Row 1 | 1. Jenson Button 1’47.573 McLaren | |
2. Kamui Kobayashi 1’47.871 Sauber | ||
Row 2 | 3. Kimi Raikkonen 1’48.205 Lotus | |
4. Sergio Perez 1’48.219 Sauber | ||
Row 3 | 5. Fernando Alonso 1’48.313 Ferrari | |
6. Pastor Maldonado* 1’47.893 Williams | ||
Row 4 | 7. Lewis Hamilton 1’48.394 McLaren | |
8. Romain Grosjean 1’48.538 Lotus | ||
Row 5 | 9. Paul di Resta 1’48.89 Force India | |
10. Sebastian Vettel 1’48.792 Red Bull | ||
Row 6 | 11. Nico Hulkenberg 1’48.855 Force India | |
12. Mark Webber** 1’48.392 Red Bull | ||
Row 7 | 13. Michael Schumacher 1’49.081 Mercedes | |
14. Felipe Massa 1’49.147 Ferrari | ||
Row 8 | 15. Jean-Eric Vergne 1’49.354 Toro Rosso | |
16. Daniel Ricciardo 1’49.543 Toro Rosso | ||
Row 9 | 17. Bruno Senna 1’50.088 Williams | |
18. Heikki Kovalainen 1’51.739 Caterham | ||
Row 10 | 19. Vitaly Petrov 1’51.967 Caterham | |
20. Timo Glock 1’52.336 Marussia | ||
Row 11 | 21. Pedro de la Rosa 1’53.03 HRT | |
22. Charles Pic 1’53.493 Marussia | ||
Row 12 | 23. Nico Rosberg** 1’50.181 Mercedes | |
24. Narain Karthikeyan 1’54.989 HRT |
*Three-place penalty for impeding Nico Hulkenberg
**Five-place penalty for gearbox change
2012 Belgian Grand Prix
- Button wins Belgian GP Driver of the Weekend vote
- Rate the Race Result: 2012 Belgian Grand Prix
- Top ten pictures from the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix
- Predictions win puts Rajamaniarun second
- Vote for your Belgian GP Driver of the Weekend
Daniell
1st September 2012, 14:09
Can’t help but to feel real good after MR. Kobayashi get that high in F1. As fellow Asian Good luck.
Z
1st September 2012, 14:55
I had a dream last night that KOB would qualify 2nd, funny how it turned out today.
LJ
1st September 2012, 19:08
Now have a dream he wins the race pls :)
Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
1st September 2012, 14:09
I had Kamui pegged for Pole @ 1:47.8xx (I forget exactly)… I’m feeling pretty good right now, even though he only got 2nd.. :)
Aditya Banerjee (@chicanef1)
1st September 2012, 14:10
I wonder why the gap between BUT and HAM was so huge…atleast McL could have used team orders had HAM been near him….and what an incredible performance by the Sauber team!!!! Given their tyre conservation abilities,they might just win tomorrow!!!
andrewf1 (@andrewf1)
1st September 2012, 14:20
Hamilton has just said in an interview that he felt his lap was as good as it should be, but also that this morning his side of the garage reverted to the old-spec, higher downforce rear wing they’ve had at other races, because the new updated rear-wing they brought for Spa wasnt working alright. Jenson on the other hand stuck with the update. Anyways, i too find it to be a huge difference in performance and it’s a shame because if Lewis had had the same rear wing settings, Mclaren would have had a front row lock-up.
Mike (@mike)
1st September 2012, 14:58
Would they? If Hamilton says they were having problems making it work, what makes you think that he would have found it more too his liking today?
andrewf1 (@andrewf1)
1st September 2012, 15:16
I am assuming that because its clearly obvious that the update worked [b]eventually[/b] on Button’s car, even if he was complaining of problems even in Q1.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
1st September 2012, 14:21
Hamilton was running a different downforce setting; that explains some of the deficit. His first turn lock-up probably lost him a couple of tenths, but other than that Button was just fundamentally faster.
BBQ2
1st September 2012, 14:56
For once I like the McLaren tactic! Let JB do the testing and in Monza next week the team will know what to do ….. I hope JB will be nice to his tyres and I dont want to hear any complains tomorrow!
