Report cards of the Belgian GP

Ferrari returns to victory and does so with Raikkonen on the most beautiful track in the world championship. But the cover is for Giancarlo Fisichella and his Force India, splendid seconds. In the fight for the world championship, a favorable day for Vettel, who took advantage of Button's retirement and the unlucky days of Webber and Barrichello to nibble away on precious points. Retirement for Hamilton and Alonso. Enjoy the reading!

Lewis Hamilton: 5,5 – Ready…. Street! Source, Eau Rouge, Kemmel, Les Combes… stop. His match ends there, when Jaime Alguersuari gets confused trying to avoid the chaos caused by the Button-Grosjean clash and hits him - cowardly - from behind. Withdrawal is inevitable. What would be avoidable - pardon the pun - would be to start so far back. McLaren is clearly not the one from Budapest or Valencia. Or rather: the car is identical, it's the track that changes. But when you start from these positions an accident can always happen, and honestly we don't think access to Q3 was impossible. It's not an unappealable sentence, let's be clear. But not even enough. He admits that the origin of all evils (his, of course, not the universe's) is qualification. This qualifies him (excuse the pun) but does not absolve him. However, the reflection of changing times comes after his retirement, when his statements - collected by the indestructible Giovannelli - are poorly covered by the Mazzoni-Capelli couple who praise Raikkonen's fastest lap. On the sixth lap. Forgotten.

Heikki Kovalainen: 6,5 – He suffers from his teammate in qualifying, but gets off to a good start, guessing the right corridor which allows him to gain ground but above all to avoid the Demolition Derby staged in Les Combes by some of his colleagues, including Hamilton himself. From there, with careful and tenacious race conduct, he focused everything on the fuel load and the race pace, managing to finish in the points. All in all not bad: sixth place gives him three points which keeps McLaren afloat in the fight for third place in the constructors' championship. On a track for real men, he's not too bad either. Whether this placement also serves to save his place is a matter of doubt. Also because, to be honest, the real magic is done by his engineer, when after a few laps of the race he tells him "we are more fueled than those in front of us, if all goes well we can finish sixth". Chapeau.

Luca Badoer: 4,5 – In Valencia he said «In Spa it will be something completely different». And we believed him, not evaluating him. At Spa he says «In Monza I could even race with my eyes closed». He's starting to look a little too much like the identikit of the second Ferrari driver between 1996 and 2005, all proclamations and promises. Even with all the mitigating circumstances of the case, this time too it is slow, too slow. In the opinion of the writer, it is legitimate and understandable that he is uncomfortable, much less that he continues to make announcements. At Spa to go fast you have to be one with the car, which he is far from being. It is difficult to evaluate his performance in absolute terms, given the conditions of objective inferiority (of training and experience, let's be clear!!!) in which he finds himself racing. And the flat out at the start doesn't help him at all. What is certain is that in Monza, a track - purists don't mind it - which is much less demanding from a handling point of view, he will certainly be able to do better. (also because doing worse will be objectively tough) and Ferrari would do well to give him one last chance. However, this time everything gets away from us. Even if reluctantly. Courage.

Kimi Räikkönen: 9,5th – It's even more official: running alone makes it significantly faster. Maybe because he runs free from pressure, who knows. And to think they call him Iceman. In any case he gets off to an excellent start, despite Barrichello stopping in front of him, and emerges from the eau rouge in a favorable position. It's a shame that he used the kers to do so, ignoring the track, just to have space, but that's it. Today in F1 the road surface has a variable size, but that's another story. He uses the kers again to pass Fisichella and from there he keeps the Roman driver at bay by engaging in a fight entirely played out on the edge of cents, also thanks to the exact same strategy. He probably didn't have the strongest car of the lot, certainly having the kers favored him, the fact is that he drives superbly on a track that - as they once said - divides the men from the boys. And it doesn't seem like much to us, for someone who until two months ago was considered boiled like a veal stew. Solitary.

Robert Kubica: 8 – We still don't understand how it is possible that a car that until two races ago was an artichoke with four wheels suddenly starts going fast. What is certain is that here in Spa it is also a question of the handle, and in this sense the good Robert cannot fail to have given it a good hand. After a slightly subdued qualifying, he got a great start - despite a contact slightly damaging his front wing - which propelled him into the podium area. From there the Pole sails calmly and quickly - as calm as one can be driving a BMW in Spa - in third place until Vettel overtakes him in the pits. It's a shame, but it's still fine like this. Wanting to be a little mean, one might think that his awakening - in chronological terms compared to Heidfeld - came just when the wages for 2010 were starting to be discussed... but that's another story, for today - Let's repeat - that's fine. Businessman.

