2008 Belgian Grand Prix

The 2008 Belgian Grand Prix, formally known as the 2008 Formula 1 ING Belgian Grand Prix, was the thirteenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium, on 7 September 2008.'13. Belgium 2008', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)'Belgium 2008: Hamilton wins and loses epic race.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 07/09/2008), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/63432/1/belgium-2008-hamilton-wins-and-loses-epic-race, (Accessed 18/03/2020) The race would see Felipe Massa declared as the victor, after a controversial 25 second time penalty dumped Lewis Hamilton from first to third.
Qualifying had seen the two title protagonists duel for pole position, with Hamilton emerging ahead of Massa by 0.340s. Their teammates Heikki Kovalainen and Kimi Räikkönen would share the second row, while Nick Heidfeld beat Fernando Alonso to fifth.
Race morning would dawn with rain falling on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, although as the field lined up for the start the circuit was dry enough for the field to start on slicks. Indeed, everyone bar Nelson Piquet, Jr. would start on the softest Bridgestone slicks available, while the Brazilian opted for the harder compound after qualifying in the middle of the pack.
The greasy track surface made the start treacherous, with Kovalainen one of several losers as he slithered away slowly, while Piquet shot up to seventh after acing his getaway. Jarno Trulli also made a strong start but was whacked from behind by Sébastien Bourdais, while Kovalainen made contact with Nick Heidfeld and Giancarlo Fisichella removed himself from contention on the back of Kazuki Nakajima.
Out front, meanwhile, Hamilton had eased into an early lead ahead of Massa, although the Brazilian was powerless to prevent teammate Räikkönen from breezing past down the Kemmel Straight. The Finn then moved into the lead on the second lap as Hamilton suffered a spin at La Source, with Räikkönen duly easing clear over the following laps.
Behind, Kovalainen would collide with Mark Webber shortly before the first round of stops, as Hamilton became the first of the leaders on lap eleven. Räikkönen and Massa stopped on the following laps, with the order remaining stable at the head of the field as a result.
The order remained stable through the second stint too, with Räikkönen and Hamilton both stopping on lap 25 for their second and final stops. Massa stopped three laps later and remained behind Hamilton, with Hamilton himself able to close onto the back of Räikkönen as temperatures began to tumble both in air and on track.
Indeed, the slump in temperatures heralded the arrival of rain, which began thundering down on the circuit on lap 41, with Hamilton eliminating the rest of the gap between himself and Räikkönen. The Brit duly tried a lunge inside the #1 into the Bus Stop chicane, only to run wide and cut the corner, and hence emerge ahead of Räikkönen. Hamilton immediately eased off the throttle and let the Finn back through, before instantly chucking his #22 back down the inside of the Ferrari to claim the lead at La Source.
The duo continued to battle as Hamilton's antics came under investigation, with Räikkönen briefly leading again after Hamilton had to avoid a recovering Nico Rosberg, before spinning himself on lap 42. The Finn's race then came to an end with a half-spin into the wall at Blanchimont, handing Hamilton an unassailable lead over Massa.
Indeed, Hamilton would sweep across the line to claim victory, ahead of Massa and Heidfeld, with the Brit believing that he had acted correctly after cutting the chicane. However, in the hours after the race it was announced that Hamilton had been awarded a 25 second time penalty for cutting the chicane and gaining an advantage, leaving Massa as the race winner.
McLaren's appeal against the decision was taken to the FIA International Court of Appeal, although it was rejected by the Court on 23 September 2008 on the grounds that a 25 second time penalty cannot be challenged.[Archived] 'Appeal lodged by the Motor Sports Association (MSA) on behalf of its licence-holder Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, against Decision N° 49', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 22/09/2008), https://web.archive.org/web/20081010040214/http://fialive.fiacommunications.com/en-GB/the-fia/court_appeal/judgments/Documents/ICA-23-09-08-McL-en.pdf, (Accessed 18/03/2020) - Original
==Background==
Victory for Felipe Massa ensured that the Brazilian racer moved back up to second in the Championship hunt, and reduced the gap to title leader Lewis Hamilton to six points. Yet, Hamilton's real-time lead had effectively grown by a point as Massa had to overhaul Kimi Räikkönen to secure second, with the Finn himself having slipped thirteen points off the lead in third. Furthermore, Räikkönen was just two points ahead of Robert Kubica in fourth, while Heikki Kovalainen had moved back into the top five in fifth.
