[foreva_99]

Welcome to The Formula One Thread

On this thread we discuss the wonderful sport of F1. We post up to date news and the general info about the sport. We also talk about the drivers and the teams and what we like or dislike about them.

Our previous threads are:
Formula One is GO GO GO
Formula One #2 - To Finish First, First You Must Finish
Formula One #3 - Can Anyone Truely beat Michael Schumacher?
Formula One #4 - The Iceman Cometh
Formula One #5 - IF is F1 backwards
Formula One #6 - This Season Will Ferrari still be the team to beat?
Formula One #7 - Now it's unpredictable!
Formula One #8: It's no longer the Ferrari show!
Formula One #9 The f2003 GA... as sexy as an F1 car's gonna be
Formula One #10 ~ Kimi a world champion in the making
Formula One #11 ~ With every race Alonso's star is getting brighter
Formula One #12 ~ Watch Out When Juan is About!
Formula One #13 ~ We are Running Out of Races and the Championship is wide open!
Formula One #14 ~ It's Ferrari vs Everyone Else in the Tyre War of 2003
Formula One #15 ~ It Ain't Over Until It's Over
Formula One #16 - Michael still thinks that JV is a threat
Formula One #17 - Bring on more seasons like the one we've just had
Formula One #18 - A New Year Brings a New Season
Formula One #19 ~ A new season brings new rivalries
Formula One #20 ~ The cars just keep getting faster and faster!!!
Formula One #21 ~ Schumi is showing why he is a six times world champion!
Formula 1 #22 - Speed and Dangerous Situations

Moments for Hitzi
there is fuel in this car. amazing how i can tell just by looking at it
yes David, that's the gravel trap


Our Favourite Photo of Kimi Raikkonen
Kimi with snow on his face

Our Favourite Picture of Nick Heidfeld
Nick sat on the beach

Our Favourite Picture of Jarno Trulli
Jarno wearing a dinner jacket

2005Calender
DATES COUNTRIES CIRCUITS
Mar 6 AUSTRALIA ALBERT PARK
Mar 20 MALAYSIA SEPANG
Apr 3 BAHRAIN BAHRAIN
Apr 24 SAN MARINO IMOLA, ITALY
May 8 SPAIN BARCELONA
May 22 MONACO MONTE CARLO
May 29 EUROPE NURBURGRING, GERMANY
Jun 12 CANADA CIRCUIT GILLES VILLENEUVE
Jun 19 UNITED STATES INDIANAPOLIS
Jul 3 FRANCE MAGNY COURS
Jul 10 BRITAIN SILVERSTONE
Jul 24 GERMANY HOCKENHEIM
Jul 31 HUNGARY HUNGARORING, BUDAPEST
Aug 21 TURKEY ISTANBUL
Sept 4 ITALY MONZA
Sept 11 BELGIUM SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS
Sept 25 BRAZIL INTERLAGOS
Oct 9 JAPAN SUZUKA
Oct 16 CHINA SHANGHAI

Driver Line Up For the 2005 Season

Back Row C Albers, P Friesacher, N Karthikeyan, T Monterio, J Villeneuve, F Massa
Middle Row F Alonso, G Fisichella, J Button, T Sato, R Schumacher, J Trulli, C Klien, D Coulthard
Front Row N Heidfeld, M Webber, M Schumacher, R Barrichello, JP Montoya, K Raikkonen

Thanks to Marie for the photo

SUMMARY OF RACE WINNERS
Melbourne, Australia - Gincarlo Fisichella, Renault
Sepang, Malaysia - Fernando Alonso, Renault
Bahrain - Fernando Alonso, Renault

