Victory for Raikkonen, glory for Fisichella at Spa-Francorchamps

Kimi Raikkonen became the sixth different victor in six races after putting Ferrari back in the winners� circle for the first time in 2009, with a finely judged success in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, in which his KERS system played a crucial role in the opening stages. But he was dogged all the way to the flag by a gallant Giancarlo Fisichella in the Force India, who kept him honest throughout on the first medium downforce circuit of the season.

Behind them, Red Bull�s Sebastian Vettel drove strongly for third, closing on them both by the finish. Raikkonen crossed the finish line 0.9s ahead, with Vettel 2.9s behind Fisichella.

Jenson Button�s hopes of adding to his points tally in the Brawn GP ended at Les Combes on the first lap when he was spun out by Romain Grosjean�s Renault, while in a separate incident Lewis Hamilton�s McLaren tagged Jaime Alguersuari�s Toro Rosso while trying to avoid the melee. The two incidents are currently under investigation by the race stewards.

After a safety car intervention, Raikkonen, who had sped up to second behind Fisichella on the opening lap, lost no time using his KERS to slingshot by the Italian on the run up Raidillon to Les Combes on the fifth lap, but Fisichella pushed him all the way.Red Bull�s Mark Webber looked strong initially until an unsafe release from his first pit stop nearly put rival BMW Sauber�s Nick Heidfeld in the pit-lane wall. A drive-through penalty subsequently dropped him to ninth.Renault�s Fernando Alonso also seemed on course for a healthy helping of points after running the longest opening stint, but a brush with Force India�s Adrian Sutil in La Source on the opening lap had damaged the left front wheel, and after a disastrously long pit stop on Lap 24 he had to come in again to retire a lap later when the left front wheel could not be secured satisfactorily.

Vettel was able to vault past a fast-starting Robert Kubica after his second stop on the 35th lap and said his Red Bull was perfect thereafter, but the Pole brought his BMW Sauber home fourth ahead of closing team mate Heidfeld. The German has passed Toyota�s Jarno Trulli for second at the start but ran wide and lost ground, allowing Kubica to nip down the inside to run third initially.Heikki Kovalainen did a one-stop strategy in his McLaren to stay ahead of Brawn GP�s Rubens Barrichello for sixth place. The Brazilian, who bogged down off the grid, was saved to an extent by the intervention of the safety car which enabled Brawn to refuel him for a longer opening stint in a fast first-lap pit stop, but had to back off at the end when his Mercedes engine showed signs of failing. He just made it to the flag ahead of a closing Nico Rosberg, who drove yet another strong race for Williams to score the final point, while Webber just missed out with ninth after a frustrating race.Toyota�s Timo Glock had a fuel rig problem in his first stop which delayed him, and could not better 10th, under pressure at the end from Force India�s Sutil. Behind them Sebastien Buemi brought his Toro Rosso home 12th ahead of Williams� Kazuki Nakajima and an unimpressive Luca Badoer, who was the last finisher for Ferrari.

Besides Alonso and the first lap crashers, the other retirement was Trulli, whose front wing was damaged when he made contact with Heidfeld's BMW Sauber on the opening lap. That ruined the Italian�s race, as did a later refuelling problem, similar to Glock�s. He ultimately retired with a brake problem.

In the title stakes, Barrichello took two more points off Button, who still has 74 to the Brazilian�s 56. Vettel moves back ahead of Webber with 53 to the Australian�s 51.5.In the constructors� championship Brawn have 128 points, Red Bull 104.5, Ferrari 56 and McLaren 44.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO - BELGIUM GP HIGHLIGHTS

What an eventful race that was, taking us to the edge of our seats right until the end and then as cold shower or birthday gift, depending which side you are on, the decision by the stewards to demote Lewis Hamilton, therefore handing Massa & Ferrari the victory in the Belgium Grand Prix.

Missed anything ? Follow the link for an exclusive highlight of SPA Raceday, as well as all the previous races.

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Massa inherits Belgian win after Hamilton penalised

Ferrari�s Felipe Massa has been declared the winner of Sunday�s Belgian Grand Prix after McLaren� Lewis Hamilton was handed a 25-second time penalty following the race. Hamilton drops to third place as a result, with BMW Sauber�s Nick Heidfeld moving up to second. McLaren plan to appeal the decision.Hamilton was penalised after stewards decided he had gained an advantage by cutting the final chicane in his late-race battle with Ferrari�s Kimi Raikkonen.

