After a month of digital silence this corner of the internet has returned, no doubt to the sound of international disappointment and a chorus of general indifference. But even if - as per usual - I am indeed merely spouting words out into the most uninhabited reaches of cyberspace, where no-one can hear you type, life and unintelligible writing shall go on. This time we start off by asking the question - "What on earth is going on?" - because in the past four weeks it appears that the entire paddock has lost the plot. To begin with we had Bernie, F1's deranged overlord and supreme ruler, meandering his way out of a bribery trial.... with a bribe. Normally something like this is followed by the mad troll unveiling an insane change in the regulations, for example when the trial commenced there was a sudden announcement regarding standing restarts in 2015 and an Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This time the old man has been suspiciously quiet... and I'm not sure which response is scarier.
In other news F1 is about to turn into a crèche, after rumours that Sauber would sign Russian teenager Sergey Sirotkin faded away - the sport has acquired it's first child. Enter Max Verstappen, son of former competitor Jos, who has been handed a place at Toro Rosso alongside Kvyat - instead Vergne. This caps off a torrid year Vergne has had with Red Bull's driver program, ignored by the main team in favour of Ricciardo, and now thrown out altogether to make way for Verstappen Jnr. But the influence of young Max's promotion cuts deeper than just alienating Vergne, Antonio Felix Da Costa was the original favourite for Daniil's seat - and he lost out there too. Then there is Carlos Sainz Jnr and Alex Lynn, both doing very well in FR3.5 and GP3 respectively - each with countless more race experience under their collective belts than Verstappen, but they were ignored as well. In the face of a very strong pool of driver talent why Max, admittedly he is doing a remarkable job in Euro F3... not that I've actually seen any of it. But does one season automatically make you F1 material, I doubt it especially as the chap is only 16 at the moment... which is the most depressing fact about the whole thing.
With one rookie toddler on the way, the grid gains another new face this weekend. Caterham for some bemusing reason have asked Andre Lotterer to drive in the Begian GP - from what I can gather it is a single race deal as a random punt at scoring some points if it rains at Spa. Lotterer is part of the Audi Le Mans squadron and has won the epic 24hr race on three occasions. Unlike Max, Andre is a proven driver with a very successful history in sports cars and endurance racing, including proficiency in changeable conditions. Sounds like a very interesting prospect, and it is, but there are one or two problems with the plan. Problem 1: The team are giving him Kobayashi's car... if the team are looking for points in a crazy race, why take out your current fastest driver... of course the answer is that Ericsson has more money. Problem 2: The Caterham is monumentally different to Lotterer's Audi R18, so in order for this to work Andre has to turn up and be immediately faster than Ericsson. Remember in 2009 when Fisichella went to Ferrari when Massa was recovering - he was miles off the pace because he didn't know the car. How is a complete rookie to this category going to miraculously solve Caterhams problems, Lotterer is a magnificent driver - but I can't see this working out.
The Venue
After that slightly oversized introduction and update, it is about time I moved on to discuss the track for this weekend's action. Spa-Francorchamps is nothing short of wonderful, a graceful relic of how things should be. It has everything, immensely daunting and infamous corners, overtaking opportunities, elevation changes and a rhythm and a flow that Herman Tilke could never find at the bottom of track architecture manual. Even in this modern age of high downforce and driver safety, Spa remains a fearsome prospect. The annual 24hr GT race took place before the summer break, and delivered one of the most violent and destructive races the track has seen - each accident was larger and more vicious than the last, fire and devastation everywhere. Marcus Mahy had to undergo neck surgery after being placed in an induced coma such was the extent of the impact he suffered. So Spa cannot be taken lightly.
The lap begins at the aptly named 'La Source' hairpin, the slowest corner on the track and only a short distance away from the start line. It is one of the primary overtaking spots, but on occasion can put many an errant front wing in danger. La Source exits onto the GT straight, used for fields too large to fit on the start straight - it is a steep descent, straight to the foot of Spa's most formidable landmark. Carved into the side of a mountain is the infamous Eau Rouge, a corner that may be far more challenging this season with lower downforce levels, especially for the lower teams. I'd be surprised if over the course of the weekend, the corner doesn't consume at least one unsuspecting victim - be it through the heart of Eau Rouge or across the top of the hill at Radillon, Spa can be merciless.