RACE RESULT for BAHRAIN GP

Bahrain GP Results
P. No Driver Country Team Gap

1. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault 57 laps 01:29:18.531
2. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota +00:13.400
3. Kimi Raikkonen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +00:32.000
4. Ralf Schumacher Germany Toyota-Toyota +00:53.200
5. Pedro de la Rosa Spain McLaren-Mercedes +01:04.900
6. Mark Webber Australia Williams-BMW +01:14.700
7. Felipe Massa Brazil Sauber-Petronas +1 lap
8. David Coulthard Britain Red Bull-Cosworth +1 lap
9. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +1 lap
10. Tiago Monteiro Portugal Jordan-Toyota +2 laps
11. Jacques Villeneuve Canada Sauber-Petronas +3 laps
12. Patrick Friesacher Austria Minardi-Cosworth +3 laps
13. Christijan Albers Holland Minardi-Cosworth +4 laps
14. Jenson Button Britain BAR-Honda +11 laps
15. Takuma Sato Japan BAR-Honda +30 laps
16. Nick Heidfeld Germany Williams-BMW +32 laps
17. Michael Schumacher Germany Ferrari-Ferrari +45 laps
18. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Renault-Renault +53 laps
19. Narain Karthikeyan India Jordan-Toyota +55 laps
20. Christian Klien Austria Red Bull-Cosworth Did not start


CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
POSITION DRIVER TEAM POINTS

1. Fernando Alonso, Renault - 26
2. Jarno Trulli, Toyota - 16
3. Gincarlo Fisichella, Renault - 10
4. David Coulthard, Red Bull Racing - 9
= Ralf Schumacher, Toyota - 9
6. Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari - 8
= Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren - 8
8. Mark Webber, Williams - 7
= Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren - 7
10. Nick Heidfeld, Williams - 6
11. Pedro De La Rosa, McLaren - 4
12. Christian Klien, Red Bull Racing - 3
13. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari -2
= Felipe Massa, Sauber - 2


F1 CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP
POSITION TEAM POINTS

1. Renault - 36
2. Toyota - 25
3. McLaren - 19
4. Williams - 13
5. Red Bull Racing - 12
6. Ferrari - 10
7. Sauber - 2
8. Jordan - 0
= Minardi - 0
= BAR 0


Australia


Malaysia




Bahrain

[Mei Zhuo]

thanks for starting bel

congrats to JT for his pole position

[L i N d $ @ y]

WHEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KIMI GOT PODIUM!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY!!! excuse me for the all caps post.

what a race! much more exciting that boring hungary. lots of retirements! i felt bad for alonso retiring early. and also for jenson. his wheel just blew and i remembered just cursing constantly.

i was happy for montoya's retirement. i'm so mean. i was a bit pissed that rubens had to move further back but still...he managed to finish 3rd so i don't feel bad for him anymore. and schumi went as low as 6th...i was really happy. but still managed to finish 2nd.

but kimi's all smiles! its been a while i've seen kimi smile. and he was soooo good-looking onstage!

bel: our thread title has been answered! your psychic!

[L i N d $ @ y]

Spa, Belgium pictures!

[*MH*]

I loved that race so much! it was great to have lots of chances to yell at my tv again. i hate races where nothing happens even if my boys get a good result




It was such a great result for Kimi! He drove really well and deserved the victory. I really couldn't tell that he had any problems he did such a good job! it's been such a long time since I celebrated a victory by him.

So maybe Fernando would have had a chance to win because he was ahead of Kimi before he retired. But i've had this feeling all weekend that he wasn't going to finish the race and it was right. I could tell when he had gone through Eau Rouge that something looked to be coming out of the car and when he spun I just knew that it wasn't his fault. I guess that simple fact made it easier to deal with and accept. & the fact that he spun again confirmed it. Also the interview that he did with ITV made me feel better. i can't believe what a great skill he has. Just hearing him speak normally makes me feel better.

I think that Jenson was a very, very, very lucky boy. If it wasn't for that Minardi he could have had a big accident. I really don't want to think about that anymore.

Anyway i loved the race. it was great for yelling at the TV which is something that I really enjoy doing.


also. Congrats to Michael

[*MH*]

u really should know better than to say something that I'm going to have to reply to like this

Originally posted by L i N d $ @ y i was staring at alonso the whole time, he really has a nice smile!

photos of the event in question





that smile is perfectness. his teeth are perfect and he has the cutest dimples in the whole wide world

[foreva_99]

I knew last night when I saw the race that I had written down the wrong thread title!! Didn't have to wait very long at all for a McLaren win. Maybe we should have had this title earlier in the season: there may have been a win before now for the team.

I am just so excited for Kimi. It is about time that he got there and he had an awesome race. I thought that this race has been one of the best ones all season. There was so much drama going on on the track and it was a great race to watch and....it was not a Ferrari victory. That was always going to be a bonus.