In the Constructors Championship had retained their grip on the head of the title charge, although their advantage had been cut to just eight points. Indeed, were continuing to chip away at the Scuderia's lead, and had established a fair margin of seventeen points over . Behind had moved ten clear of to enhance their hold on fourth, while were still the Championship's only non-scorers.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
3 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
4 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
7 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
9 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
10 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
11 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
12 	Timo Glock 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
15 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
16 	Jenson Button 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
17 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
22 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Belgium 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	4 	1:46.887 	 	2 	1:46.088 	 	1 	1:47.338 	1
2 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	3 	1:46.873 	 	5 	1:46.391 	 	2 	1:47.678 	2
3 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	2 	1:46.812 	 	1 	1:46.037 	 	3 	1:47.815 	3
4 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	5 	1:46.960 	 	3 	1:46.298 	 	4 	1:47.992 	4
5 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	14 	1:47.419 	 	4 	1:46.311 	 	5 	1:48.315 	5
6 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	10 	1:47.154 	 	6 	1:46.491 	 	6 	1:48.504 	6
7 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	 	11 	1:47.270 	 	10 	1:46.814 	 	7 	1:48.736 	7
8 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	7 	1:47.093 	 	7 	1:46.494 	 	8 	1:48.763 	8
9 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	 	1 	1:46.777 	 	8 	1:46.544 	 	9 	1:48.951 	9
10 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	9 	1:47.152 	 	9 	1:46.804 	 	10 	1:50.319 	10
11 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	13 	1:47.400 	 	11 	1:46.949 	 	 	 	11
12 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	 	6 	1:47.052 	 	12 	1:46.965 	 	 	 	12
13 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	 	12 	1:47.359 	 	13 	1:46.995 	 	 	 	13
14 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	 	8 	1:47.132 	 	14 	1:47.018 	 	 	 	14
15 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	15 	1:47.503 	 	15 	1:47.429 	 	 	 	15
16 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	16 	1:48.153 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	 	17 	1:48.211 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	18 	1:48.226 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	 	19 	1:48.268 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	20 	1:48.447 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/837/belgium/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	44 	1:22:59.394 	2 	10
2 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	44 	+9.383s 	5 	8
3* 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	44 	+10.539s 	1 	6
4 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	44 	+14.478s 	6 	5
5 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	44 	+14.576s 	10 	4
6 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	44 	+15.037s 	8 	3
7 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	44 	+16.735s 	9 	2
8 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	44 	+42.776s 	7 	1
9† 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	44 	+1:07.045 	13 	
10‡ 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	43 	Gearbox 	3 	
11 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	43 	+1 Lap 	14 	
12 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	43 	+1 Lap 	15 	
13 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	43 	+1 Lap 	18 	
14 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	43 	+1 Lap 	19 	
15 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	43 	+1 Lap 	17 	
16 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	43 	+1 Lap 	11 	
17 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	43 	+1 Lap 	20 	
18‡ 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	42 	Spin 	4 	
Ret 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	19 	Gearbox 	16 	
Ret 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	13 	Accident 	12 	
Source:'Belgium 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Belgium 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/belgique/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Hamilton was awarded a 25 second time penalty for cutting the chicane and gaining an advantage.
*† Glock was awarded a 25 second time penalty for overtaking Webber under yellow flag conditions.
*‡ Räikkönen and Kovalainen were still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* 100th Grand Prix start for Felipe Massa.
* Tenth career victory for Massa.
* claimed their 208th win as a constructor and engine supplier.
* Lewis Hamilton secured his twentieth podium finish.
==Standings==
The controversial conclusion to the Belgian Grand Prix saw Felipe Massa move right onto the back of the Championship leader Lewis Hamilton, leaving Spa just two off the lead. Indeed, Hamilton had moved onto 76 points to the Brazilian's 74, with the pair effectively the two main protagonists for the crown. Behind, Robert Kubica had remained mathematically in the hunt as he climbed to third ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, while Nick Heidfeld had moved back ahead of Heikki Kovalainen.
In the Constructors Championship had managed to extend their lead as a result of the post-Spa fallout, leaving the Belgian circuit with a twelve point advantage. Indeed, had lost ground as a result of Hamilton's demotion, leaving Spa on 119 points, and just twelve ahead of in third. Indeed, those three were the only teams capable of taking the Constructors crown, with 90 points behind Ferrari with five races to go.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	76 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	74 	
3 	Robert Kubica 	58 	1
4 	Kimi Räikkönen 	57 	1
5 	Nick Heidfeld 	49 	1
6 	Heikki Kovalainen 	43 	1
7 	Jarno Trulli 	26 	
8 	Fernando Alonso 	23 	
9 	Mark Webber 	19 	
10 	Timo Glock 	15 	
11 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	13 	
12 	Sebastian Vettel 	13 	2
13 	Rubens Barrichello 	11 	1
14 	Nico Rosberg 	9 	1
15 	Kazuki Nakajima 	8 	
16 	David Coulthard 	6 	
17 	Sébastien Bourdais 	4 	1
18 	Jenson Button 	3 	1
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	131 	
2 	 	119 	
3 	 	107 	
4 	 	41 	
5 	 	36 	
6 	 	25 	
7 	 	17 	
8 	 	17 	1
9 	 	14 	1
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2008 Grands Prix
Category:Belgian Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Belgium