Nick Heidfeld: 7,5 – It's a bit strange to see him ahead of Kubica in qualifying at Spa, yet the result fits the bill. However his first lap is anything but positive, and he loses several positions despite not being involved in any accident. At that point the only possibility is to have a regular race, without errors, aiming to recover positions thanks to the pace and pit stops. In the end he succeeds, even though he takes a big risk during a pit stop when Webber almost enters his side and places himself in front of him. However, he manages to pass him on the track showing determination and determination, and in the end he finishes in fifth place, immediately after his teammate. He too is on the market, he too puts out a more than vigorous race. What strange human beings are the pilots... In any case, his weekend is more than positive, so the vote can only reflect it. Too bad only for the start. Businessman (part two).

Fernando Alonso: 7,5th – Too bad, really too bad, because he could have ended up on the podium. Instead his race was once again affected by a problem at the pit stop, with the left front tire just not wanting to work properly and forcing him to retire. Up to that point his race had been positive, which by virtue of the generous fuel load would have seen him gain numerous positions after the first pit stop waltz. The team explains that the contact at the first corner damaged the wheel cover in such a way as to make changing tires impossible or almost impossible. But then, we ask ourselves, how is it possible that Fernando filmed in those times? To err is human, but to persevere... Diabolical.

Romain Grosjean: 4,5th – His race ends after less than three km, when he decides to copy the double diffuser of Button's BrawnGP but gets so close to it that it sends him off the track. Inexperience is fine, youthful exuberance is fine, but declaring that he couldn't do anything but send the world championship leader out of the race frankly seems too much to us. Maturity is also seen in recognizing one's mistakes. Regardless of F1 experience or not. We recommend reviewing the law of impenetrability of bodies. Maybe his problem is 'just a gap in Physics, who knows'. Sent back (to school).

Jarno Trulli: 5,5 – Sufficiency would be there only and only for the exhilarating qualification. But the mistake at the start, which effectively ruins everything good achieved up to that point, is unforgivable, even more so if you consider that in terms of performance the Toyota was in anything but bad shape (Glock sets the fifth fastest lap in the race...). Instead, after a less than exciting start, he slightly collides with Heidfeld, having to stop in the pits to replace the front wing and ending up at the rear of the group. He says that the car wasn't perfect after the collision anyway, but not even being able to pass Badoer - despite the Treviso driver having the Kers - seems, frankly, a bit poor. The retirement due to brake problems gives and adds nothing to his weekend. Saturday as a lion, Sunday as...? Maybe it's excessive, but, what the heck, a little more concreteness would certainly be useful. Races aren't won at the first corner, and he should know that. Hasty.

Timo Glock: 6 – In qualifying he takes them from Trulli, in the race he takes them from his garage. Practically massacred, we could say. After such a "so-so" Saturday, in fact, he hits the right path and invents a great start, which even projects him into fourth place. His hopes of obtaining a good placing, however, vanish when at the pit stop his crew fails to fill his petrol tank in a reasonably short time, indeed. And in a tight race like the one in Spa, all played out on the edge of tenths, losing ten seconds like that means going from the foot of the podium to tenth place. Result that he actually gets. He runs well, he doesn't make mistakes, but he can't do more. Sufficiency is probably there. not more, but not less either. Boxeur (played).

Jaime Alguersuari: 4,5 – The only, bizarre difference between his performance and that of Grosjean is that while the Frenchman eliminated the future world champion, the Spaniard instead eliminated the past one. Curious Belgian coincidences, just as curious are the -identical- words that both address to the two people who were rear-ended. Little else to say, or rather no: we also recommend to him the review that we proposed to Grosjean. The evaluation can only be the same. Sent back (to school) part II.

Sebastien Buemi: 6 – The experienced man at Toro Rosso (funny, but that's exactly how it is) manages to stay out of trouble this time and gives life to a regular race, without errors, which leads him to take twelfth place. Nothing to tear your hair out about, let's be clear, but after all the experienced man of the team (aridaje) is still a rookie, and the Belgian track remains the most fascinating but also the most difficult in the world championship. Sufficiency can be there, of course. With a small masterpiece: the seventh fastest lap in the race. The stuff is there, therefore, all that's missing is the confidence that can be achieved by driving, driving, driving. However, the Ardennes exam was passed, in our very opinion. Good boy.

Mark Webber: 5 – On a day in which he only had to gain, in the end he found himself with the same gap from the leader with one less race to compete. And to think that he had also avoided having bumper cars at the start, putting himself in a position that could guarantee him a comfortable points finish. And instead he decides to engage in a rustic duel with Heidfeld in the pit lane - objectively the least suitable place in Spa - with the result of getting a drive-through. And at least it was of some use: within a few kilometers you can still pass through both Heidfeld and Barrichello. He must learn to put his emotions aside if he really wants to make the leap in quality that is expected of him. He says he drove well - in spurts, we might add - but it's not enough. He finishes ninth, sadly out of the points and, barring any upsets, cut off from the fight for the world championship. Inconstant.