Thanks for all the pics Marie. Is there any particular one that you want me to put on the front post??

[*MH*]

bel - use any picture that u want. it's up to you. just as long as Kimi looks happy in it... but based on the pictures i've seen so far i don't think that's going to be a problem

another cute one that i found just now

one of all of the podium

[*MH*]

KIMI WINS - BUT SCHUMI IS CHAMPION
Updated: Monday, 30, August, 2004, 09:48


Michael Schumacher won a record-breaking seventh championship at the Belgian GP – but Kimi Raikkonen prevented him from crowning the occasion with a win.

Second place was enough for Schumacher - but it was ironic that he landed the title on the day that he was beaten in a straight fight for the first time this season.

It was an incident-packed race. With three safety car periods and only nine finishers, Spa lived up to its reputation as one of the toughest circuits on the F1 calendar.

In fact, there was more excitement inside the first three corners than we got in the whole of the Hungarian GP.

To no one's great surprise, pole man Jarno Trulli got to the first corner in the lead. But Schumacher, who had started second, lost out not only to Fernando Alonso but also to David Coulthard.

All hell broke loose behind this leading quartet. Mark Webber concertinaed the field with a wildly ambitious attempt to pass Giancarlo Fisichella at La Source and ran into the back of Rubens Barrichello.

Barrichello, Jenson Button and Felipe Massa all suffered damage in the ensuing chaos and had to pit for repairs at the end of the lap.

Webber too lost his front wing but continued onwards to Eau Rouge. At the top of the hill, he was running three abreast with Takuma Sato and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Something had to give and Sato was squeezed out and spun. Four cars were eliminated in the ensuing carnage – Sato, Webber, Gianmaria Bruni and Giorgio Pantano – but it could have been a lot worse.

Stewards controversially decided that the debris could be cleared up under the safety car. Their decision not to stop the race would have repercussions later on.

At the restart, Kimi Raikkonen, who had been 10th on the grid, passed Schumacher for fourth. The charging Finn then got team-mate David Coulthard a lap later.

Schumacher was clearly struggling for grip after the safety car period and was promptly bumped down to sixth by a neat Montoya move at the Bus Stop chicane.

At the front, Trulli became the first of the leading runners to pit on lap nine, passing the lead to team-mate Alonso. Within three laps the Spaniard was out, spinning on his own oil twice in a matter of corners.

Third-placed Coulthard suffered a puncture on the same lap, almost certainly caused by debris from that first-lap incident at Eau Rouge.

After the first round of stops, Raikkonen led from Schumacher with Trulli and Montoya squabbling over third place.

On lap 20, the Colombian tried to reprise his Schumacher passing manoeuvre – but with less success. Trulli was sent spinning while Montoya lost enough time that he was passed by team-mate Antonio Pizzonia.

Montoya may be in hot water as stewards swiftly announced their intention to investigate the incident after the race.

It seemed things were starting to settle down at the front with Raikkonen leading Schumacher by 12 seconds when he made his second stop on lap 29.

But that advantage was cancelled out when the safety car was scrambled for the second time following a terrifying tyre failure for Jenson Button.

The Brit was lapping Zsolt Baumgartner at 200mph when his right rear tyre exploded. He was sent spinning into the Minardi man, which was a stroke of luck for Button as any impact with the barriers would have been much more violent.

Schumacher promptly made his second stop and emerged right behind Raikkonen.

But the biggest winner was Schumacher’s team-mate Barrichello. The Ferrari man had been running last after his early pitstop but found himself promoted to fifth.

That became fourth when Pizzonia retired with a gearbox failure under the safety car and third when Montoya pulled out following yet another puncture a few laps later.

When the safety car returned to the pits on lap 33, Raikkonen took advantage of Schumacher’s vulnerability when his tyres were not up to temperature to stretch away by a couple of seconds.

But as Schumacher’s Bridgestones gradually warmed up, he began to nibble away at Raikkonen’s lead.

Just as the Finn was looking open to attack, David Coulthard brought out the safety car for the third and final time by ploughing into the back of Christian Klien at Radillon.

