2007 Belgian Grand Prix

Last updated
2007 Belgian Grand Prix
Race 14 of 17 in the 2007 Formula One World Championship
Spa-Francorchamps of Belgium.svg
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Race details [1]
DateSeptember 16, 2007
Official name 2007 Formula 1 ING Belgian Grand Prix
Location Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Wallonia, Belgium [2]
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 7.004 km (4.352 miles)
Distance 44 laps, 308.176 km (191.492 miles)
Weather Partly cloudy, mild and dry
Pole position
Driver
 Ferrari
Time 1:45.994
Fastest lap
Driver Flag of Brazil.svg Felipe Massa Ferrari
Time 1:48.036 on lap 34
Podium
First
 Ferrari
Second
 Ferrari
Third
 McLaren-Mercedes
Lap leaders
  • 2007 Belgian Grand Prix
The race winner, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. Kimi Raikkonen 2007 Belgium.jpg
The race winner, Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen.

The 2007 Belgian Grand Prix (officially the 2007 Formula 1 ING Belgian Grand Prix) [3] was the fourteenth race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, returning to the Formula One calendar after a year's absence. It was held on 16 September at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, near the village of Francorchamps, Wallonia, Belgium.

Contents

Report

Background

Going into the race, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton led the Drivers' Championship by three points from teammate Fernando Alonso and Scuderia Ferrari led the Constructors' Championship by 57 points from BMW Sauber after the exclusion of McLaren from the Constructors' Championship following the Ferrari/McLaren spy saga. Otherwise McLaren would have been leading the Championship.

The race also marked the 100th race start for Australian Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber.

Practice

Ferrari tried the new for the first time traffic light system. [4]

Qualifying

The usual drivers were eliminated in the first qualifying session—Adrian Sutil and Sakon Yamamoto went out in the Spykers along with Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson in the Super Aguris, Rubens Barrichello in the Honda and Sebastian Vettel in the Toro Rosso.

The second qualifying session was unusual as six drivers in six different cars were eliminated—Alexander Wurz of Williams, Vitantonio Liuzzi of Toro Rosso, Jenson Button of Honda, David Coulthard of Red Bull Racing. Giancarlo Fisichella of Renault and Ralf Schumacher of Toyota. Fisichella was later relegated right to the back of the grid after changing his engine after qualifying.

This left seven different teams in the top 10. Heikki Kovalainen qualified tenth for Renault, just behind Jarno Trulli in the Toyota. Ahead of them were Mark Webber's Red Bull and Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber. Nico Rosberg did very well in the Williams to qualify on row 3 alongside Robert Kubica in the second BMW Sauber. However, the Pole was given a ten place grid drop for an engine change. Once again, McLaren and Ferrari occupied the top four places. Fernando Alonso pipped McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton to 3rd place, but Ferrari dominated, with Kimi Räikkönen beating Felipe Massa to get his 14th career pole and lock out the front row for the Italian team.

Due to FIA rules about the order in which penalties are applied, Kubica's penalty was applied first. This left him 15th and behind Fisichella. Then the Italian's penalty was applied, so Kubica ended up 14th. This meant Coulthard, Button and Liuzzi all gained two places as both drivers had been ahead of them.

Race

The order from the start remained fairly unchanged with the Ferraris of Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa led away from Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, although there was a lot of pushing between the McLarens as Hamilton attempted to pass around the outside of turn one, but Alonso pushed him wide onto the tarmac on the outside of the corner.

Giancarlo Fisichella's Renault suffered a suspension failure on lap 2, making him the first retirement of the race. He had been running last. Also on lap 2, Alexander Wurz spun in the Williams, slipping to the back of the field.

Sebastian Vettel soon suffered a handling problem, probably caused by a collision, which eliminated his Toro Rosso from the race on lap 9.

Massa briefly took the lead on lap 16, but Räikkönen reclaimed it a lap later after his pitstop.

David Coulthard suffered a hydraulic failure in his Red Bull on lap 30. He was quickly followed with a fuel pressure problem for Wurz, who was still last, on lap 35, and the Honda of Jenson Button, which dropped out on lap 37 with another hydraulic failure.

Massa once again led for just one lap during Räikkönen's second stop, but he retook it the following lap.

Räikkönen finally came home to win from Massa, clinching the World Constructors Championship for Ferrari. Alonso, Hamilton, Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber, Nico Rosberg's Williams, Mark Webber in the Red Bull and Heikki Kovalainen's Renault rounded up the top eight. The only changes from the starting top eight were Heidfeld and Rosberg swapping places and Kovalainen passing Jarno Trulli's Toyota to take eighth.

The race was overshadowed by the death of former World Rally Champion Colin McRae in a helicopter crash during Saturday's qualifying.

