F1 is back, thank the Lord, and can I get an amen.
And, we’re back at the best circuit of the year no less. No wonder it’s always after the summer break.
Hopefully most have spent the summer break catching up on sleep between F1 races, enjoying a red-eye free Monday for a few weeks in preparation of the long, hard slog to the end of the season. You probably haven’t, and you can always sleep when you’re dead.
On paper the Belgian GP looks a Mercedes benefit with the only argument likely to be between the two drivers, their managements, team orders and forum fans all over the world.
But it is not the typical GP, and certainly not the typical F1 event. There are other factors to consider.
First is the weather. Spa which is set in the famed WW2 Ardennes forest has its own microclimate it seems. Not only can the weather be different to the rest of Belgium, but can even be different in sections of the track. It can also be varied during different sessions and within those sessions. For the record, The Gurgler hopes for a wet qualifying (not too wet so we have to wait hours for its completion), a dry first 80% of the race with the remainder to have enough rain to spice up the end if boring.
Second is that Spa is a real drivers track with only the very best afforded wins. We supplied the honour roll, and it is a quality list indeed. Corners like Eau Rouge and Pouhon test the mediocre from the great. Some drivers just like the circuit, one being Kimi who would certainly welcome some kind of advantage in his horrible return year to Ferrari.
POINTS OF INTEREST
– First corner carnage at La Source. Wet or dry.
– Bus Stop chicane at end of first lap, where ambition and ability collide.
– In fact the Bus Stop chicane at any time.
– New boy Andre Lotterer at Caterham
– The cars through the fast corners
– Where the Renaults qualify and the likelihood of cars around them to complete the first lap.
THUMBS UP
Eau Rouge may no longer be flat – happy days.
THUMBS DOWN
Kamui Kobayashi given the arse at Caterham.
TIPS
POLE – The Ham
WIN – The Ham
PODIUM – Alonso or The Hulk
1st Out – Either Renault/Lotus/Black Car