If the previous safety car period had cost Raikkonen, this one was a blessing. It whiled away a precious three further laps and crucially reduced Schumacher’s tyre temperatures again.

There were only three laps to go when the safety car finally returned to the pits and Raikkonen finished things off in style, setting the fastest lap of the race on his penultimate circuit.

It was a brilliant drive by the young Finn - and it was fitting that it came on the day that Schumacher clinched the title.

Schuey may have dominated the sport for the past decade but, on this form, Raikkonen is well capable of doing likewise for the next 10 years.

Belgian Grand Prix result (44 laps)

1 RAIKKONEN McLaren 1h32m35.274s
2 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari + 3.132s
3 BARRICHELLO Ferrari + 4.371s
4 MASSA Sauber + 12.504s
5 FISICHELLA Sauber + 14.104s
6 KLIEN Jaguar + 14.614s
7 COULTHARD McLaren + 17.970s
8 PANIS Toyota + 18.693s
9 TRULLI Renault + 22.115s
10 ZONTA Toyota + 3 laps
11 HEIDFELD Jordan + 4 laps
12 MONTOYA Williams + 7 laps
13 PIZZONIA Williams + 13 laps
14 BUTTON BAR + 15 laps
15 BAUMGARTNER Minardi + 16 laps
16 ALONSO Renault + 33 laps
17 WEBBER Jaguar + 44 laps
18 SATO BAR + 44 laps
19 BRUNI Minardi + 44 laps
20 PANTANO Jordan + 44 laps

[*MH*]

KIMI ENDS MCLAREN WIN DROUGHT
Last Updated: Sunday, 29, August, 2004, 18:42


Kimi Raikkonen ended a 17-month victory drought for McLaren with a superb, flawlessly executed drive in the Belgian GP.

The Finn scythed his way through the field from a lowly starting position and scampered off into the distance before out-duelling Michael Schumacher in the closing stages.

McLaren’s last win came at the 2003 Malaysian GP, Raikkonen’s maiden F1 triumph. After a lamentable start to the ’04 season the Woking team have reversed their fortunes in recent weeks following the introduction of the MP4-19B chassis, which has delivered a quantum leap in performance.

Raikkonen said: “It’s very good for the team and for me after such a difficult season. Now we have some speed and results with the 19B. We’ve been struggling to find it, but now we’ve got what we deserved and hopefully we can keep it up and challenge for the world title next year.”

From 10th on the grid Raikkonen had vaulted up to fifth by the exit of La Source, despite being hit by Felipe Massa’s Sauber. He then confidently dispatched Schumacher going into Eau Rouge at the first restart, clearly mindful of the need to make his move before the Ferrari’s Bridgestone tyres hit their 'sweet spot'.

After making short work of team-mate David Coulthard, Raikkonen soon tracked down the leading Renaults, getting past Jarno Trulli with a string of blistering laps in the middle phase of the race. Thereafter he built what looked like an unassailable cushion, only to see it negated by not one but two safety car periods.

But he played the restarts to perfection on each occasion, varying his tactics and keeping Schumacher guessing, and made sure of victory by pumping in the fastest laps of the race immediately following the final restart.

All was not as serene as it seemed in the cockpit, however.

“After Massa hit me at the first corner, the car felt a bit funny,” Raikkonen said. “I thought something had broken at the rear and I almost stopped, but I kept going and there was only a little damage to the floor of the car. But that did not hamper my performance.

“I got past Michael at the restart, but from about lap eight I experienced problems with the downshift, which affected braking for the hairpin. Every time I tried to downshift, the car was just pushing forward and the gears were not going in.

“I was turning the switches all the time trying to get the car to the finish line and it wasn’t easy to drive, but despite all that we achieved an exceptional result.”

Team boss Ron Dennis, normally one of the steeliest characters in the pit lane, had to fight back the tears afterwards.

“Obviously I’m delighted, and very emotional – it’s a tremendous result for the team. Kimi’s fastest lap on the penultimate lap of the race, just when it mattered, was absolutely sensational.

“It’s particularly satisfying since we handled so many issues and challenges through the race, with the safety car being deployed three times and then the impact with the Sauber that damaged the floor, which we had to accommodate with the diff settings.

"At the end of the day Kimi did a great job.”

