Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Spa-Francorchamps, 2011

2011 Belgian Grand Prix grid

2011 Belgian Grand Prix

27th August 2011, 14:1027th August 2011, 17:07 | Written by Keith Collantine

Row 1		1. Sebastian Vettel 1’48.298 Red Bull-Renault
	2. Lewis Hamilton 1’48.73 McLaren
Row 2		3. Mark Webber 1’49.376 Red Bull-Renault
	4. Felipe Massa 1’50.256 Ferrari
Row 3		5. Nico Rosberg 1’50.552 Mercedes
	6. Jaime Alguersuari 1’50.773 Toro Rosso
Row 4		7. Bruno Senna 1’51.121 Renault
	8. Fernando Alonso 1’51.251 Ferrari
Row 5		9. Sergio Perez 1’51.374 Sauber-Ferrari
	10. Vitaly Petrov 1’52.303 Renault
Row 6		11. Sebastien Buemi 2’04.692 Toro Rosso-Ferrari
	12. Kamui Kobayashi 2’04.757 Sauber
Row 7		13. Jenson Button 2’05.150 McLaren-Mercedes
	14. Rubens Barrichello 2’07.349 Williams
Row 8		15. Adrian Sutil 2’07.777 Force India-Mercedes
	16. Heikki Kovalainen 2’08.353 Lotus
Row 9		17. Paul di Resta 2’07.758 Force India-Mercedes
	18. Jarno Trulli 2’08.773 Lotus
Row 10		19. Timo Glock 2’09.566 Virgin-Cosworth
	20. Jerome D’Ambrosio 2’11.601 Virgin
Row 11		21. Pastor Maldonado* 2’08.106 Williams-Cosworth
	22. Vitantonio Liuzzi 2’11.616 HRT
Row 12		23. Daniel Ricciardo 2’13.077 HRT-Cosworth
	24. Michael Schumacher No time Mercedes

*Five-place grid penalty for hitting Lewis Hamilton

2011 Belgian Grand Prix

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82 comments on “2011 Belgian Grand Prix grid”

Ben Bailey
27th August 2011, 14:16

Senna! Fantastic! what happen to Alonso?
1. Eggry (@eggry)
  27th August 2011, 14:17
  
  I wonder either…
2. Matty
  27th August 2011, 14:19
  
  Senna,s on fire
  1. Adrian J
    27th August 2011, 14:20
    
    Not yet…but he is driving a Renault..!!
    1. Sergio Perez
      27th August 2011, 14:25
      
      Lol!
    2. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
      27th August 2011, 21:28
      
      Yew, give it time!
      1. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
        27th August 2011, 21:29
        
        Yea*
  2. Dan Thorn (@dan-thorn)
    27th August 2011, 14:20
    
    I hope not, those Renault’s have a reputation for fire…
    1. BasCB (@bascb)
      27th August 2011, 21:24
      
      yeah, better not kid with that, especially after they first torched, then exploded on and then fired Nick Heidfeld :-P
TFLB
27th August 2011, 14:16

I think that this grid will quickly change when both Hamolton and Maldonado are sent to the back.
1. jake
  27th August 2011, 14:17
  
  Hamilton??? whyy???
  1. TFLB
    27th August 2011, 14:19
    
    Because it was as much his fault as Maldonado’s.
    1. Adrian J
      27th August 2011, 14:20
      
      So if I swerve into you it’s your fault as much as mine?
      1. gwenouille (@gwenouille)
        27th August 2011, 14:22
        
        That is not that simple. HAM did weave strangely too. One can even have the impression he turned right when MAL was at his height !
      2. TFLB
        27th August 2011, 14:24
        
        If you hit me while I’m on my qualifying lap and then brake test me, I’d feel quite justified in showing my frustration.
      3. Antonius2004 (@antonius2004)
        27th August 2011, 14:25
        
        As Maldonado was driving up behind Hamilton, he then turned out from behind Hamilton, he (Hamilton) swerved towards Maldonado, Maldonado then drove straight and into Hamilton. I believe Hamilton set Maldonado off by doing what he did so I think Hamilton deserves a penalty as well.
      4. sato113 (@sato113)
        27th August 2011, 14:26
        
        @TFLB HAM never brake tested him. MAL needs to learn
      5. lubhz (@lubhz)
        27th August 2011, 14:29
        
        Clearly HAM turned right to crash into MAL (who was driving close by but on a straight line). All BBC presenters shouldn’t just blame the Venezuelan.
      6. TFLB
        27th August 2011, 14:30
        
        @sato It did seem like he did, certainly swerved at him.
    2. jake
      27th August 2011, 14:23
      
      How? I’m afraid if you’re going to make such ridiculous claims you’re going to have to explain them
      1. TFLB
        27th August 2011, 14:26
        
