The Splendour of Spa-Francorchamps

Back in May I gave a rather loving tribute to one of the top race tracks in motor racing - the Monaco Grand Prix. A victory there as I stated then, is one of the most prized achievements any racing driver could claim.

As an officiando of sporting and Forumla One history, there are in my mind a handful of others that are righfully prized in the same bracket as a win around the streets of Monte Carlo.

When it comes to history and motor racing heritage, the only race tracks that can equal Monaco are at Silverstone, Monza and Spa-Francorchamps.

The Monaco, British, Italian and Belgium Grand Prixs for me are akin to a Formula One equivalent of a holy quadruple alliance. It so happens that these race tracks supplied 4 of the 7 Grand Prixs in the inauguaral F1 World Championship of 1950 (along with the Swiss GP at Bremgarten, the French GP at Reims-Gueux and the Indianapolis 500).

To this end, as today sees the running of the 55th Belgium Grand Prix at Spa, I felt it worthwhile to extole the virtues of another of my favourite F1 circuits.

A Little Bit of History
Belgium and the Spa circuit in particular, oozes motor racing history and heritage. The first GP held there was 84 years ago back in 1925 and was won by Antonio Ascari (son of future 2 time World Champion Alberto Ascari) in an Alfa Romeo. The race was held at Spa a further 7 times before the outbreak of WWII and as mentioned above, became in integral part of the original World Championship series when it was launched in 1950. With the exceptions of 1957, 1959 and 1969, it was an ever-present on the F1 calendar until 1970.

A 1970s Exile
Concern about safety at the track however would mean that Spa-Francorchamps would go into a near 15 year exile as the Belgium GP alternated instead between the un-loved circuit at Nivelles (1972 & 1974) and at Zolder (1973 & 1975-1982 & 1984). Unfortunately, the 1982 weekend saw the death of the legendary Gilles Villeneuve at the Zolder circuit and its name, more than for anything else, is remembered for this one tragedy alone.

Re-Incarnation

Formula One returned to a modern Spa-Francorchamps circuit in 1983 and from 1985 it became the sole venue for the Belgium GP once more. Apart from its controversial removal from the F1 calendar in 2003 because of the Tobacco advertising ban and again in 2006 due to circuit maintenance, it has remained an ever-present drivers favourite for the past 25 years.

A Firm Favourite
Spa is loved by both fans and drivers alike. Most F1 drivers will testify that it remains one of the most challenging and enjoyable races to drive with the famous Eau Rouge acting as one of the most famous sections of any F1 circuit world-wide. The same could be said of the fabled bus-stop chicane at the end of the 4.3 mile lap. But it all begins at what must be the most dramatic first corner in motorsport. The La Source hairpin is an extraordinary near 180 degree right-hand corner which always sets the heartbeat-a-flutter at the start of every Grand Prix.

Us fans love it for these above examples and also because it's 4.3 mile length makes it the longest race-track on the F1 calendar at just 44 laps in length. It means that the connotations weather-wise for the drivers can be mind-bogglingly complex to decipher. It is not unknown for drivers to have to confront one part of the course as dry and clear from rain and then another part that is wet and slippery. Indeed, such is the unpredictability of the Belgium weather that there was a time in its history when it had rained at the Belgian Grand Prix for twenty years in a row.

World Champion Winners
The Grand Prix at Spa has been won by the very best in the sport's history. Michael Schumacher has won it an unprecedented 6 times mainly in the 1990s whilst Ayrton Senna won it 5 times mainly in the 1980s. Jim Clark and Kimi Raikkonen won at Spa 4 times each in the 60s and 00s respectively whilst Juan Manuel Fangio won it 3 times in the 50s alongside Alberto Ascari who won it twice in that same decade.

Other notable World Champion winners at Spa include Jack Brabham, John Surtees, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Mike Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton.

1998 Belgium Grand Prix
Indeed, of all of the Formula One races that I have watched over the past 20 years, a handful of them stand out.

One of the was the rain soaked GP at Spa in 1998. The horrendous driving conditions resulted in opening lap carnage as 13 of the 22 runners were involved in probably the biggest pile-up I have ever seen live with my own eyes. It was the race where Schumacher dangerously went flying into the back of David Coulthard which resulted in sparks flying in the pits afterwards. The race was incredulously won by Damon Hill for the 3rd time but it was the first ever win for Eddie Jordan's team. Incredibly, it was capped off with Hill's team-mate Ralf Schumacher finishing in second for an unforgettable 1-2.

1991, 1992 2001 Belgium Grand Prix
Speaking of Jordan, 7 years earlier, a certain Michael Schumacher made his debut for the team at Spa. Today is his 20th anniversary race. A year later, now driving for Benetton, he scored his first Grand Prix Victory at the circuit. 9 years later in 2001, his victory at the circuit was his 52nd overall which helped him surpass the previous all-time Formula One GP wins record of 51 held by Alain Prost.