Classification

Qualifying

Pos.No.DriverConstructorQ1Q2Q3Grid
16 Flag of Finland.svg Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:46.2421:45.0701:45.9941
25 Flag of Brazil.svg Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:46.0601:45.1731:46.0112
31 Flag of Spain.svg Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 1:46.0581:45.4421:46.0913
42 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:46.4371:45.1321:46.4064
510 Flag of Poland.svg Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:46.7071:45.8851:46.99614 1
616 Flag of Germany.svg Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:46.9501:46.4691:47.3345
79 Flag of Germany.svg Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:46.9231:45.9941:47.4096
815 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:47.0841:46.4261:47.5247
912 Flag of Italy.svg Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:47.1431:46.4801:47.7988
104 Flag of Finland.svg Heikki Kovalainen Renault 1:46.9711:46.2401:48.5059
113 Flag of Italy.svg Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:47.1431:46.603PL 2 , 3
1211 Flag of Germany.svg Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:47.3001:46.61810
1314 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:47.3401:46.80011
147 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jenson Button Honda 1:47.4741:46.95512
1518 Flag of Italy.svg Vitantonio Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:47.5761:47.11513
1617 Flag of Austria.svg Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota 1:47.5221:47.39415
1719 Flag of Germany.svg Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:47.58116
188 Flag of Brazil.svg Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:47.95417
1922 Flag of Japan.svg Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:47.98018
2020 Flag of Germany.svg Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari 1:48.04419
2123 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 1:48.199PL 4
2221 Flag of Japan.svg Sakon Yamamoto Spyker-Ferrari 1:49.55721
Source: [5]
Notes

Race

Pos.No.DriverConstructorLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
16 Flag of Finland.svg Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 441:20:39.066110
25 Flag of Brazil.svg Felipe Massa Ferrari 44+4.69528
31 Flag of Spain.svg Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 44+14.34336
42 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 44+23.61545
59 Flag of Germany.svg Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 44+51.87964
616 Flag of Germany.svg Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 44+1:16.87653
715 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 44+1:20.63972
84 Flag of Finland.svg Heikki Kovalainen Renault 44+1:25.10691
910 Flag of Poland.svg Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 44+1:25.66114
1011 Flag of Germany.svg Ralf Schumacher Toyota 44+1:28.57410
1112 Flag of Italy.svg Jarno Trulli Toyota 44+1:43.6538
1218 Flag of Italy.svg Vitantonio Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 43+1 Lap13
138 Flag of Brazil.svg Rubens Barrichello Honda 43+1 Lap17
1420 Flag of Germany.svg Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari 43+1 Lap19
1522 Flag of Japan.svg Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 43+1 Lap18
1623 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 43+1 Lap20
1721 Flag of Japan.svg Sakon Yamamoto Spyker-Ferrari 43+1 Lap21
Ret7 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jenson Button Honda 36Hydraulics12
Ret17 Flag of Austria.svg Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota 34Fuel pressure15
Ret14 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 29Hydraulics11
Ret19 Flag of Germany.svg Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8Steering16
Ret3 Flag of Italy.svg Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1Suspension22
Source: [10]

Championship standings after the race

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Australian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2007 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 18 March 2007 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia. It was the first race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. The 58 lap race was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from pole position. Fernando Alonso finished second in a McLaren car, with teammate and future 7 time World Champion Lewis Hamilton third on his Grand Prix debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Bahrain Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race was the third race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. It was held on 15 April at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Malaysian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 8 April 2007 at the Sepang International Circuit and the second race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. Reigning world champion Fernando Alonso won the race from second on the grid, with McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing second. This marked McLaren's first one-two finish since the 2005 Brazilian Grand Prix. Previous race winner Kimi Räikkönen finished third. Räikkönen's Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa started the race from pole position, but was passed by both McLarens in the first two corners of the first lap, eventually finishing in fifth place behind BMW's Nick Heidfeld.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Italian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2007 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 9 September 2007 at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy. It was the thirteenth race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Canadian Grand Prix</span> Formula One motor race held in 2007

The 2007 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 June 2007 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was the sixth race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. The race was won by Lewis Hamilton, starting from pole position, in his first season in the top formula. It was Hamilton's first of an eventual record breaking 103 victories in Formula One. Nick Heidfeld finished second and Alexander Wurz was third, making it the first Grand Prix of the 2007 season that drivers from teams other than Ferrari and McLaren achieved podium positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 United States Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2007 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, in the United States on 17 June 2007. The 73-lap race was the seventh race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship and was won by McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. His teammate, Fernando Alonso, finished the race in second position whilst Ferrari driver, Felipe Massa, completed the podium by finishing third. This was the debut race of the future four time world champion Sebastian Vettel with BMW Sauber F1 Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 French Grand Prix</span> Formula One motor race held in 2007

The 2007 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 1 July 2007 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours, France. It was the eighth race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team won the 70-lap race starting from third position. Felipe Massa, who started the race from pole position, finished second in the latter Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton third in a McLaren car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Hungarian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix was the eleventh race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship and was held on 5 August 2007 at the Hungaroring racing track in Mogyoród, Pest, Hungary. It was also memorable for an incident in the Saturday qualifying session, between McLaren teammates Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Chinese Grand Prix</span> 2007 Formula 1 motor car race in China