        Ham hit Mal. Ham brake-tested/swerved towards Mal. Mal swerved back. 50/50.
    3. UnitedKingdomRacing (@unitedkingdomracing)
      27th August 2011, 14:25
      
      Have you seen the same coverage as we did? When Hamilton passed Maldonado in the first place his nose was already ahead on the way into the corner and Maldonado left the door wide open. I first thought he want to let Hamilton through but than he turned in as if he where alone on the track. I would bann him for that revenge move for at least a few races.
    4. Geordie Porker
      27th August 2011, 14:26
      
      TFLB – I hope you have more info than the rest of us, because it looked to me like MAL messed up in the final chicane and so HAM overtook him (with a little ‘nudge’ but you’d get away with it during the race, so why not quali?). Later, MAL looked for all the world as though he overtook HAM *just* to drive into him…a move which would get you black flagged in the race.
      
      I’ll be interested to see the stewards view on this because they obviously have more information (including interviews with the drivers), but I can’t see a reason why HAM will be penalised.
      
      Although…as I’ve said before, I’m a HAM fan, so maybe I’m a bit biased even when I try not to be.
    5. sebsronnie
      27th August 2011, 16:31
      
      Very interesting view…but quite simply wrong.
      1. @HoHum (@hohum)
        27th August 2011, 17:04
        
        From where I was sitting the session was over and Ham was cruising back to base when Maldonado surprised him by coming up fast behind him, Ham jinked left and as he corrected to straighten up Mal came past and swerved towards Ham resulting in the collision. Whether Maldonado intended contact or just wanted to cut Ham off I don’t know but as the car passing after racing finished he should have kept clear. A pity, I have been impressed with Maldonado but being a hot-blooded latino is no excuse .
Simon
27th August 2011, 14:16

Nice mixed up grid – could be a great one!
1. BasCB (@bascb)
  27th August 2011, 21:30
  
  Yeah, but both Ferraris will probably suffer off the line.
  
  With the GP2 race today all even cars off the racing line massively suffered from starting on wet tarmac while there was a dry line on the other side of the grid. And Ferrari being slow on getting heat in their tyres will mean its 2 fold for them.
2. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
  27th August 2011, 21:32
  
  My sentiments exactly!
Adrian J
27th August 2011, 14:16

Senna 6th…

Who says he doesn’t deserve to be in the car?
1. Simon
  27th August 2011, 14:17
  
  I don’t think it’s Senna who doesn’t deserve to be in the car…
  1. UnitedKingdomRacing (@unitedkingdomracing)
    27th August 2011, 14:21
    
    First time in 17 years we got a Senna in the top ten of F1.
    Btw I also don’t think he doesn’t deserve to be there. Best option for Renault would be Heidfeld & Senna. Petrow is the one who doesn’t deserve it. But sadly Renault need that Lada money…
    1. slr
      27th August 2011, 14:42
      
      I agree, Petrov got his podium in Australia and then since then he consistently finished behind Heidfeld. He may continue to be beaten by his teammate, this time in the form of Bruno Senna.
2. Fixy (@)
  27th August 2011, 18:29
  
  He doesn’t, becuase he’s 7th ;)
3. BasCB (@bascb)
  27th August 2011, 21:27
  
  Ehm, Adrian, I agree with you that Senna did an impressive lap, but it got him in 7th, not 6th.
  
  That one is reserved for another very impressive drive, Jamie Alguersuari!
Eggry (@eggry)
27th August 2011, 14:16

Ferrari and Mclaren had to stop Redbull hear but they failed…if race pace is the same, this year’s competition is virtually over.
1. Ilanin
  27th August 2011, 14:22
  
  When was the last time race pace actually was the same as quali pace in F1? I think sometime in ’09 probably…
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
27th August 2011, 14:16

Congratulations to Vettel, he did a fantastic job in a circuit, which isn’t perfectly suited to RB7. Algersuari was incredible and Senna too did a great job outqualifying Petrov, Alonso wasn’t shining today though.
1. Eggry (@eggry)
  27th August 2011, 14:18
  
  well, now I can’t say it’s not suited to RB7. His team mate who is almost 1s off got 3rd. So RB7 is actually fastest car here(quite surprising)…at least in qualifying.
  1. @HoHum (@hohum)
    27th August 2011, 17:09
    
    Eggry, a lot of that time difference is due to track position, just 1 lap earlier Alonso was on top.
2. Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
  27th August 2011, 14:53
  
  Spa’s clearly not a weak circuit for Red Bull. Last year they were very competitive, and this year (with a more dominant car) it’s even better.
  1. sato113 (@sato113)
    27th August 2011, 22:07
    
    thanks to DRS of course.
jake
27th August 2011, 14:16

I think we can assume Maldonado won’t be on the grid. Or any others for that matter if it was up to me!
1. slr
  27th August 2011, 14:19
  