So who knows, can Schumacher win from the back of the circuit today to cap off the most incredible of personal relationships with a particular circuit?

He may of course and surprise surprise the forecast is looking unsettled! But then there are a surprisingly large number of top drivers on the grid today who will be eyeing their first win at this famous circuit. It is incredible to think that Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button have never won at this inconic race-track.

That'll be one statistic they'll all be wanting to erase from the proud history books at Spa in a little over an hours time.

The Magic of Monaco

It's arguably the biggest weekend in the F1 year.

It may be the slowest race of the year with the slowest corner of any race track in F1, but the Monaco Grand Priz oozes the class and most importantly for me, the history that puts a win around its famous corners as one of the most prized possessions for any Grand Prix driver.


The Famous 37mph Loews Hairpin

The first Grand Prix around the tight street circuit in Monte Carlo was held back in 1929 and was won by Briton William Grover-Williams in a Bugatti. The race was not held between 1938-1947 and though it was also not held in 1949, it did play a part of the first ever F1 World Championship in 1950. Having not been held in 1951 and 1953-1954, it has been held without fail for the past 56 years since 1955.

The roll-call of winners is a show-case of Formula One's greatest drivers of all-time.

Juan Manuel Fangio - 1950, 1957

Stirling Moss - 1956, 1960,1961
Jack Brabham - 1959
Graham Hill - 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969
Jackie Stewart - 1966, 1971, 1973
Niki Lauda - 1975, 1976
Gilles Villeneuve - 1981

Dominance
But the sheer dominance of 3 giants of F1 became evident on the streets of Monaco throughout the 1980s and 1990s. 15 of the 18 Monaco Grand Prix's between 1984-2001 were won by either Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher.

Alain Prost - 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988
Ayrton Senna - 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993
Michael Schumacher - 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001

A Decade of Change
The past decade however has seen something of a change. The growing depth and strength of talent in F1 has led to a greater number of winners including David Coulthard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jarno Trulli, Kimi  Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Mark Webber. In total, there have incredibly been 9 different winners in the past 10 years.

The Most Famous Track in Formula One

There are some notable world-class exceptions to the winning Monaco rule. Whilst Senna, Schumacher, Graham Hill and Prost set the bench mark with 4 or more wins each, the likes of Jim Clark, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill never won at Monaco.

Add to that list the name of a certain reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

But then, he's got an opportunity to put that right tomorrow from pole position and if he finishes on top of the podium, he'll be joining a long and proud list of Formula One greats to have mastered what is probably the toughest Grand Prix of all.

Bahrain GP Cancelled - Correct Decision But For The Wrong Reason

It has been announced today that the F1 season opening Grand Prix in Bahrain has been postponed to an undetermined future date. It was due to run on March 13th but the season will now begin in the country that since the mid-90s has become used to staging the showcase first race of the year - Australia, on March 27th.

Correct Decision

After the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt were forced from power, demonstrators in Bahrain have been demanding that the ruling monarchy gives up its near-absolute control over key policies and positions. But the unrest and deaths that have surrounded the Gulf kingdom as a result (but which has been lost in the Libyan rage of recent days) had put a great question mark over the March 13th race date.

It is only right then that the race doesn't take place as scheduled.

The Wrong Reason
In a statement, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa said:

"We must focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting to a later date. After the events of the past week, our nation's priority is on overcoming tragedy, healing divisions and rediscovering the fabric that draws this country together; reminding the world of the very best that Bahrain is capable of as a nation once again united."

But why was it allowed to reach the point where the Bahrainian Royal Family decided to pull the event? It should have been swept out from under their feet a week ago.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone should have pulled the plug on the race as a moral response to the unacceptable way that the ruling government was dealing with the protestors. The fact that he didn't shows weakness on his part and leaves F1 in my opinion in a bad light.

What was Bernie's response? As follows...

F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone
Got It Wrong


"It is sad that Bahrain has had to withdraw from the race, we wish the whole nation well as they begin to heal their country.

"The hospitality and warmth of the people of Bahrain is a hallmark of the race there, as anyone who has been at a Bahrain Grand Prix will testify. We look forward to being back in Bahrain soon."

It isn't the hospitality that should count most Bernie. The wine and the canapes come second to the sight of a government turning its guns onto its own people. This is completely unacceptable.

Back to Oz
I hope that Bahrain does recover and that the race can return - but not on the Bahrainian Royal Family's terms but on those of a compassionate and moralistic international community.

Sort it out Bernie - it isn't all about money you know.

A new F1 Bridesmaid - Mark Webber

Well done to Seb Vettel. Not only the new F1 World Champion, but the youngest in the proud 60 year history of his sport.

When all is said and done, he deserved it. He won 5 races, equalled only by Alonso whilst Webber won 4 races, Hamilton won 3 and Button won 2. Vettel won 10 pole positions out of a possible 19. But most importantly, after 19 races, he was leading the championship when it mattered.