Raikkonen crashed out shortly after the incident, having the led the bulk of the race up to that point."I have often said that the race is not over until the official results are published and that was the case today," said Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali. "As usual, Ferrari will not comment on the stewards' decision. After the race, we were called to the stewards and we explained our position."We are very disappointed for Kimi, who had driven a great race and deserved the win, especially at this rather difficult time. This result is obviously very important for our championship hopes: now we must maintain maximum concentration and prepare as well as possible for the forthcoming races."
McLaren insisted they had little choice but to appeal the stewards' decision, given that Hamilton had immediately surrendered the lead back to Raikkonen on the start-finish straight, before then passing the Finn going into the La Source hairpin."We looked at all our data and also made it available to the FIA stewards," said the team. "It showed that, having lifted, Lewis was 6km/h slower than Kimi as they crossed the start-finish line. Having passed the lead back to Kimi, Lewis repositioned his car, moving across and behind Kimi to the right-hand line and then out-braked him into the hairpin. Based on this data, we have no option other than to register our intention to appeal."
The revised result means that rather than extending his championship lead over Massa, Hamilton now sees it cut, with the Briton heading the Brazilian by just two points, 76 to 74, with five races remaining.Assuming their right to appeal is accepted, McLaren's case against Hamilton's penalty will be heard by the FIA's International Court of Appeal at a date to be determined.

Shell in Formula One

Shell�s Formula One project team continues to grow and this year more than 50 Shell technical staff are contributing to the Shell Formula One programme with Ferrari; based in Shell laboratories and facilities around the world, back at the Scuderia Ferrari factory in Maranello and travelling to the 18 race tracks. This is clearly much more than a sponsorship � it is a technical partnership.
To date Ferrari has won 12 Formula One World Championship Drivers� Titles and nine Formula One World Championship Constructors� Titles with the support of Shell. Importantly the Shell technical partnership with Ferrari provides the perfect test bed for Shell road products - from Shell V-Power fuel and Shell Helix lubricants through to other speciality lubricant products, such as Shell Spirax gear oil. The lessons learned and the boundaries broken within the extreme environment of motor racing contribute to the development and production of fuel and lubricant products for customers around the world.

Shell at the races - the trackside laboratory

Shell provides Ferrari with a full analysis of fuel and oil samples at every race, using expert cutting-edge technology. In the Shell Track Lab - located within the Ferrari compound - Shell scientists conduct more than 40 tests per weekend on the Shell V-Power, Shell Helix and Shell Spirax race products used in the cars, to ensure that the drivers will be able to get peak performance at all times.

Lubricants

Unlike fuels, engine lubricants are slightly less restricted. This gives Shell chemists and engineers more freedom to explore new and unique formulations and get the most out of the Formula One engine. Instantaneous information provided by analysing the engine lubricant in the Track Lab is essential for the Ferrari team to understand the condition of its engines.
New to the Track Lab in 2008 is the RDE (rotating disc electrode) oil analyser which uses a technique called Optical Emission Spectrometer (OES). An extremely sophisticated instrument, it detects an increased selection of wear metals in the oil. This is once again a clear example of Shell�s cutting-edge approach to the programme, adding valuable systems to Ferrari�s track-side activity.

Read more on the role of Shell Helix in 2008

Fuels

Formula One fuel is one of the most tightly controlled fuels within the world of motorsport with the chemical and physical parameters dictated by the FIA. These regulations imposed by the FIA are designed to foster the development of road car fuels; specific power boosting chemical compounds are banned and all chemical ingredients are highly monitored. This season will see 5.75% by weight of bio-oxygenate incorporated in Formula One fuel in line with FIA regulations imposed on all teams.
The analytical process for fuel remains the same. Using a gas chromatography method, Shell engineers regularly analyse the fuel, taking extreme care to ensure that it remains legal and in prime condition during the race weekend. If a sample taken by the FIA does not match the pre-approved fuel profile, the team can ultimately be disqualified.
Working within these boundaries, Shell chemists still have the flexibility to excel and develop fuel in the constant battle to increase performance.

Test after test, race after race and season after season, Shell and Ferrari work together exclusively to craft the best performing fuels and lubricants in Formula One.

Spa Francorchamps History

Spa Francorchamps was first used in 1924, its history long and entwining. Many drivers have won here, with its ever-changing weather conditions, making it a track hard to master. Jim Clark hated it, yet he won four races in a row, 1962 - 1965. The sun can shine in one section of the track, yet it can be pouring with rain in another.

The danger here was ever present, with young Alan Stacey and Chris Bristow killed in separate accidents in 1960. By 1970, it was obvious that the speeds were getting too fast, so the track was discontinued, not returning again until 1983. This return saw the track distance nearly halved, with the removal of a section that was classed as really dangerous and thereafter it rewarded only the most talented.