BTW, beating the red car in their backyard is always nice :)
Todfod (@todfod)
1st September 2012, 15:23
The backyard is actually Firoano.. but you could say Monza if you wanted to pick an f1 circuit.
tmekt (@tmekt)
1st September 2012, 18:21
Maybe this guy is from the future?
Eggry (@eggry)
1st September 2012, 17:42
I never knew Spa is Ferrari’s backyard…
LJ
1st September 2012, 19:11
The thing is even though Hamilton has supposedly more downforce he wasn’t able to make use of it in the second sector. He’s going to struggle tomorrow unless there is rain or something. I don’t think he has the right setup to make the overtakes. He’s going to have to work a miracle imho.
Eggry (@eggry)
1st September 2012, 14:11
Congrats for Button’s pole!! Top 5 runner is just out of expectation. Especially Sauber duo and Maldonado. Alonso looked good until Q2 but then things changed. still it’s good position for Alonso since except Kimi, there’s no title contender in the front of him(unless Button doing this again and again!)
S.J.M (@sjm)
1st September 2012, 14:27
its a great line up. On one hand, the suprise drivers could conceivably finish in the top 5 (a win isnt out of the question). On the other, it means that the race could be epic in scale with the drivers behind them needing to pass themselves, upping their game to do so. Its all adding to more excitment then we normally would expect, and Spa is 9 times out of 10 very exciting anyway!
Mike (@mike)
1st September 2012, 15:00
I think we’ll see something special tomorrow…
I say we…. I’ll be at work! Nooooooooo!!!!
JamieFranklinF1 (@jamiefranklinf1)
1st September 2012, 14:12
I couldn’t be happier with Jenson getting pole. It’s the happiest I’ve felt from getting my predictions wrong xD
Valentino (@valentino)
1st September 2012, 14:12
I think they are running a higher down-force setting than Ferrari which can hurt them in the race if they don’t make a margin in front.
Eggry (@eggry)
1st September 2012, 14:17
Button was as fast as Alonso in sector 1 and 3 which seems insane to me. No one was fast in every sector except Button. Clearly, Button and Mclaren got switch on whether it’s intended or not.
S.J.M (@sjm)
1st September 2012, 14:20
If Alonso was nearly/as fast as Buttons inital pole laps Sector1 time, wouldnt that suggest the Ferrari isnt quite as high on Downforce as drivers like Hamilton? Just throwing it out there.
Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
1st September 2012, 14:37
Could see in sectors time than Hamilton was amongst the quickest in sector 2 and losing time in 1 and 3 … could be a problem for him to overtake during the race, but they expect this setup to be more gentle with the tyres
sato113 (@sato113)
1st September 2012, 15:54
ham’s non drs top speed could be better than others drs enabled top speed. so he could be ok for race
Mayank (@mjf1fan)
1st September 2012, 14:13
Who would have thought about JB, KK & PM would b the top 3 drivers at the end of Q3. Totaly unpredictable quali. Banker lap by JB.
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
1st September 2012, 14:15
All eyes on those Saubers tomorrow! And fingers crossed Maldonado doesn’t wipe the whole front of the grid out in La Source.
S.J.M (@sjm)
1st September 2012, 14:22
If theres anything we can be certain about at Spa, this is the most likely.
Lin1876 (@lin1876)
1st September 2012, 19:58
It’s second most likely. The most is rain at some point!
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
1st September 2012, 14:16
Stability? Yea right! I’m hoping for the championship’s sake that the ‘Bulls can fight Alonso or higher in the race. Vettel can go on an alternative strategy by starting on the hards and hopefully jump some of he pack.
Slr (@slr)
1st September 2012, 14:19
Raikkonen was a bit disappointing, but his wins in Spa have usually come from around rows 2 and 3. Really happy for Kobayashi, I hope he can get on the podium tomorrow.
Juij (@juij)
1st September 2012, 14:19
Every time there’s a climatological mess Buttom knows how to deal with it, in this case is ovbious how he has managed to get the best settup for the car without suittable practice session on friday.
An every there’s a mess there’s also some kind of proffit for FA , jeje.
