Spa-Francorchamps: A lap with Alex Wurz
Eurosport - Tue, 25 Aug 09:08:00 2009
Honda's Alex Wurz takes us on a spin of this weekend's venue for the 12th round of the Formula One World Championship, Spa-Francorchamps.
"Spa-Francorchamps is an old-fashioned racetrack which makes it pretty cool. It has everything you want: hills, fast corners and long straights.
"It is always nice to go there, although the weather can be really unpredictable. In the space of 10 minutes bright sunshine can turn into heavy rain, which makes racing at Spa a little bit more nerve-racking and difficult.
"The lap is incredibly long and on the whole very fast. There is only a short run down to the first corner, La Source, and the exit is the only thing that matters here because you carry your speed all the way up the hill to Les Combes.
"Eau Rouge is flat-out in the V8-engined cars, but you have to be intelligent in the way you do this: if you steer too much, you'll kill your speed through too much friction on the tyres.
"You're flat in seventh on the straight to Les Combes and you don't brake until you get to the end of the kerbing on the left, which is about 60 metres.
"This is a right-left-right complex and it's all inter-linked, so you can't overdo it on the first right-hander, which is taken in third gear because that will ruin your line for the next two corners. If you do, you will lose a minimum of 0.5s.
"On the run down to the Rivage hairpin, turn eight, we reach fifth gear before slowing down to second gear for the corner. It's super slippery through here and there's a monster bump under braking, which makes it difficult to slow the car.
"Whatever you do with the set-up, you'll have understeer through here. The exit is slightly off-camber, and without traction control you will see the drivers fighting the rear of the car the whole time.
"Turn nine is a pretty fast left-hander, taken in fourth gear. You touch the brake only to stabilise the rear, before turning in and using the kerbs at the apex and the exit. The limit of the car comes quite abruptly and there's hardly any run-off, so you have to be very careful not to overdo it.
"Next up is Pouhon, a super-fast double apex left-hander. You arrive in sixth gear and in qualifying you have just a little brake and a half-throttle lift. I think it's one of the hardest corners on the lap because you're constantly exploring the limits of the car and although you have a minimum apex speed of about 143mph, you still think you can carry more speed through it every lap.
"Then there's a short straight before you arrive at the Fagnes chicane, where there's a very late apex to the right-hander. The asphalt has a lot of grip and you can use the kerbs, so you can carry a lot of speed through here.
"Another short straight follows before you arrive at turn 14, which is a slippery corner and it's very important to have a good exit because you're flat-out all the way back to the Bus Stop. It's a third-gear corner and you use every inch of kerbing on the exit.
"You go flat through the left-hander at Blanchimont and arrive at the Bus Stop chicane, which was re-done in 2006 and is now much slower. You go for a late apex on the right-hander and you're then battling poor traction at the exit.
"I preferred the old Bus Stop, where the second exit was just flat and you were jumping towards the guardrail. That was cool!"
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Comment 18 - 37 of 37
the real adrian: Yes I guess that's what makes the circuit so unique, but you are right the camera's do flatten out the circuit a bit, but just watch the in car camera's and out the side window's. However my only regret about the race is that not many international drivers race their anymore, that's what was so good with group A in the eighties and early nineties, so many international drivers came to Bathurst. Apart from New ZeaLand drivers last year their was only about three to four international drivers, and two of those drivers drove for triple eight in the Ford's, whom next year will have factory backed Holden's. I don't know this year's team line up's yet. But if F1 could race at Bathurst, who ever won that contest would really be the best in the world. But if you wonder where the Australian or New Zealand drivers go if they don't make F1, well now you know, and maybe one day the V8 Supercar series will have a race in Britain, they have one in Bahrain, and once had a race in China, and the series will race at two new venues this year, one that they have just been to and one at the end of the year, as well as the old Indy circuit in Surfers Paradise. And it must be a good series if Walkinshaw, Triple Eight, and Prodrive all have teams in this series, and you know how they use to squabble and protest against each other, well it still happens in Australia, and all over technical issues.
Thanks for that info, police. Yes I always watch the V8 races at bathurst, it's one of the best. The camera angles don't always give a good impresssion of the steepness and of teh cars tend to iron out some of the bumps that would badly affect the F1 cars. I take your point about the concrete walls being teh only protection, thats what I was alluding to when I said the track was too narrow, there's no room for F1 type run-offs.
