2011 Belgian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Going into the summer break, Vettel leads on 234 points — 85 more than Webber in second. Hamilton is third on 149, one point ahead of Alonso on 148, with Button fifth on 134. Button won Hungary to close the gap to the top.

Previous race

Button won the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring — his 200th Grand Prix start and the scene of his maiden Formula One victory. Vettel finished second, Alonso third. Mixed conditions produced a chaotic middle phase: a mid-race shower caused Hamilton to spin and force Force India’s Paul di Resta off the circuit, earning Hamilton a drive-through penalty for the incident. Hamilton had been running second before the penalty and recovered to fourth. Heidfeld’s Renault retired after a prolonged pit stop when the engine exploded.

Between-race developments

Bruno Senna has been promoted from Renault’s test and reserve programme to a race seat, replacing Nick Heidfeld for the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. Renault cited Heidfeld’s failure to deliver the speed required of a leading driver as the reason; Heidfeld stated he expected to return for Singapore and expressed his intention to finish the season with the team.

The race also marks the twentieth anniversary of Michael Schumacher’s Formula One debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix. Schumacher wears a special gold helmet to commemorate the occasion.

Regulation

The FIA has banned DRS use through Eau Rouge, following safety concerns raised by drivers similar to those at Monaco. The DRS activation zone runs from Raidillon along the Kemmel Straight to Les Combes.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the white-banded medium as the prime and the yellow-banded soft as the option — a harder pairing than Bridgestone’s hard compound choice at this circuit last year.

Practice

FP1 was declared wet following a shower before the pit lane opened. Schumacher and Rosberg set the early pace, remaining unchallenged at the top throughout. Bruno Senna’s return to Formula One ended early when he spun at turn 9 and damaged his Renault. Paul di Resta had a similar spin at the same corner and the session was red-flagged while his car was craned away.

FP2 was also rain-affected with only limited dry running. Webber was fastest by a large margin in the dry conditions that eventually appeared, ahead of Alonso, Button and Hamilton. Petrov suffered a steering problem and completed no dry running, finishing 24th.

FP3 on Saturday was wet throughout, with most drivers staying in the garage until the final minutes. Webber was fastest again, ahead of Hamilton and Alguersuari. Ferrari completed very little running — Massa recorded just seven laps and Alonso set no lap time despite completing an installation lap.