Mark Webber Blew It

But I just want to say a word for Mark Webber. I salute Vettel's championship victory with pleasure as it halted Alonso in his tracks. But I wanted Webber to win it. But as the season drew to a close, it looked as if the long-term leader from Down Under was letting the Championship slip through his fingers. As I asked in this blog a few weeks ago, has Mark Webber blown it?

I hoped the answer in the final analysis would be no, but as it turns out, my concerns were bourne out. His own error in Korea was pivotal to the final standings and he was playing catch-up from there on in. In fact, he ended up finishing 3rd in the World Championsship behind both Vettel and Alonso.

Always the Bridesmaid?
My concern for Webber is that this may well be his best opportunity to win the title. Like Barrichello last year, he had an opportunity now and he didn't take it.

Over 60 years, there have been a number of World class drivers who have never won the world title. Most signifanctly surely has to be Stirling Moss. Four times a World Championship runner-up and three times a third place finish but never a World Title.

In this humble F1 fan's opinion, there were other bridesmaids of the sport who had the skill to be a World Champion but who never made that final leap.

They include the Belgium Jackie Ickx, the Argentinian Carlos Reutemann and the Italian Riccardo Patrese. Then of course there was that Canadian. That wonderful, mercurial Canadian who was killed at the prime of his the abilities, Gilles Villeneuve.

Looking at the current crop, I see Barrichello being joined by his fellow Brazilian Felipe Massa who saw his title slip from his fingers at the last corner of the last Grand Prix against Hamilton in 2008. Both had their chances but I fear they will neither get another one.

It is my worry now, that the man from Oz, Mark Webber is now destined to join this unfortunate group and not the one that includes the likes of Senna, Fangio, Schumacher, Frost, Stewart, Surtees, Fittipaldi, Clark, Mansell, Ascari, Lauda, Rindt and Brabham.

You need luck of course to win World Titles, but over the course of a career, short of a life threatening accident, talent should deliver one.

I hope I'm proved wrong and Webber does indeed become a F1 World Champion. I'll happily drink a pint of Fosters to celebrate if he does. But my gut tells me that that Fosters will be on ice for a long time.

Has Mark Webber Blown It?

I was worried to read recently, Australian F1 legend Jack Brabham say how Mark Webber has blown his chance at winning this year's F1 World Championship.

It's not that I necessarily disagree with him. It's just that if a fellow Australian has his grave concerns about Webber's chances and is willing to express them publicly at such a critical stage in the Championship, then all can not be resting easily in the Webber camp.

Australian F1 Genius

Jack Brabham in all fairness, has quite a platform to speak from. The first antipodean World Champion, he didn't just do so once, but 3 times - in 1959, 1960 and 1966. Significantly, his final Championship win in 1966 was the first ever, and only to date, by a driver in his own car. His New Zealand team-mate Denny Hulme won the title in 1967 with Brabham winning the constructors title in both years. Brabham as a team went on to win more drivers titles in 1981 and 1983 under the control of Nelson Piquet.

So Jack knows what he's talking about and at 84, is one of the statesman of motor sport.

The only other Australian F1 World Champion was Alan Jones in 1980 - giving Frank Williams his first ever drivers and constructors Championship wins.

Mark Webber - Formula One World Champion?

Will Mark Webber join his comapriots Brabham and Jones to become only the 3rd ever Australian Formula One World Champion?

After his human error in Korea, Jack Brabham can be forgiven for raising serious doubts. Ferrari and Alonso have clearly got the momentum whilst McLaren have fallen back in recent races.

The relief for Webber must be his team-mate Vettel's blown engine just laps away from victory in Korea which handed Alonso the win. That unfortunate development for his team-mate has guaranteed that Webber still has the in-team advantage. Had Vettel have won, Webber's chances would've been diminished even further.

Because as we know, Ferrari's entire support is going to Alonso. Whatever Jenson Button may say, only a mad man in McLaren now would not put their resources all behind Lewis Hamilton.

Red Bull Tactics
What then of Red Bull? Webber finds himself 11 points adrift of Alonso. Vettel however now finds himself 25 points adrift with only 50 left up for grabs.

It would be wise for Red Bull to consider putting all of their eggs into the Webber basket, but then I can't see Vettel buying that.

More than likely then that Red Bull will continue to play 100% fair to both of their men. This is laudible but ultimately, my hunch is that this will help to secure the title for Alonso.

Good Luck Mate
I personally hope that Webber does win it. For as Jack Brabham says, this really could be Webber's last chance to win the title. He's not getting younger and this is clearly his big chance. I was backing Barrichello all the way last year against Button for the same reason. I hope that Webber can finish the job where Barrichello failed and can land that 3rd Australian F1 World Championship.

But I worry increasingly that he won't and it would seem that I'm in good company in coming to this conclusion.


NB. A follow up blog piece which I wrote after Mark Webber did indeed miss out on the World Championship can be found and read here - A New F1 Bridesmaid - Mark Webber