If you survive Eau Rouge with all four wheels still attached, there a brief respite in the form of the Kemmel straight - home of the longest of the DRS zones. Kemmel is interrupted by a break in the tree line hiding a clearing, and the Les Combes chicane. Les Comes is a sequence which introduces the magical middle sector of the lap, each corner seems to appear precisely where it feels it should be. On the exit of Les Combes pull the car back over to the left, just in time for Malmedy, followed by a short straight feeding into the challenging downhill and off camber braking zone for Beau Rivage. Rivage on the surface seems to be a generic 180 degree corner, but the radius, duration and elevation change all come together to make it stand out. On the exit the car almost instictively floats to the right as the road naturally sweeps downhill through Bruxelles - the corner which for so many years appeared to have no name. Each organic contour of the land fitting together seamlessly.
Down another steep incline the road plummets towards Pouhon, while downforce and car performance have nullified the challenge of many a corner, Pouhon comfortably holds onto its reputation. The double apex descending left hander is narrow and tantalisingly close to being flat out, but leave the boot in and a potential trip to the scenery is on the cards. Even on the exit you're not safe, drift a little too far over the wrong side of the curb and the car will be fired back across into the inside wall...the track limits will bite. Pouhon gives way to the final part of the middle sector of this monolithic layout, a gentle right-left sequence at Fagnes pinches the cars ever so slightly on the exit - to make you're still concentrating. At the lowest point of the circuit, the final sector begins with Stavelot, a corner which may seem deceptively simple but has seen many visting the tyre barrier after underestimating it.
The long climb back up to the pit straight is an expression of unrelenting power and top speed, another example things you just don't see anymore in modern circuit design - unless it is an obligatory >1km straight.... This final section first turns gently through Curve Paul Frere before building up even more speed for the fastest corner on the entire calendar. Blancimont, it may be stripped of it's gravel after it put Luciano Burti in an overnight coma, but it is no less ominous. Admittedly these days it is easy flat for most if not all of the grid... but add a sprinkle of rain and the result is terrifying.
This only leaves one corner left - well one chicane - and after almost 6km of tarmac brilliance it always makes you wonder what on earth was going on in the minds of the people who redesigned the bus stop. Back in the late 90's and early 2000's the Bus Stop chicane was a cheeky combination of corners that weren't too slow and required precision to avoid putting it in the wall. A revision in the mid 2000's was a severe downgrade but still followed some of the ethos of the original. The latest update as part of Spa's regeneration program a few years ago is an utter travesty and an abomination of a corner. Yes overtaking is easier there now, which was the design buzzword at the time, but at what cost... I understand why it happened, in much the same way I understand why the Hockenheimring was shortened... But I don't have to like it. The newer Bus Stop is the equivalent of stapling a giant spoiler on the back of an E-Type, just because it improves downforce... It's just not the done thing. At least they didn't get their hands on the rest of the place.
The Form Guide
I expect to see some updates and upgrades making into circulation after the summer break - Caterham decided to update a driver... and then put him in the wrong car. But will that change the order of things, well probably not, aside from the middle sector Spa is mainly about power - the blast from La Souce to Les Combes through Eau Rouge, and then from Stavelot to the corner that is a shadow of the Bus Stop are both high speed sections. Therefore this should be Mercedes territory as far as the engines go, so look for strong results from Williams, McLaren and Force India. While the factory team, barring any mechanical difficulties vanish off into the distance. But Spa used to be notoriously difficult on the mechanical components, so in this age of increased reliability challenges, that isn't all done and dusted either.
Away from the Mercedes powered onslaught, Red Bull could be on for a respectable weekend, because the flowing middle sector should play nicely into their hands. It does however remain a case of damage limitation on the faster sections where the opposition have a clear advantage. Of the main teams it could be Ferrari that lose out here, with a car which is neither fastest in a straight line or round corners, but more of a general purpose creation may lack the specialities of those around them to keep up. I sense points but not those towards the very front of the field, but I think the in-house battle could be very interesting given how much Raikkonen enjoy's Spa and his gradual improvement in acclimatising to the car.
The lower mid-field may belong to Toro Rosso this weekend, with Lotus struggling for both speed and downforce and Sauber much the same, just with better reliability. Depending on race conditions this fight could be for the final championship point on Sunday. Further back, the lower teams really need the traditional rains of the Ardennes to improve their chances of success. Caterham obviously banking on some changeable conditions in their appointment of Lotterer for the weekend. Of all the places to come and learn how to drive one of the most difficult cars on the grid... potentially in the rain as well.
The Belgian GP is a rare beacon of how things used to be, set on a twisting ribbon of wonder plotted along the sculpted topography of the land. It is a marvellous venue which can deliver magnificent races wet or dry... and occasionally both. But there is always the chance that on a flowing rhythmic circuit such as this that the drivers fall into the trap of a high speed procession. Hopefully the chances of that are relatively slim, bring it on.
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