Juij (@juij)
1st September 2012, 14:20
An every “time” there’s a mess there’s also some kind of proffit for FA , jeje.
Sammo
1st September 2012, 14:31
“And” every time there is a mess, there is also some kind of profit for FA, jeje. Sorry, I just had to :)
Timothy Katz (@timothykatz)
1st September 2012, 14:19
That was a really exciting Qualy session – more exciting than some of the races!
Is there speed trap information avaialble anywhere?
Mayank (@mjf1fan)
1st September 2012, 14:20
@tony031r
lol…hopefuly he doesnt live by his new name ‘Crashter maldonado’ :) and in case he does that then kimi is goin to have his first win of ths season….
James (@whichoneiwonder)
1st September 2012, 14:23
Watching an on-board replay of Jenson’s pole lap, It’s incredible the amount of time they spend sitting on the rev limiter in 7th along the second half of the kemmel straight and through blanchimont into the bus stop.
I had thought they might have run a longer 7th gear to minimise that in qually, but obviously not. It must not be worth the slower high-gear acceleration in the race…
MJ4
1st September 2012, 14:29
It seemed to me that 7th was perfectly tuned for the last straight; it was mostly in the straight following Eau Rouge where the rev limiter kept kicking in.
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
1st September 2012, 14:26
Maldonado… “Looking forward to recovering what we lost in the first part of the season” We?
Maksutov (@maksutov)
1st September 2012, 14:26
Impressive by PM. One can only compare where Senna finished. Saubers out qualified the Ferrari’s. And, I must say JB picked the right setup & nailed it for his driving style. He should be pretty strong for the race. I hope JB continues like this, maybe all that Triathlon really helped him!! Haha..
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
1st September 2012, 14:30
A wonderfully mixed up grid. The Sauber’s will be a headache for the big teams and Maldonado might provide the fear factor. Honourable mentions go to De La Rosa for beating a Marussia, Vergne for beating Ricciardo and Kobayashi for beating Perez.
Eggry (@eggry)
1st September 2012, 14:32
@andrewtanner “Maldonado might provide the fear factor.”
Haha, I like this one.
gwenouille (@gwenouille)
1st September 2012, 14:32
I may be wrong, but i think JB has the 3 best laps of the afternoon !
Am i right ?
Juij (@juij)
1st September 2012, 14:34
Prediction : Buttom-Raikkonen-Perez
Fantasy : Alonso-Kobayashi-Webber jeje
Chaplinez (@)
1st September 2012, 14:36
*Congrats to JB for having his first pole for Mclaren since 2009.
*I’m quite happy with the grid because Alonso is in front of LH,MW and SV.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
1st September 2012, 14:36
“Raikkonen will get pole!” they said. “He’s the master of Spa!” they said.
Postreader
1st September 2012, 14:31
I’d wait until after the race if I were you…
Postreader
1st September 2012, 14:31
* was! Could swear I typed it correctly.
andrewf1 (@andrewf1)
1st September 2012, 14:37
you spelled it right the first time
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
1st September 2012, 15:26
I think the real confusion on when to use the subjunctive or past simple really a question of intent. If it’s something hoped or wished for then use the subjunctive: If I were you I’d be the King of England. Past simple: If I was you I’d give up on being the King of England. Postreader’s comment makes me think of the latter, but there is no way to know without brutal interrogation of his tender fleshy parts! Hence, both work for me.
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
1st September 2012, 14:47
It’s a common error in spoken as well as written English. It’s because the verb “to be” is between I and you. . “Were” is the correct conjugation for “you” when asking a question. When you add “if” in your sentence it becomes a bit of a question, so it’s a natural mistake and it’s one mistake that most will never notice. So no worries!
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
1st September 2012, 15:04
If I was you is correct even though most use the subjunctive form “were” Was just doesn’t sound right. But that’s English!
andrewf1 (@andrewf1)
1st September 2012, 21:55
Thanks for those infos! English is not my native language, but i had learned in school that ‘if i was’ is a common mistake and that it should be ‘if i were’ instead. and yes, it does sound better!
