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Formula 1
Belgian GP
2009 Belgian Grand Prix Race day at Spa-Francorchamps
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Lap 7: Barrichello gets on with the programme and now takes care of Kazuki Nakajima on the Kemmel straight. Into Les Combes the Brawn is through and up to 12th.
Lap 7: Raikkonen sets the fastest lap at 1m48.090 as he pulls to 1.4 seconds clear of Fisichella.
Lap 6: Rubens Barrichello does get past Luca Badoer pretty quickly at the entrance to the Bus Stop chicane as the fighting continues. Barrichello is now up to 13th place.
Lap 6: Sebastian Vettel also squeezed round the outside of Nico Rosberg on the run up to Les Combes on that restart lap. Vettel takes over seventh place.
Lap 6: Robert Kubica is still third from Glock, Webber, Heidfeld and Vettel.
Lap 5: Rubens Barrichello has already taken care of Jarno Trulli and is on the tail of Luca Badoer as they fight over 13th position.
Lap 5: It was an easy move for the Ferrari as his KERS power demoted Fisichella to second.
Lap 5: Kimi sweeps out around the outside on the straight and Raikkonen leads in Belgium!
Lap 5: Raikkonen is all over the back of Fisichella.
Lap 5: The safety car comes into the pitlane and we are racing once again.
Lap 4: At Brawn, Jock Clear is encouraging his driver Rubens Barrichello to quickly dispatch Luca Badoer at the restart. They are 13th and 15th.
Lap 4: The safety car will pit at the end of this lap.
Lap 4: The four crashed cars are now over the wall at Les Combes and we should be racing again soon.
Lap 4: Luca Badoer is told over the radio by race engineer Rob Smedley that almost all the other drivers are running the harder tyre for this opening stint while he is on softs. Smedley is encouraging the Italian to push and try to make up further ground when the race eventually resumes.
Lap 4: Mark Webber has profited well from the disaster at Brawn and is now fifth with lots of fuel on board. The Australian could do well on points today.
Lap 3: Raikkonen continues in second and is in a very strong position to win, with more fuel than Fisichella, despite that contact on the opening lap.
Lap 3: Luca Badoer has benefitted from all the chaos and runs in 13th position.
Lap 3: Meantime, the clean up continues at Les Combes as the wrecked cars are lifted to safety over the barrier.
Lap 3: Heidfeld is sixth, with Rosberg seventh, Vettel eighth, Alonso ninth, Kovalainen 10th and Buemi 11th.
Lap 2: The order behind the safety car is Fisichella from Raikkonen, Kubica, Glock, Trulli and Webber after a chaotic start in Spa.
Lap 2: Off the line Barrichello hardly moved as the field streamed past him,. It was very similar to his problem at the first round in Australia.Rubens now runs towards the rear of the field having pitted.
Lap 2: The field is reduced to 16 as we see Trulli, Barrichello and Sutil all in the pits at the end of the first lap.
Lap 2: Raikkonen used a very wide run over the asphalt at La Source to make it up to third on the run through Eau Rouge. Kimi then surged by Kubica on the Kemmel straight before the off at Les Combes.
Lap 2: Lewis Hamilton is out of the race with heavy damage to the McLaren. The accident started ahead of him as Button spun and collected Grosjean at Les Combes.
Replays show that Button was tagged by an optimistic move by Grosjean. The Briton then spun round over the grass backwards and replied in kind, putting both cars out. Hamilton and Alguersuari were caught up in the aftermath.
Replays show that Button was tagged by an optimistic move by Grosjean. The Briton then spun round over the grass backwards and replied in kind, putting both cars out. Hamilton and Alguersuari were caught up in the aftermath.
Lap 1: Kimi Raikkonen was up to second but ran wide at Les Combes and was struck from the rear by Kubica.
Lap 1: The safety car has been deployed.
Lap 1: Massive shunt at the rear of the field! Hamilton is out, Grosjean is out. Button is possibly in this accident as well.
Lap 1: Round Rivage at the far end of the circuit it is Fisichella leading as there is chaos at Les Combes.
Lap 1: Barrichello almost stalls on the grid as Fisichella gets the jump and leads away up the hill towards Les Combes ahead of Raikkonen.
Lap 1: The five red lights go out and we are racing in Belgium!
The Force India pulls up to pole position and the field begins to form up in their slots.
We are ready for 44 race laps. Here come the lights ...
We are ready for 44 race laps. Here come the lights ...
Fisichella is keeping the pace low as he beings the rest in tow behind him. He rounds the final chicane and drives towards the grid.
Downhill into the Fagnes chicane and they begin the run for home. The drivers are trying to generate as much tyre temperature as possible.
Barrichello, Kubica and Raikkonen have opted for the softer rubber.
Giancarlo Fisichella has a completely clear track in front of him as he leads the field up the steep Kemmel straight.
The formation lap begins at Spa. All 20 cars leave the grid without problem.
Jarno Trulli and Nick Heidfeld have chosen the harder tyres.
Fisichella is starting from pole on the softer tyres.
The engines begin to fire with a minute before the formation lap.
Key factors for the race:
• The start. With such a mixed grid, will they all avoid contact at the tight La Source hairpin?
• Overtaking. Providing they get through the first lap, the drivers will find overtaking quite easy today. We should see plenty of passing in the early stages as the field sorts themselves out.
• The start. With such a mixed grid, will they all avoid contact at the tight La Source hairpin?
• Overtaking. Providing they get through the first lap, the drivers will find overtaking quite easy today. We should see plenty of passing in the early stages as the field sorts themselves out.
By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton
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