David Coulthard flirted with disaster on two occasions during the Belgian GP, first when he suffered a puncture while running third and then when he misjudged a passing move on Christian Klien and clipped the rear of the Jaguar at over 180 mph, breaking his front wing and brushing the wall.

Coulthard bravely opted to continue, and in the circumstances seventh place wasn't a bad result.

"From my side it was quite an eventful race," the Scot said with masterly understatement. "I had a lot of work to do to get back in the points, so all in all seventh place is a reasonable result from the day."



SCHU IN SEVENTH HEAVEN
Last Updated: Sunday, 29, August, 2004, 16:39


Michael Schumacher survived an action-packed, crash-strewn Belgian GP to clinch his seventh world championship with a second-place finish.

The German had to give best to an inspired Kimi Raikkonen, but came home one spot ahead of the only man who stood between him and the title, Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

Schumacher started second, was beaten off the line by the fast-starting Renault of Fernando Alonso and lost a further place to David Coulthard at the first corner. He was then demoted to sixth as he struggled to get his Bridgestone tyres up to temperature following the initial safety car period.

He benefited from the various dramas that befell those in front of him to emerge in second as the race approached its climax. He was finally getting into his stride and hunting down leader Raikkonen when a third pace car interlude stymied any chance of passing the Finn.

But the newly-crowned champion was in gracious mood, and admitted that he was simply beaten by the better man on the day.

“I’m just so delighted,” said Schuey. “Obviously I would have rather finished the championship with a victory, but today we simply weren’t strong enough in the right moments, and that’s the way it is.

“We have won so many races this year, and it was clear that at some stage somebody else would win. Today it happened – the better one won, but we’re quite happy with what we achieved.

“It was an eventful day, with all the safety cars and changing conditions. It was a tough one, and considering where I had dropped back to, and where I finished now, I think I should be happy. We had a tough fight, Kimi drove a superb race and we had to settle for second.”

Schumacher eclipsed Juan Manuel Fangio’s long-standing record of five world titles last year, and although he is not one to set much store by statistics, expressed satisfaction in the neat symmetry of his latest achievement.

He said: “It’s the 700th grand prix for Ferrari, it’s my seventh championship, and if you think what I have achieved here at Spa, how my career started here…finally I can say I’ve won a very important and very prestigious seventh title here.”

Strategic impresario Ross Brawn said Schumacher had driven with a small margin of reserve, but even so reckoned he might have had a shot at victory were it not for the final safety-car period.

“I think Michael was, quite rightly, being cautious today,” he said. “The safety cars didn’t really help us, because it takes a little while for our [Bridgestone] tyres to come up to temperature. It looked like we were going to get a good race with Kimi at the end and then we had another safety car.”

Barrichello’s hopes of delaying his team-mate’s celebrations until Monza appeared to have evaporated within seconds of the start when he was hit from behind by Mark Webber’s Jaguar at La Source, breaking his Ferrari’s rear wing.

But the lengthy safety car period triggered by the carnage at Eau Rouge allowed the Ferrari mechanics enough time to complete the lengthy repair job without their man losing a lap. Barrichello duly rejoined at the tail of the field and set about a solid recovery drive, dodging all the incidents ahead of him to climb all the way to third.

“To be honest, I will have to see what happened on the video,” said the Brazilian of his first-lap dramas. “The mechanics did a superb job to get me going again, I kept on pushing but [on the final restart] I had a Jordan between me and Michael and I lost any chance to get past him there.”



BUTTON'S LUCKY ESCAPE
Last Updated: Sunday, 29, August, 2004, 18:54


Jenson Button was lucky to escape unhurt from a horrifying crash at the Belgian GP.

Button was lapping the Minardi of Zsolt Baumgartner when his right rear tyre exploded while he approached Les Combes at high speed.

The BAR was pitched into a spin, and smashed into Baumgartner’s car before coming to a rest by the barriers.

Button said: "We were very lucky - it could have been horrific.

"This sort of thing should not happen. The only warning I had was that it started to feel like there was a failure after I went over a bump."

Button was running fifth at the time after recovering from a nightmare start during which he lost his front wing at the first corner.