While it would be fantastic to see f1 cars round the circuit I appreciate it is just not practical.
the real adrian; Formula ford must be able to adjust their ride heights to give them a certain amount of ground clearance, and formula ford to my knowledge have only raced at Bathurst in the recent years, and it's only been the Australia Formula Ford series. But at the same time a formula ford is a basic single seater car, and they have no front and rear wings, so somehow they can adjust the cars settings to cope with the Bathurst layout. And also another thing I didn't mention and I thought about this also, and that's both the main straights going up the mountain and going down the mountain, and that is going up the mountain straight their is a huge crest with a sharpe descent down, and coming down the mountain straight their is also a simular kind of crest of about the same nature, now at 300 plus kph you wouldn't want any air getting under the cars or they might flip. Remember Webber at LeMans in 1999 in the Mercedes sports cars, and the other Mercedes Benz during that race. This could also be a real problem. But going across the top of the mountain shouldn't be a problem, even though some of that section of track runs along a step hillside, with only a concrete wall stopping the cars from barrel rolling down the hillside. And Mount Panorama is not just country hillside out in the country side. If you or anyone wants to see video footage of this circuit the annual Bathurst 1000 V8 race is on in October, you guy's should have some kind of coverage of this race in Britain but the downside is that it will be on in the very early morning hours, so I would advise you to set your VCR and DVD recorder timers if you want to see this race.
itta make mea happy asun ofa muppet a noa longer a posting a his a deceiving a bile a trying a toa portray cheating hamilton asun as a legitimite a anda genuine a champion hammy asun phoney a world a title will a be a thing a ofa past when a the a new anda genuine a champion will a take his a rightful a place later a this a year 2009 NEW ANDA GENUINE A WORLD A F1 CHAMPION JENSON A BUTTON
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remember a mr a hamilton asun fans No magic a cheat Kers button a No win ,,itta all a change back toa normal inna next a races Hungary anda Valencia a the best a tracks for a Kers Mr a hamilton asun a need the Cheat a button toa win otherwise a muclaren are a rubbish,,, mr a hamilton asun a lasta 7 a races 0 pts 0 pts 0 pts 0 pts 0 pts 10 pts 8 pts.......a = 18 pts from a poss 70...he a mr a hamilton asun a done the anew a world champion a J . BUTTON the biggest a favour,,,lots ofa mistakes from top a teams to a day thats a why a mr a hamilton asun a win witha cheat a button,,still itta back toa normal ata next a race... THE ANEW F1 WORLD CHAMPION J . BUTTON 09-10
mr a hamilton asun the a Fake anda Phoney Glock assisted secret stealing 2008 a title a holder.......................
JENSON A BUTTON THE ANEW ANDA GENUINE F1 WORLD CHAMPION.....mr a hamilton asun the forgotten man.....itta also a make a mea laugh a 1 a win witha cheating a Kers a button from a mr a hamilton asun anda all hea fans a get a excited a saying a now hea will win the a title....WAKE UP MUPPETS.......................................
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NOA GLOCK!!!
NOA FERRARI A SECRETS
NOA FAKE PHONEY TITLE,,,,,,,,,,, for mr a hamilton asun....a still you a keep the a FAKE TITLE,,,,a Jenson a Button willa bring a the respect a back into a F1 ...HE A BUTTON GENUINE F1 WORLD CHAMPION 2009-2010
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remember a mr a hamilton asun fans No magic a cheat Kers button a No win ,,itta all a change back toa normal inna next a races Hungary anda Valencia a the best a tracks for a Kers Mr a hamilton asun a need the Cheat a button toa win otherwise a muclaren are a rubbish,,, mr a hamilton asun a lasta 7 a races 0 pts 0 pts 0 pts 0 pts 0 pts 10 pts 8 pts.......a = 18 pts from a poss 70...he a mr a hamilton asun a done the anew a world champion a J . BUTTON the biggest a favour,,,lots ofa mistakes from top a teams to a day thats a why a mr a hamilton asun a win witha cheat a button,,still itta back toa normal ata next a race... THE ANEW F1 WORLD CHAMPION J . BUTTON 09-10
mr a hamilton asun the a Fake anda Phoney Glock assisted secret stealing 2008 a title a holder.......................