The 2007 Chinese Grand Prix was the sixteenth race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. It was held on 7 October 2007 at Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China. The race was won by Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen with Fernando Alonso finishing second and Felipe Massa finishing third. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton retired from the race after going off at a wet pit entrance on worn tyres left him stuck in the gravel. Räikkönen's win marked the 200th Grand Prix victory for Scuderia Ferrari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 German Grand Prix</span> 10th round of the 2008 Formula One season

The 2008 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 20 July 2008 at the Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany. It was the 10th race of the 2008 Formula One World Championship and was contested over 67 laps. It was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after starting from pole position. Nelson Piquet Jr. finished second for Renault, with Felipe Massa third for Ferrari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Malaysian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 23 March 2008 at the Sepang International Circuit, Sepang, Malaysia. It was the 2nd race of the 2008 Formula One season. The 56-lap race was won by Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team after starting from second position. Robert Kubica finished second in a BMW Sauber car, with Heikki Kovalainen third in a McLaren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Bahrain Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 6 April 2008 at the Bahrain International Circuit, in Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the third race of the 2008 Formula One World Championship. Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team won the 57-lap race. Kimi Räikkönen was second in the other Ferrari, and BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica was third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Spanish Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2008 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 27 April 2008 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló, Spain. It was the fourth race of the 2008 Formula One World Championship. Kimi Räikkönen for the Ferrari team won the 66-lap race starting from pole position. Felipe Massa finished second in the other Ferrari, and Lewis Hamilton was third in a McLaren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Turkish Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2008 Turkish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 11 May 2008 at the Istanbul Racing Circuit, Tuzla, Turkey. The 58-lap race, the fifth of the 2008 Formula One World Championship, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team from pole position. Lewis Hamilton finished second in a McLaren, with Kimi Räikkönen third in the second Ferrari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Monaco Grand Prix</span> Formula One motor race

The 2008 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 25 May 2008 at the Circuit de Monaco; contested over 76 laps, it was the sixth race of the 2008 Formula One World Championship. The race was won by the season's eventual Drivers' Champion, Lewis Hamilton, for the McLaren team. BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica finished second, and Felipe Massa, who started from pole position, was third in a Ferrari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Canadian Grand Prix</span> 2008 Canadian Formula One race held in Montreal

The 2008 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 8 June 2008 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was the 7th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The 70-lap race was won by Robert Kubica for the BMW Sauber team after starting from second position. Kubica’s teammate Nick Heidfeld finished second with David Coulthard third in a Red Bull; taking the final podium of his F1 career. Lewis Hamilton, who started from pole position, failed to finish the race, retiring on lap 19 after crashing into the back of Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari car in the pit lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Hungarian Grand Prix</span> Formula One motor race

The 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 3 August 2008, at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, near Budapest. It was the 11th race of the 2008 Formula One World Championship. Contested over 70 laps, the race was won by Heikki Kovalainen for the McLaren team, from a second position start. Timo Glock finished second in a Toyota car, with Kimi Räikkönen third in a Ferrari. It was Kovalainen's first Formula One victory, which made him the sport's 100th driver to win a World Championship race, and it was Glock's first podium finish. It also turned out to be the only F1 race Kovalainen ever won.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Italian Grand Prix</span> Formula One motor race held in 2008

The 2008 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 September 2008 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza, Italy. It was the 14th race of the 2008 Formula One World Championship. Future four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel for the Toro Rosso team took a maiden victory, winning the 53-lap race from a maiden pole position. Heikki Kovalainen finished second in a McLaren, and Robert Kubica third in a BMW Sauber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Chinese Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2008 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 19 October 2008 at the Shanghai International Circuit. It was the 17th and penultimate race of the 2008 Formula One World Championship. Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team won the 56-lap race from pole position. Ferrari driver Felipe Massa finished second, and Kimi Räikkönen was third in the other Ferrari. This was the 200th Grand Prix victory by a British driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Bahrain Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 26 April 2009 at the Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the sixth Bahrain Grand Prix and fourth race of the 2009 Formula One season.

References

  1. ↑ "2007 Belgian GP". ChicaneF1. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  2. ↑ "2007 Belgian Grand Prix". Motor Sport . Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  3. ↑ "Belgia". Formula1.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-31. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "Ferrari trying out a new light system to let the drivers go from a pit stop". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "2007 FORMULA 1 ING Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying". Formula1.com. Formula One Group. 16 September 2007. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Kubica to drop 10 grid places". ITV-f1. 2007-09-15. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  7. ↑ "Engine change puts Fisi to the back". ITV-f1. 2007-09-15. Retrieved 2007-09-15.[ dead link ]
  8. ↑ 2007 Autocourse, Belgian race report
  9. ↑ 2007 Autocourse, Belgian race report
  10. ↑ "2007 FORMULA 1 ING Belgian Grand Prix - Race". Formula1.com. Formula One Group. 16 September 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Belgium 2007 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
Previous race:
2007 Italian Grand Prix 		FIA Formula One World Championship
2007 season 		Next race:
2007 Japanese Grand Prix
Previous race:
2005 Belgian Grand Prix 		Belgian Grand Prix Next race:
2008 Belgian Grand Prix

Coordinates: 50°26′14″N5°58′17″E / 50.43722°N 5.97139°E / 50.43722; 5.97139

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.