2007 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS - PREVIEW
The final European race of the season takes place this weekend
as Formula One makes a very welcome return to the popular
Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the heart of the Ardennes forest
for the Belgian Grand Prix, Round 14 of the 2007 championship.
After an improved showing at the Italian Grand Prix, where
Jenson Button finished in the points and both drivers were
in the top ten, the team hope to carry this performance through
to the remaining four races of the season. With the next race
taking place just one week after the Monza race, the team
will use data collected during the three-day test at the revised
Spa circuit in July to prepare.
SHUHEI NAKAMOTO - Senior Technical Director
"It was a boost for the whole team to see an improved
performance from the RA107 over the Italian Grand Prix weekend
and to finish in the points yesterday. Looking forward to
the race in Belgium this weekend, it will be a tougher challenge
for us as the Spa circuit requires a higher level of downforce
than Monza. High-speed aerodynamic stability is the absolutely
key to precise handling on this circuit and we will have a
lot of work to do as the car has changed a lot since our test
here back in July. We will be aiming to score more points
by using the right strategy to make full use of our relatively
good race pace compared to our competition in the midfield."
JENSON BUTTON
"Spa is one of my absolute favourite circuits and I am
really excited that it is back on the calendar for this year.
As everyone acknowledges, Spa is a real drivers' track where
your skill and commitment are tested to the absolute limit
on every lap. The only other track that really compares to
the challenge of Spa is probably Suzuka in Japan. It's a flowing
circuit which you can really get into a rhythm around. You
can overtake at the top of the hill into Les Combes, hopefully
into the new chicane and you can also squeeze by at the first
corner, La Source. The biggest challenge is the double left-hander
Pouhon and it is really satisfying to get that right. We had
a good weekend in Monza, coming away from a strong race performance
with a point. We have to be realistic about our prospects
for Spa as the circuit demands are very different and our
test in July was difficult, but I am hopeful the improvements
will carry through."
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"The Spa circuit is a well-known favourite for every
driver and it is a fantastic feeling to drive around there
in a Formula One car. After a year away, it will be good to
return and it is certainly safer since they have made the
modifications to the circuit layout. It is one of the best
circuits of the year, and with the unpredictable weather and
the opportunities for overtaking, you always expect a good
fun race. The test in July at Spa was not one of our best;
however we have made a lot of progress on the car since then,
as the weekend in Italy has shown, so I go to Spa in a positive
frame of mind and hoping for a good race."
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS
No of Laps 44 laps
Circuit Length 7.004 km
Race Distance 308.176 km
Nestling deep inside the Ardennes forest near Liege, Spa-Francorchamps
is one of the most historic and evocative circuits in Formula
One and makes a welcome return to the 2007 calendar after
a year's absence for modernisation of the circuit and facilities.
Spa features a mixture of long straights combined with very
high speed corners and low speed technical sections. Chassis
set-up requires a compromise between reducing drag to aid
straightline speed and generating downforce to aid cornering.
Braking stability is also an important consideration, particularly
when stopping the car after the flat-out Blanchimont corner
for the new low speed chicane.
With a 7.004 km lap, Spa is the longest circuit on the calendar
and its fantastic corners, wonderful scenery and adrenalin
pumping elevation changes make it a place where driver bravery
and skill become even more significant than usual. The weather
is notoriously changeable which only adds to the excitement
of the race weekend.
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