  I don’t want to make any presumptions about Maldonado deliberately turning into Hamilton just yet. We haven’t even seen any onboard footage.
  1. jake
    27th August 2011, 14:22
    
    i think it was pretty obvious from the offboard footage. There’s no room for anything like that in any sport, let alone F1 where his actions put lives of his competitors and spectators in danger. I would remove his Super license.
    1. Sergio Perez
      27th August 2011, 14:31
      
      I’m a Hamilton fan, have defended him here in many occasions, but I didn’t like the way he also suddenly turned when Maldonado was to overtake him. This was immediately before Maldonado turned in on him. Of course Hamilton should have a much smaller punishment, like starting on the end of the grid, because what Maldonado did was endangering both their lives. Hamilton tried to give him a “scare”, or something. Childish from both, but Maldonado went beyond it.
    2. lubhz (@lubhz)
      27th August 2011, 14:34
      
      What was pretty obvious? Watch it carefully: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzixd6oewTw
      1. slr
        27th August 2011, 14:38
        
        It kind of looks to me as if Hamilton wanted to return to the racing line, but Maldonado blocked his entry onto it.
      2. Geordie Porker
        27th August 2011, 14:39
        
        lubhz – that video looks pretty conclusive, doesn’t it? MAL went left while the track was going right. Seems to either assume HAM is going to stop or there’s going to be a collision.
        
        There was LOADS of track room for him to continue without turning towards HAM.
        
        HOWEVER…just seen the ‘flick’ by HAM and don’t know why he did that. But it looks as thought he moved right then changed his mind when he saw MAL – the change of mind makes the move look more severe than it could have….
        
        Interesting…!!
Younger Hamii
27th August 2011, 14:18

Disgusted with Maldonado’s Move on Lewis,Very Very Dangerous regardless of the Speed a F1 Car,that has 2.4Ltire V8 Engines and can go up to 200 MPH or even beyond that.Clearly Immature & unnecessary.

He Deserves a Race Ban for that incident or at least a 10 Grid Penault,Demoting him to the Back.
Rits
27th August 2011, 14:18

What a stupidly disappointing day for Force India.. :/
And what an utterly dumb move by Maldonado. He deserves a DQ for that.
Sam Binfield (@sam-binfield)
27th August 2011, 14:19

Another monumental cock-up by McLaren! When will they learn that on a drying track you have to be the last over the line in order to be fastest. Once again McLaren are costing themselves points through strategic and mechanical errors. Both drivers have made mistakes this season, but that does not compare to the losses caused by the team errors. Poor show.

On a lighter note, Senna!
1. gwenouille (@gwenouille)
  27th August 2011, 14:25
  
  Gutted for JB as well. He had the pace. Why did he come to the pits instead of a last flying lap ?
BasCB (@bascb)
27th August 2011, 14:21

I hope the stewards will let those at the back race. For Maldonado, lets see what Mansell and Co make of that.
DavidS (@davids)
27th August 2011, 14:21

I know I’m going to be flamed for this, but
The incident between Maldonado and Hamilton, to say that Hamilton wasn’t at least partially at fault is wrong.

Both drivers were on in-laps, as the session finished, Maldonado was ahead on track at that point, there was no reason for Hamilton to cross the track towards Maldonado.

Hamilton also did that flick before the incident, which is very unsporting and dangerous as well.

What’s clear is that Hamilton still thinks that it’s always the other guy’s fault.
1. Nathan
  27th August 2011, 14:27
  
  Completely agree with you here.
  
  What others also forget is that the track goes left there and maldonado couldn’t keep going straight on or he’d be in the concrete wall.
2. jake
  27th August 2011, 14:31
  
  Im sorry, but you are wrong. The “flick”, was Hamilton taking the racing line, before noticing Maldonado was being overly racy for an in lap and moving out the way. Then Maldonado swiped across Hamilton deliberately! simple as that, and Maldonado should get at least a 3 race ban.
3. David A
  27th August 2011, 14:31
  
  Both drivers were on in-laps, as the session finished, Maldonado was ahead on track at that point
  
  Hamilton, having (rightfully) passed Maldonado at the end of his hotlap. was ahead coming out of La Source on the in-lap. Maldonado re-overtook Hamilton, snd made the contact. Haven’t seen onboards yet, but it looks so far as if either Pastor can’t control his car or his emotions.
  