Eau Rouge remained the most evocative corner, the scene of many accidents. Alex Zanardi escaped serious injury when he crashed his Lotus there in 1993, and in light of the tragic deaths at Imola, 1994 saw a new chicane added, but when run-offs were built in 1995, this corner thankfully came back into play.

Ayrton Senna won four consecutive races, from 1988 to 1991 and it was the scene of Michael Schumacher's very first victory in 1992. The next two years saw Damon Hill on the top step of the podium, while Schumacher took the next three consecutive wins.

Damon Hill won again in 1998, creating history in the process. In a rain drenched race that saw two starts due to chaos on the opening lap, Hill lead his team-mate home to claim the Jordan team's maiden victory that was twice as special with a one-two finish. Schumacher was clearly leading with Hill in a strong second until he came up to the McLaren of David Coulthard that was a lap down. With Coulthard backing off on the racing line, the two collided in the horrific conditions, forcing the Ferrari into retirement and Schumacher to lose his cool as he attempted to confront Coulthard.

The sun shone brightly the following year allowing Coulthard to take the win. This was one of the events Schumacher was forced to miss due to injuries sustained at the British Grand Prix, however, in 2000 he was forced to settle for third place while Mika Hakkinen took the honours and the younger Schumacher, Ralf took second.

Schumacher took another win on the beautiful Belgian track in 2001. The race was red flagged after Luciano Burti suffered a massive accident after contact with Eddie Irvine. Schumacher is the winner once again in 2002, this time in front of his team-mate Rubens Barrichello in second place.

Politics intervened in 2003 meaning there was no Belgian Grand Prix but thankfully the famous venue was back on for 2004 with Raikkonen taking a commanding win for McLaren. Starting back in tenth position on the grid thanks to changeable weather conditions in qualifying, the Finn soon worked his way to the front and held on to beat Schumacher and Barrichello by three and four seconds respectively. For Schumacher, second place was enough as he secured his record breaking seventh World Championship with the result.

Raikkonen won again in 2005 in changeable conditions with Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button taking second and third positions. Giancarlo Fisichella meanwhile found out that running dry setting on a damp circuit was not the best of ideas as he suffered a heavy crash at Eau Rouge.

There would be no Belgian Grand Prix in 2006 as the circuit began renovation work on its ageing pits and paddock complex, but the good news is that Spa Francorchamps returns to its rightful place on the Formula One World Championship calendar in 2007.

Welcome Back Spa !

Belgian GP - Preview
Heidfeld returns to Spa for the first time since 2004

Spa-Francorchamps typifies the sort of atmosphere in racing as it was in the old days. The traditional circuit lies naturally in the hilly landscape of the Ardennes, where a total length of seven kilometres means it is the longest track of the season.

Just one week after the Italian Grand Prix, Formula One will hold round 14 out of the 17 in this season's World Championship on this uphill and downhill track. In 2006 Spa wasn't a Grand Prix venue - the time off was used to renew the pit and paddock facilities as well as to carry out the work regarding the final corners before the start/finish line. The former left-right-left Bus Stop chicane has been changed into a right-left chicane.

Nick Heidfeld:
"I am happy Spa is back on the calendar. I didn't attend the test in July so for me the last time I was there was in 2004 � and those days I was in a car which wasn't competitive at all. It will be different this time. Althoug Spa isn't too far from my home town of M�nchengladbach, I didn't race there very often. The circuit wasn't on the Formula Ford and Formula 3 calendar when I was racing, and I had to miss the 2005 Formula One race after I injured myself in a bicycle accident. Spa is a very beautiful circuit with some very special parts. The combination of turns that make up Eau Rouge through the depression is world famous, and for spectators it is a must.
The speed and power of the cars are really impressive if you see them rushing down the hill, going through the turns and accelerating uphill again. For us drivers the depression is not at all a physical problem, we are just not used to it. Normally we have to deal with G-forces in cornering speeds or under braking."

Robert Kubica:
"It will be very nice to race in Spa in Formula One for the first time, although I have raced in Formula 3 and Formula Renault. Spa is a very nice track, very challenging, very quick and I think generally one of the favourite tracks of all the drivers. We had quite a good test there, but the weather, as always in Spa, will probably be unpredictable, so we have to see how things develop. After Monza, again we have a track where we have a lower downforce configuration on the cars, although not as low as in Monza, but it will be very good. "I think Spa is very nice because of the long, quick corners. Normally there is very good grip there so you have to bring a lot of speed into the corners."