He said: "I got a bad start when I was hit by Pizzonia and went wide and into the back of Massa at turn one. I lost my front wing and had to pit at the end of the first lap.

“After that, the car was running reasonably well, we had a good fuel load and I felt pretty pleased with the balance of car.

“Then the tyre let go. I am very disappointed as we were confident that we would have been on the podium with our strategy.”

Team-mate Takuma Sato also made a lucky escape after getting caught up in a four-car pile up exiting Eau Rouge.

He said: “I was running in eighth position. I saw Mark Webber going downhill towards Eau Rouge extremely slowly with his front wing missing and the problem was that he was in the middle of the racing line, so that is why I had to hit the brakes quite hard to avoid him.

"Montoya was overtaking me on the right-hand side at the top of the hill whilst I was passing Webber on his right, and I became sandwiched between the two cars. I didn't know what happened at the time, but Webber then hit me.

“We could have finished in a strong position and personally I was extremely disappointed after we had a really good start.”


BITTER PILL FOR RENAULT
Last Updated: Sunday, 29, August, 2004, 20:38


The Belgian GP was a story of what might have been for Renault, as both drivers saw possible victory slip through their fingers and the team came away without a single point to show for their most competitive performance since Jarno Trulli’s win at Monaco.

Pole-sitter Trulli and Fernando Alonso ran 1-2 in the early laps, the Spaniard having used Renault’s superb starting system to leapfrog Michael Schumacher on the short dash to the first corner and take up station behind his team-mate.

Trulli was the first to pit on lap 10, handing over the lead to the close-following Alonso, who promptly set a new fastest lap of the race and looked likely to emerge in front after his own stop.

Sadly, however, he never made it that far, and instead had to trudge back on foot after his engine seized and deposited oil on his rear tyres, sending him into a spin at Les Combes. Initially not realising the problem, Alonso got back underway only to spin again at Rivage and beach his car in the gravel trap.

“To retire from the lead of a race is never good, and especially at this stage of the season,” said Alonso. “We looked competitive compared to Raikkonen and the other cars, and I was just beginning to run at my full pace when the car spun round on the entry to Les Combes.

“I got going again, but then it happened again into Rivage, and when I got out, I could see the left rear was covered in oil. I'm just disappointed, because it was a good chance for a strong result today.”

Meanwhile Trulli’s race was heading south as he suddenly experienced handling problems and fell dramatically off the pace.

Michael Schumacher soon pounced, while an over-ambitious lunge from an admittedly much faster Juan Pablo Montoya at the Bus Stop resulted in a collision, relegating Trulli to eighth place.

The Italian was never a factor thereafter, and finished outside the points in ninth place despite numerous incidents in front of him.

“I don't know what happened today,” said a disappointed Trulli. “Things seemed quite good in the first stint, but then after my first stop, the car became undriveable.

“I lost grip at the rear, and had no confidence through the high-speed corners, which penalises you all the way round the circuit here at Spa. I am very upset with this performance, but right now, I just want to understand what happened.”

Team boss Flavio Briatore said he was “at a loss” to explain Trulli’s sudden drop-off in performance, but so far both parties have refrained from a public slanging match over the real cause…

The team's only consolation after a bitterly disappointing race was that chief rival BAR also failed to score any points, so Renault retain an eight-point lead in the battle for second in the constructors' table.



GUTSY SAUBER GET THEIR REWARD
Last Updated: Monday, 30, August, 2004, 09:56


Sauber duo Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella bounced back from a disastrous start to score the team’s best result of the season.

Massa and Fisichella finished fourth and fifth in the Belgian Grand Prix – but only after a dramatic race.

Massa was relegated to the back of the field after his car was damaged at the first-corner. The Brazilian had to pit not once but twice for repairs before embarking on a brilliant recovery drive.

He explained: "After two laps I was feeling so disappointed! I locked up at La Source at the start and didn't see Kimi on the outside until we touched, then Sato really hit the back of my car.

“I pitted for a new rear wing, but stopped again a lap later because the steering was vibrating really badly. After that the car was still shaking but I was able to attack.

"You might say I was lucky in the circumstances, but I believe that today I was recompensed for all the bad luck I have had in the last five races. The team did a fantastic job for me.

“Perhaps I could have had my first podium here today, but I prefer to see fourth as my best ever result.”

