Aug 22, 2011
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It’s back to work, because holidays are for wimps!
Twenty six days after the Hungarian Grand Prix, we will finally hear the sound of Formula 1 engines in anger again, as 24 drivers roll out of the pits to tackle the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the first free practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix. The seven kilometres plus of the world’s most charismatic race venue is the perfect way to get back to work, kicking off the final eight races of the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship.
Spa, home to the Belgian Grand Prix 43 times out of 55, does not need much artificial help to produce an exciting race and this year, the effect of KERS, DRS and a probably significant performance gap between the Soft and Medium Pirelli tyres means we can expect another Ardennes thriller. Given how much rain we have seen so far this year, who knows, we might even get a dry and sunny Spa weekend for a change, although it’s unlikely, as currently we have rain forecast for Friday and an occasional shower in the morning on Saturday.
The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is generally low to medium downforce, with its flowing nature putting very little strain on brakes, but engines really work hard on this, the longest track on the F1 calendar. It is fashionable to claim that Eau Rouge, the famous left-right kink at the bottom of the hill after the La Source hairpin is no longer the challenge it used to be: but even if the modern grand prix car can go through it flat out, it’s hard to see how any 300 km/h corner can be considered unchallenging! In any case, there are plenty of other great corners on a track that features in every driver’s top three circuits.
At this point of the season, the race cars have undergone so much development that there is hardly any component, barring the chassis itself, that was on duty in Melbourne back in March and from now on the majority of teams will be shifting their focus to the design of the 2012 cars. However, work on improving the STR6 continues as Scuderia Toro Rosso will still be fighting its own mid-field championship battle with its closest rivals.
Credit: Toro Rosso (www.scuderiatororosso.com)
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