  Don’t even know why he should be so angry at Hamilton. It was Kovalainen holding up both Williams’.
4. @HoHum (@hohum)
  27th August 2011, 17:18
  
  DavidS , you clearly saw it wrong, Hamilton was being passed by Maldonado, not vice-versa.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
27th August 2011, 14:22

I’ll put a fiver on Maldonado getting a two-race ban and Nick Heidfeld racing for Williams at Monza.
1. boris the one-eyed hamster
  27th August 2011, 14:29
  
  I wonder who will fill in for Hamilton?
  1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
    27th August 2011, 14:31
    
    … Why would Hamilton need to be replaced?
    1. TFLB
      27th August 2011, 14:37
      
      Because if Maldonado gets banned Hamilton should also.
      1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
        27th August 2011, 14:39
        
        Why? Hamilton didn’t do anything. He was aggressive into the chicane and maybe gave Maldonado a love-tap, but he’s not the one who cut across another driver ad speed and damaged his car.
2. UnitedKingdomRacing (@unitedkingdomracing)
  27th August 2011, 14:36
  
  That would be quite a good call. If the FIA was about to ban Renault for “only” a loose wheel in 2009, they have to do it for this. But when the FIA was predictable for the last time?
  1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
    27th August 2011, 14:38
    
    When Jean Todt was elected President, that’s when. One of his big policies was reforming the stewards. So while the penalties handed out might seem inconsistent over the past few years, you can only really backdate it all to the point where Todt took power and introduced the policy.
Matty
27th August 2011, 14:25

Maybe give Pasta a stern talking to, but I,m not sure about taking him of the grid. Takes a car of the grid.
1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
  27th August 2011, 14:30
  
  You can’t just say “Oh, we’ll go easy on you because three cars qualified outside 107% and we want as many cars as possible to take part”. When Stefan Mucke deliberately crashed into Richard Westbrook at the RAC Tourist Trophy this year – under similar circumstances; it was retaliation for another incident – he took a ten-place grid penalty and was in danger of losing his racing licence.
  1. jake
    27th August 2011, 14:38
    
    exactly, and losing his racing license imo would be a sufficient penalty. This is F1, the pinnacle of motorsport and that is simply unnacceptable!
    1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
      27th August 2011, 14:41
      
      I think losing his racing licence completely would be a bit harsh. I’d say a two-race ban would teach him the lesson he needs to learn.
      
      And I wouldn’t be surprised if Frank Williams pulled him out of the car for Monza if the FIA don’t.
2. Geordie Porker
  27th August 2011, 14:33
  
  Matty,
  
  Can see your point, but *if* it was deliberate then by NOT taking him off the grid, you’re saying that taking revenge at 100mph+ is ok…not a good example to set.
  
  So the choice is to punish him severely to teach him and set and example, or accept deliberate accidents.
  
  Of course…when the stewards have all the facts they may see it as 50/50 but I can’t help draw a conclusion from the reaction of both Brundle and Coulthard in commentary – they both seemed to think it was intentional
T3x
27th August 2011, 14:27

What does Alonso always make it difficult for himself?
Nathan
27th August 2011, 14:28

alonso’s first sector was poor. why did he wait so long for webber? :/
driftin
27th August 2011, 14:36

Hamilton for the win, Button in top 5, Schumacher in top 10 with at least two people in the middle, maybe Kovaleinen, going off in first lap.
1. Alfie
  27th August 2011, 16:54
  
  And Jaime on the Podium!
Alonso_McLaren
27th August 2011, 14:45

What about the 107% rule?
1. DBizzle
  27th August 2011, 14:49
  
  They’ll ignore it. It’s down to the teams and they’ll see it’s the rain that has slowed those few cars.
DBizzle
27th August 2011, 14:48

It’s safe to say Maldonado is at fault here.

As I see it, Hamilton leaves La Source, and proceeds to take the normal racing line (which explains his movement right, he then swerves left to AVOID Maldonado), Maldonado clearly then cuts across Hamilton!

I think Hamilton should receive no punishment, but Maldonado should be disqualified for this race. He has made himself, the sport, and motor-racing in general look bad, aswell as put others into danger and the added cost of repairing both cars.

He should be ashamed of himself.
usukpam
27th August 2011, 14:51

Alonso has never had the best of luck around Spa !!!
Masa should be the guy baging most of the points for ferari tomorrow.
JohnBt
27th August 2011, 15:30

Whatever happened during quali, Spa never fails to surprise every year. That’s the best part.

Highlight of today will be Pastor and Hamilton. Lewis was grinning widely during post, keeping calm but Pastor was in the wrong IMO. Let’s wait for the stewards.
cooker
27th August 2011, 16:58

poor button :( wasnt good qualifyings for him, i dont think it was his fault either

nice one hamilton i reckon he would of been on pole position if monaldo didnt bump him :(
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
27th August 2011, 21:33

Congratulations to Kovalainen, Alguersuari and especially Senna. Very happy for them all.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
28th August 2011, 4:51

Good job by Jaime Alguersuari ,hope he have a good day.

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82 comments on “2011 Belgian Grand Prix grid”