Massa dedicated the performance to his grandfather, who died on Saturday.

Fisichella was also caught up in the incident at the first corner. He later spun but still held on to take four more points for the team.

He said: "At the start somebody ran into the back of my car at La Source, and I lost some downforce because of damage to the rear wing and diffuser as a result.

“I was able to fight for points, but it was difficult and on lap 20 I momentarily went off the road in Turn 12 and lost a little more downforce by damaging a front wing endplate.

“It was also tough on the restarts keeping sufficient temperature in the tyres, so I really had my hands full with Klien.

“But to see our cars finish fourth and fifth was great. We deserved this."

Team boss Peter Sauber added: “Our result shows what you can do with determination, a strong heart and a refusal to give in no matter what the odds.”

The team currently lies sixth in the constructors' championship with 28 points.


MORE HARD LUCK FOR WILLIAMS
Last Updated: Sunday, 29, August, 2004, 19:36


After looking set for one of their best double results of the season, Williams went home from the Belgian GP empty-handed.

Sub Antonio Pizzonia made the most of what is likely to be his final outing in the car and was lying third, one place ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya, when his gearbox failed and he lost all drive during a late-race safety car period.

It was a heartbreaking blow for the Brazilian, who shed a few tears as he sat by the side of the track at Raidillon.

“What a shame!” he later rued. “I hadn't had the smallest problem with my car all race and then, suddenly, I lost all the gears when I was running third.

“I came to Spa thinking that I could achieve my first podium in F1 here and I think I proved today that this was possible, but I was hoping for a better outcome. Still, today we showed a strong performance and this is what we have to take away form here.”

Montoya drove a typically pugnacious race, pulling off a brilliant outside-line pass in a mano a mano dice with Michael Schumacher at the Bus Stop, and later surviving a bump with Jarno Trulli’s Renault when he tried to repeat the feat from too far behind.

Montoya lost time in the incident and fell behind team-mate Pizzonia, but moved up to third following the latter’s retirement, only to be felled by a puncture with eight laps to go. He dragged the car back to the pits but the damage was too extensive to continue.

“That's racing – what can you do?” the Colombian said philosophically. “It's not the first time that this has happened and probably not the last, but one just has to accept it.

“Still, it was a good race. In spite of my poor grid position I had a good start and gained several places, helped by the accidents on the first lap. I'd climbed up to fifth by lap five and basically battled all race in the top positions.”

Technical director Sam Michael added: “It was obviously a disappointing race for us in terms of the final results. However, it was encouraging to be competing at the front again – while our cars where running.

“Antonio drove well and Juan Pablo showed his overtaking skills again. Antonio lost drive on his car and had to stop on the track. On Juan's car, we had a tyre failure which damaged the rear suspension and the rear wing.”



KLIEN OFF THE MARK
Last Updated: Monday, 30, August, 2004, 10:00


Christian Klien produced a superb drive when it mattered to score his first F1 points at Spa.

The young Austrian has come under pressure in recent weeks with whispers that he would lose his Jaguar drive if results did not improve.

But Klien answered his critics with a brilliant sixth place in the Belgian GP.

He said: "What an amazing race for me! I managed to avoid a few incidents and also the debris on the track. I could not believe the amount of action on-track and at times I was really concerned about the debris.

“I did my best to avoid it and then to have finished in sixth is just great. They are my first points and I am so pleased to be able to thank the team in this way for all their hard work.”

Klien is usually the accident-prone one at Jaguar with Mark Webber a model of control and consistency.

But the roles were reversed at Spa where the Australian lost his wing at turn one and got caught up in a four-car pile up a few corners later.

He said: "I made a good start off the grid today and I was flying into La Source - the first corner. Unfortunately I made a mistake and braked too late. I was struggling to slow the car and I hit the Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello causing me to lose my front wing.

“I was making my way up Eau Rouge and aiming to get back to the pits when I lost the steering and unfortunately through not fault of his own, [Takuma] Sato hit me and that was the end of my race.

"I am disappointed not to have completed the race as I really enjoy this circuit and I was very much looking forward to racing.”

Two other drivers were eliminated in the incident - Jordan’s Giorgio Pantano and Minardi’s Gianmaria Bruni.

