Stats: Spa bites even the big names

SPA DRIVER STATS

• Sebastian Vettel has finished in each of the three podium spots in Belgium, but only once in each. He won in 2011, was second last year and third in 2009.

In qualifying, he set pole in 2011, but last year failed to make it to Q3 (though a gearbox penalty for team-mate Mark Webber meant he still started 10th).

The start at Spa has proved tricky for Vettel - of his six races here, he's lost places on the opening lap each time bar 2010.

• Mark Webber's only Belgian podiums are second places in 2010 and '11. This was despite having to make up ground both times after fluffed starts when his anti-stall kicked in.

Webber leads his Minardi team-mate Anthony Davidson through Spa's Bus Stop chicane in 2002 © LAT

In his first two races here, with Minardi in 2002 and Jaguar in '04, he retired. Since then (seven races) he has always finished in the top nine, but never led a single lap.

• Spa is one of two 'traditional' tracks where Fernando Alonso has never won. The other is Interlagos (of the newer venues, he's also failed to triumph at Austin and Buddh).

He's never started from the front row here, and only twice been on the podium - neither time for Ferrari. He was second in 2005 and third in '07. In the past four years, he's retired three times due to accidents.

• Felipe Massa won at Spa in 2008 after his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen crashed out and Lewis Hamilton was penalised. Massa was second in 2007, but aside from those two occasions he's never finished on the podium here.

The only years that he's started from the front row (both times in second place) are 2007/08, and the latter is the last time a Ferrari driver was on the front row here. The Brazilian has retired only once from his eight Belgian races (in 2002 with an engine failure). Apart from that, he's always finished in the top 10.

• Jenson Button dominated last year, taking pole (his last to date), the win and leading the whole race. He was also on the podium in 2005 and '11 (third both times). Button has often been the victim of bad luck in Belgium, retiring in six of his 11 GPs.

Grosjean's 2012 Spa startline shunt is more famous, but he also crashed on lap one in 2009 © LAT

• Sergio Perez and Romain Grosjean have one thing in common when it comes to Spa: they've both started twice, but retired due to accidents. Grosjean, in fact, has yet to complete a racing lap of the Belgian track.

• Kimi Raikkonen is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Belgian GP, with four wins - the same as Jim Clark. Ahead of them are only Michael Schumacher with six wins and Ayrton Senna with five.

Raikkonen's victories came in 2004/05/07/09. Last year, he was third. In all his other races here (2001/02/08) he's retired. His wins in 2004 (McLaren) and '09 (Ferrari) were arguably his most special because they were in uncompetitive cars, neither of which won again during their respective seasons.

• Nico Rosberg's best result here is a sixth place (he finished in that position in 2007 and '10-11). His highest qualifying spot is fifth (2007 and '11). He's never retired here.

• Lewis Hamilton has not seen the chequered flag here since his victory back in 2010 (when he led all the way). He's crashed twice (with Kamui Kobayashi in 2011 and with Grosjean last year). He did cross the finish line here first in 2008, but was demoted to third after being adjudged to have gained an advantage by cutting a chicane.

• Nico Hulkenberg was fourth at Spa last year, which is his best career result.

SPA TEAM STATS

• Red Bull has won only once in Belgium (2011). It was particularly noteworthy because it was a Vettel/Webber one-two. Despite its lack of wins, the team has been on the podium three times from its past four starts here.

McLaren and Ferrari have a long history of battling in Belgium: this is John Watson leading Gilles Villeneuve at Zolder in 1981 © LAT

Red Bull started from pole in 2010 and '11, but last year struggled in qualifying (Vettel missed the Q3 cut-off and Webber was only 12th on the grid after making a gearbox change).

• Ferrari has the same number of victories at this track as McLaren: 12. Their overall record against each other in Belgian races is 16-14 for Ferrari (taking into account races at other Belgian venues Nivelles and Zolder).

Ferrari's last win in Belgium was in 2009, and was scored by Raikkonen. Ferrari has struggled in qualifying here, too: its last pole came in 2007, courtesy of Raikkonen.

• McLaren has triumph twice here in the past three years - in 2010 with Hamilton and last year with Button. However, on the other side of the coin, in each of the past four GPs one of McLaren's cars has retired due to an accident.

• Lotus has taken two podiums from the past five races at Spa. Robert Kubica was third in 2010 and Raikkonen did the same last year. Lotus never won here in its previous incarnation as Renault.

• Mercedes won at Spa in 1955, but since its return to racing its best result here has been a fifth place in 2011 (Rosberg qualified fifth, but it was Michael Schumacher who took the position in the race).

Williams hasn't had a great run at Spa of late. Rubens Barrichello's race ended very early in 2010 © XPB

• Williams has scored only two points from its past five Belgian GPs. Rosberg was eighth in 2009, while Pastor Maldonado was 10th in 2011.

• Spa is special for Force India as the team posted its only pole and podium finish here with Giancarlo Fisichella in 2009.

• The last points for Sauber in Belgium came when the team was BMW Sauber, back in 2010 (Kobayashi was eighth).

In the past two races, the team has had extremely bad luck, with both its cars involved in accidents. In 2011, Kobayashi clashed with Hamilton, and Perez with Sebastien Buemi, while last year both cars were part of the first-turn melee triggered by Grosjean.

• Toro Rosso's fortunes have been up and down here. Last year, both cars scored points, but two years ago they both retired due to accidents.

DID YOU KNOW?

Curiously, Spa has witnessed nine different polemen in the past nine races: Schumacher (2002), Trulli ('04, pictured), Montoya ('05), Raikkonen ('07), Hamilton ('08), Fisichella ('09), Webber ('10), Vettel ('11) and Button ('12).