JENSON A BUTTON THE ANEW ANDA GENUINE F1 WORLD CHAMPION.....mr a hamilton asun the forgotten man.....itta also a make a mea laugh a 1 a win witha cheating a Kers a button from a mr a hamilton asun anda all hea fans a get a excited a saying a now hea will win the a title....WAKE UP MUPPETS.......................................
mr a hamilton asun a been the fed from the a silver a spoon from a birth ,,,a No a rookie a been given a top a drive from a day a 1 like a mr a hamilton asun anda still he a mr a hamilton asun anda hes a team muclaren had toa cheat anda spy anda steal the a secrets toa win the a title,,,MR A HAMILTON ASUN ISA THE BIGGEST A DONKEY A DRIVER ONNA THE F1 A TRACK.... a just ask the a other a drivers................................................ .... ....
NOA GLOCK!!!
NOA FERRARI A SECRETS
NOA FAKE PHONEY TITLE,,,,,,,,,,, for mr a hamilton asun....a still you a keep the a FAKE TITLE,,,,a Jenson a Button willa bring a the respect a back into a F1 ...HE A BUTTON GENUINE F1 WORLD CHAMPION 2009-2010
remember a mr a hamilton asun fans No magic a cheat Kers button a No win ,,itta all a change back toa normal inna next a races Hungary anda Valencia a the best a tracks for a Kers Mr a hamilton asun a need the Cheat a button toa win otherwise a muclaren are a rubbish,,, mr a hamilton asun a lasta 7 a races 0 pts 0 pts 0 pts 0 pts 0 pts 10 pts 8 pts.......a = 18 pts from a poss 70...he a mr a hamilton asun a done the anew a world champion a J . BUTTON the biggest a favour,,,lots ofa mistakes from top a teams to a day thats a why a mr a hamilton asun a win witha cheat a button,,still itta back toa normal ata next a race... THE ANEW F1 WORLD CHAMPION J . BUTTON 09-10
mr a hamilton asun the a Fake anda Phoney Glock assisted secret stealing 2008 a title a holder.......................
JENSON A BUTTON THE ANEW ANDA GENUINE F1 WORLD CHAMPION.....mr a hamilton asun the forgotten man.....itta also a make a mea laugh a 1 a win witha cheating a Kers a button from a mr a hamilton asun anda all hea fans a get a excited a saying a now hea will win the a title....WAKE UP MUPPETS.......................................
mr a hamilton asun a been the fed from the a silver a spoon from a birth ,,,a No a rookie a been given a top a drive from a day a 1 like a mr a hamilton asun anda still he a mr a hamilton asun anda hes a team muclaren had toa cheat anda spy anda steal the a secrets toa win the a title,,,MR A HAMILTON ASUN ISA THE BIGGEST A DONKEY A DRIVER ONNA THE F1 A TRACK.... a just ask the a other a drivers................................................ .... ....
NOA GLOCK!!!
NOA FERRARI A SECRETS
NOA FAKE PHONEY TITLE,,,,,,,,,,, for mr a hamilton asun....a still you a keep the a FAKE TITLE,,,,a Jenson a Button willa bring a the respect a back into a F1 ...HE A BUTTON GENUINE F1 WORLD CHAMPION 2009-2010
How do the formula fords cope with the step grades? Do they not have the same bottoming out problems?
the real adrian: The problem with Bathurst is it is a fantastic track for touring cars, and V8 Supercars, formula ford, and other class of racing, but the problem with a F1 car is that its so close to the ground. Now at Bathurst it's not the narrow places but the step grades in climbing the mountain and descending down the mountain, the step sections of the circuit will destroy the F1 cars flooring, with the drop offs at some points and the climb going up some corners. Not even Le Mans prototypes could race there, for the same reasons. For a F1 car to race at Bathurst their would have to be a larger clearance underneath the F1 cars. But Bathurst is a fantastic circuit and just as good as Spa, maybe even better than Spa.
McLaren will be in the mix as well. The KERS should really help on the run to Les Combes
... unless Prawn really have sorted the cold tyre problem
Bathurst is an awesome track for tintops but I think it would be too dangerous for F1 cars. Very narrow in places.
DONALD Button to win at spa not a chance its too cold its got to be Vettle or Webber
Button
Wurz, a good test driver, a great sports car driver, but certainly no F1 driver, now who will win Spa.
Who are the real posters on this site, all take about F1 mostly, but how do they talk about F1, I wonder how many people yahoo currently have working for them posting annoying posts, notice any ID's on this site for hours upon hours with no end.
Well Donald old chap - it's been a while (since this article was written) but I'm still here. Seeing my name here may prompt me to rekindle my affair with the Yahoo! motorsport boards once again
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