Pantano said: "As I arrived at the top of Eau Rouge, I saw Sato's car going off so I slowed down but then a Minardi appeared from the back and spun in front of me - there was nowhere for me to go. It was a bit scary!”

Team-mate Nick Heidfeld’s race was also ruined by the incident. He damaged aerodynamics, badly affecting the balance of his car. After further engine problems, he eventually finished four laps down.

Bruni blamed his part in the incident on team-mate Zsolt Baumgartner.

He said: "I was 14th going through Eau Rouge. Then Sato spun, and as he was coming back on the circuit, I lifted off a little and my team mate hit me from behind. That knocked me into the barrier and ended my race. It was a very unfortunate incident."

Baumgartner was later put out of the race when Jenson Button crashed into him following a high-speed tyre failure.

He said: "I was really unlucky with the situation that developed with Button when he was right next to me and his tyre exploded, but it happened.”

Toyota’s Ricardo Zonta was perhaps the unluckiest man at Spa. The Brazilian, who had started last, was running fourth when he suffered an engine failure in the closing stages of the race.

He said: "After the difficult qualifying session yesterday, it was very good for me to be running in fourth place in today's race before my engine blew.

“With three laps to go, I was certain that we had the car to hold on to that position. This was the chance that I have been waiting for many years, so I am obviously disappointed."

Team-mate Olivier Panis gave Toyota some consolation with eighth place.

He said: "I took one point, which is the positive thing, but it was a day when we really could have scored more.

“I am disappointed for Ricardo and for everyone at Toyota. This was our first engine failure of the year, but at a time when we really didn't need it."

[Mei Zhuo]

that was a great race! it was really exciting, and way better than what happened in hungary! there were so many retirements and accidents it was crazy!

congrats to Kimi, he truly deserved the win! he drove a really great race and finally after a long time, he won again!

congrats also to Michael

i'm glad Jenson's okay, and it wasn;t a horrible crash.

don't worry Linds, I was pleased that JPM retired too so we're both bad

Marie, thanks for posting those Fernando pics, you're right he does have a really, really great smile and perfect teeth!

and also kimi in his pics all smiley, he looks good!

[foreva_99]

Did everyone see that Michael was involved in an accident while testing at Monza??? Just heard about it briefly on the news. Going to try and find some articles or pics to post here

Hope that everyone is having an awesome weekend. The thread has really gotten quiet over the past few weeks.

I have finally also updated the first post. Let me know if I have left something out or if something is spelt wrong

[L i N d $ @ y]

Originally posted by Mei Zhuo don't worry Linds, I was pleased that JPM retired too so we're both bad

what if we see JPM in the future, will we ask for his autograph?

marie: i swear! alonso's smile is to die for! my mom, when he saw alonso on TV at the last race asked "who's that? nice smile!" i'm still on a kimi high. i forgot to tell you (fla already knows). i had a top made that say's Kimi's Girl! i'll post the pic if i have the time.

bel: even if schumi won driver's title, i was more ecstatic for kimi. it has been a looong wait for another kimi victory. i was worried that he might not get one this year but NO! he has anothe win. kimi's capable of winning races. he will soon get his third...and its at the moment when we all least expect it.

[*MH*]

Originally posted by L i N d $ @ y marie: i swear! alonso's smile is to die for! my mom, when he saw alonso on TV at the last race asked "who's that? nice smile!" i'm still on a kimi high. i forgot to tell you (fla already knows). i had a top made that say's Kimi's Girl! i'll post the pic if i have the time.

I don't know if i posted this one from Hungary. Again it's his smile :drool_spit:

u have?! awww i wanna see this picture!!!

some pictures that I know I haven't posted here. Taken on my holiday.
Renault R23
Renault F1 Engine
Me and some cardboard cut outs
The Renault F1 Engine Plant (taken from the motorway) if you look you can see two of the GP trucks
The Renault F1 Engine Plant (you can see where it says Renault F1 near the bridge support)

[L i N d $ @ y]

great pics marie! brings back the memories of the jenson button visit to manila 2 years ago, when he was still with renault. i wish alonso would come here before he transfers to another team, if some other team gets him in the future. but first, i want kimi to come here!