 and he is even stronger this year.
But this is just my speculation, what do you guys think about this??

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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by Fergie1 » 28 Aug 2008, 22:27

I actually have no idea who will win, Kimi isn't on form and this years McLaren is stronger on more Ferrari track since Spain. So I haven't voted.

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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by f1anatic » 29 Aug 2008, 01:19

Kimi will win and McLaren is due for some DNF on Lewis. Spa always provides great races...and as always I hope it rains. I do not recall any wet races this year...or maybe it is me too tired just now.

You know what...never really liked Coultahrd - never really had anything against him either. I would not mind if in his "swan song" year he won one last race...and Spa should be it.

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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by syafiqa » 29 Aug 2008, 06:13

Ow God..please..I hope kimi can win.. :pray:

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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by TwistedArmco » 29 Aug 2008, 09:45

I give a shout to Massa. If Kimi can't get his lean on in Quali, Massa will take the spoils.
No, I'm not calmer. Just more jaded.

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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by JoostLamers » 29 Aug 2008, 09:49

iceman1 wrote:If Kimi doesn't win Spa then his title chances are pretty much gone :(
I read an article about Kimi, the title of that article was: Kimi goes flat-out, only at night

Lol :)
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Re: 2008 FORMULA 1 Belgian Grand Prix

Post by syncmaster » 29 Aug 2008, 11:38

i think it will be kimmi :pray: as he has a history in spa from that he will have some boost.And about quali performanbce in spain he made a small error which made him 4 and then started the race on dirty side of the track so i think he is recovered from his poor performance,and in spa he will be having a brand new engine and where as massa has a old one(Hope ferrari will do something about it :sad: ) so kimmi has the pace the only things he has to do is should drive without mistakes and be faster then massa :p

but i think it should be ferrari 1,2 no matter who wins but it should be red on top and hamliton not on the podium :)
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