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Set deep in the Ardennes forest, Spa-Francorchamps is a fantastic track that sweeps through the countryside like a roller-coaster and is truly a favourite among the drivers. The infamous Eau Rouge is one of the fastest and most challenging corners on the F1 calendar and the slope of the track enables teams to see from the paddock area, from La Source hairpin (the first corner) right to the top of Eau Rouge. A large proportion of the circuit is used as a public road apart from on race weekends, when the track is formed to become the longest on the F1 calendar. The first Belgian round of the Formula One World Championship was held in 1950 on a nine-mile track at Spa. Using roads running through forests and villages, the venue was dropped from the calendar on safety grounds after 1970 and the current circuit uses only a fraction of the original layout. Unpredictable weather conditions often add to the excitement of this race, where there can be torrential rain at one end of the track whilst it remains bone dry at the other end. For lovers of statistics, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit provides ample to give the Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda team optimism for next weekend's Belgian Grand Prix. The circuit has afforded Jordan some of its most memorable results - the historic 1-2 victory in 1998 with Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher, second place with Fisichella (see overleaf) in 1997 and front row of the grid with Jarno Trulli last year. In addition, Jordan's prodigal son, Jean Alesi, won at Spa in Jordan yellow in the 1989 F3000 Championship. Like his team mate Trulli, he is no stranger to the front row of the grid, having qualified second in 1995 and 1997 and, if the statistical icing on the factual cake were needed, Alesi was the driver who joined Hill and Ralf Schumacher on the podium in 1998. Hardly surprising then, that both Alesi and Trulli travel to Belgium with high hopes.
Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda made a useful start to the weekend in Belgium when Jarno Trulli set second fastest time, with Jean Alesi ninth at the end of the day which saw the Spa-Francorchamps track affected by a shower in the afternoon session. "It's been a productive day," said Trulli. "We were able to test tyres and a lot of things on the car. We were able to do some laps in wet conditions. The car seems pretty good and I'm optimistic for tomorrow that we can get a result."
Jean Alesi and Jarno Trulli were 10th and 11th fastest for Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda at the end of a practice session shortened by the weather this morning. The start of track activity today was affected by fog which prevented the mandatory use of medical helicopters. The weather did not clear sufficiently until 11 am, two hours after the due start time. As a result, there was just one 45-minute session, instead of two. Qualifying will start on schedule at 1 pm local time.
Changing track conditions at Spa-Francorchamps caught out Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda when Jean Alesi and Jarno Trulli slipped down the order in the final minute and qualified 13th and 16th for the Belgian Grand Prix. A heavy shower of rain minutes before the start of the hour-long qualifying session meant the track was going to get faster as it dried out. The question was, by how much? After a wait of about 20 minutes, all of the 22 drivers posted lap times using intermediate wet weather tyres, Alesi getting as high as sixth on the grid. Then, in the final minute, the racing line suddenly became dry enough to sustain dry weather grooved tyres.
Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda had a busy warm-up this morning after Jarno Trulli damaged his race car and had to take the spare EJ11. Trulli was eighth, with Jean Alesi setting 13th fastest time at the end of the 30-minute session, run in cool, dry conditions.
A dramatic Belgian Grand Prix saw Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda score a championship point when Jean Alesi finished sixth. Jarno Trulli lost fifth place when he stopped with engine trouble four laps from the end. The race was run in two parts after being stopped due to an accident on lap four. Having made a strong start, Alesi was holding ninth place when Luciano Burti's Prost tangled with Eddie Irvine's Jaguar going into the 190 mph Blanchimont corner. Burti ran off the road and rammed a tyre barrier. The Brazilian was removed to hospital with concussion and the race stopped while the tyre barrier was replaced. Alesi held seventh place after the restart and had to fend off a strong attack from Ralf Schumacher's Williams during the closing laps. |