Sebastian Vettel: 8st – If he had done a worse first lap he could have won this race. Instead he decides to maintain a conservative attitude which may cause him to lose one or two positions, but which keeps him out of trouble. Of course, you will say, you are never happy: if someone stays calm you write that he must dare, if someone takes risks you say that he exaggerated. Power of hindsight, we answer. Jokes aside, once he got rid of the slower cars at the first pit stop he began to push as if he were in qualifying and managed to climb onto the podium, earning six points from Button and reinserting himself - timidly, but not too much - into the fight for the title. . Aware of the misadventures of the last few races, we understand why he preferred to stay out of trouble, and in a certain sense we also agree with him. He sets the fastest lap, proving that Red Bull was there this time. Now he goes to Monza, the track where he achieved his first, incredible victory in F1 under an equally incredible downpour. Who knows what the weather predicts. Welcome back.

Nico Rosberg: 6,5th – He remained in the points for the eighth consecutive race (!), suffering but gaining another small point. The Williams is much less fit than it showed in previous races, but he works hard, fights hard and manages to make it progress over the course of the weekend. And in fact, in the eighth place finish, there is a lot of him, starting from a very tough start that makes him move up several positions. If last year we criticized his inconstancy on several occasions, we must recognize that this season the young Finnish German has never lacked commitment (as good nostalgics we don't feel like erasing his Finnish origins on his father's side ), which seems to have acquired the maturity and consistency necessary for the leap in quality. After all, the speed has always been there. He is ready for a top team, we repeat. Tough.

Kazuki Nakajima: 5 – If Nico proves to be tough and combative, Kazuki, alas, can't get anything out of the hole. For the whole weekend he was not at ease with the car, in the race he struggled to put together sequences of constant (and fast) laps and in the end he finished second to last, ahead only of Luca Badoer. Frankly, it seems a bit little to us. Probably he wasn't there in his mind, maybe he wasn't able to find the right angle for the whole weekend regarding the set-ups, we don't know. The fact is that the comparison with Nico at Spa was embarrassing. He worries that it happened on a track where the driver matters a lot. In previous races he had defended himself well, we'll see if in Monza he can pull back. Slow.

Adrian Sutil: 6,5 – The comparison with his teammate - in terms of results - is clearly embarrassing. He reacts with dignity, congratulating him and praising the improvements in the car. Of course, if your neighbor finishes second and you come eleventh, there's little to be happy about. But in all of this, however, there is also a bit of bad luck, with the contact at the start which effectively denies him the possibility of doing well. In fact, at the Source Adrian found himself sandwiched between two other cars and collided twice, damaging the front wing and having to return to the pits for repairs. Guilty? Innocent? In this case, we don't feel like judging. From there, however, his race is still vigorous, peppered with battles and overtaking. The eleventh place finish says a lot, but not everything. And, overall, we didn't mind, especially for the combative attitude. Who knows how it will go in Monza. Humble.

Giancarlo Fisichella: 9,5 – At Spa Fisico the race, or rather the weekend, of life is invented. He gets the pole position on Saturday and maintains the necessary coolness to celebrate it in style when his garage tells him so ("You're in Pole Position" "Pole Position? Damn !!!!"). He maintains the lead of the race and is overtaken by Raikkonen only by virtue of the kers (and a less than perfect exit from Eau Rouge, but whatever...). Once he dropped to second place, with a copycat strategy compared to that of the Finn, he managed to stay attached to him by putting great pressure on him and trying to induce him to make mistakes. He can't do it, but that's fine anyway. Ivan Capelli said on live television «I know Fisico, if he wakes up on the right foot he has nothing to envy of anyone in terms of driving». Let's hope he keeps waking up like this, it would be amazing. We have often criticized him, but in Spa he was magical. Half a point less for the celebration on Saturday. Gentlemen, we are born...

Jenson Button: 5nd – His race lasts the space of an amen, when at the Les Combes chicane he is badly rammed by Romain Grosjean. There would be enough to not evaluate it. But no, because you enter that chaotic situation alone with a qualification that to define as mediocre is to pay it a compliment. He admits that starting from the front avoids certain situations, but driving is involved between saying and doing. And, at Spa, he didn't do it in the best way. BrawnGP technical crisis? Performance anxiety? Pressure? Problems with tire temperatures? We do not know. But this is not the case for a probable future world champion. And, despite everything, it's still good for him, because his opponents don't get much. Rejected.

Rubens Barrichello: 7,5 – Granted and largely not conceded that the problem at the start was with the clutch and not with whoever operated it, his race was much more positive than what the result says. Coming back from the back of the grid - the wall changes his strategy with the entry of the safety car, calling him back to the garage and filling him with petrol - is never easy. However, he shows off his attributes and makes some valuable overtakings (the one on the outside of Blanchimont to the detriment of Webber deserves applause) which, combined with the new strategy, allow him to leave Spa with two points. Few, given the qualifications, an enormity given how the race had gone. In the final laps he gets close to Kovalainen but has to give up due to an oil leak, and still manages to keep Rosberg behind. Great determination, great personality, great hunger for results. You wouldn't know he's 37. He misses an opportunity to put precious points back on Button, but through no fault of his own (subject to the initial premise). Leathery.

Manuel Codignoni
www.f1grandprix.it