Aditya Banerjee (@chicanef1)
1st September 2012, 14:33
“And his teamamte will outqualify him”,you said…really PM,how could you expect him to get pole in a car thats clearly slower than the McLaren??
andrewf1 (@andrewf1)
1st September 2012, 14:34
I think its actually just the media’s fault, always building too much of a hype around Lotus before every race. Also, the idea that a driver is a master or non master of any circuit right now is sadly completely irrelevant, they can only be as good as their car is – or actually, as good as the setup and your rear wing is lol -> Button 8 tenths faster than Hamilton.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
1st September 2012, 23:59
@andrewf1 – That’s precisely why I don’t read Autosport anymore. Ever since Lotus started sponsoring the Autosport International Show, they’ve run an inordinate number of pro-Lotus stories and often make headline news out of Lotus-related items that most other news sources don’t even bother with.
Sammo
1st September 2012, 14:35
If i remember correctly he won Spa from grid pos 10 one year?
--- (@brazil2007)
1st September 2012, 14:39
@Sammo Yes, that was in 2004, and in an uncompetitive car. He also won from 6th in 2009 while driving a truck of a Ferrari.
andrewf1 (@andrewf1)
1st September 2012, 14:40
It makes no difference what he did in other years or which position he’s won from, what always matters is the car you have at hand.
Sammo
1st September 2012, 14:48
Yes, it does…BUT the cars don’t drive themselves. Clearly KR is comfy at Spa, and that counts for a lot. And then there is always the stratagem.
Slr (@slr)
1st September 2012, 14:40
Only one of Raikkonen’s wins at Spa was from pole.
necrodethmortem (@necrodethmortem)
1st September 2012, 16:11
Why would he have to wait until after the race to debunk that Raikkonen would be on pole?
Slr (@slr)
1st September 2012, 19:11
@necrodethmortem I was refering to him debunking Raikkonen being the “Master of Spa”.
necrodethmortem (@necrodethmortem)
1st September 2012, 21:05
Even with 4 wins out of 6, he still would be the “Master of Spa”, so there’s nothing to debunk there.
xeroxpt (@)
1st September 2012, 23:27
They did went for the high downforce package and they are the highest of the ones with that strategy, anyway i wanted to write that first!
MahavirShah (@mahavirshah)
1st September 2012, 14:54
Pastor-Perez-Hamilton line astern?? Ye Gods this can only end well :) ! Not to mention Kamui in there as well. You might as well play The Ride of the Valkyries at the start.
Tete
1st September 2012, 15:11
I agree. After all the hype, I thought the lotus were going to be on pole. Unfortunately they were unable to do so and it is becoming the norm. Even though, they didn’t live up to the hyped , I reckon the lotus team to be a contender for the win since they along with the Ferraris always have better race pace that the likes of mclaren, Williams or even the Saubers.
GeeMac (@geemac)
1st September 2012, 15:31
Karthikeyan nearly 2 seconds off of de la Rosa….he’s just not good enough.
Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
1st September 2012, 19:56
No, but his money surely is.
xeroxpt (@)
1st September 2012, 23:28
Rupees all over the place.
Asif (@)
1st September 2012, 16:23
Almost perfect for Alonso with his main title rivals behind him. Could he extend his lead yet again while not even finishing on the podium. Amazing run of form for him thus far!
Nickpkr
1st September 2012, 16:52
Maldonado penalty again, well he will be one dangerous driver tomorrow !
For Alonso this grid end up as good as Pole !
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
1st September 2012, 19:22
Sad to see another shocker from Senna, and also the Caterhams are nowhere.
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
1st September 2012, 21:18
Shocker? For who?
Seriously…we all knew somewhere deep inside Hungaroring was a one-off performance. He’s just back to his old slow self now. No shocker. :)
xeroxpt (@)
1st September 2012, 23:29
At Hungary Senna disappointed as well that Williams has enough quality to be up top every race, we are talking about a driver that was beaten by Chandok, for Christ sake.
xeroxpt (@)
1st September 2012, 23:24
I look at that grid and the first though in my mind is “MASSIVE CRASH!” like in 09 with Romain, Lewis and Button and some more guys, the guys that opted for high down wings are going to suffer so much right a the start it will bunch it up in one gigantic crash. You read this first here at 11:24pm