Tag: 2013 Belgian GP

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2013 Belgian Grand Prix in pictures

2013 Belgian Grand Prix

Here’s your lot, recapturing Vettel’s dominance, from the scenic Ardennes mountains. It’s a majestic circuit in a beautiful location. Everyone loves Spa-Francorchamps!

We loved Mark Webber’s scenic bike ride and we also loved the many views of Eau Rouge. It’s easy to dismiss the corner in these times when an F1 car can just nail it flat down the hill and over the blind crest of Radillon.

You probably need to see it with your own eyes to appreciate just how steep that climb is. How fearsome it would be, flat out in an F1 car, heading into the unknown searching for the relative safety of the Kemmel Straight. We can only imagine the feeling one’s body would experience with the fluctuation of G forces and messages being fired into your brain from your watering eyes.

Just amazing.

Knowing what we know now about the Greenpeace protest, it’s also interesting to see the evidence of the signs being installed as the cars were lining up on the grid to start the race.

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2013 Belgian GP: Post-race press conference

2013 Belgian Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel explains the tale of Belgian Grand Prix victory lay in a good opening lap. “It helped the first lap to have the tow off Lewis through Eau Rouge and then I was flying,” he said. “Once I passed him we had incredible pace and really could control the race until the end.”

Finishing in fifth place wasn’t part of Mark Webber’s plans in his final F1 appearance at Spa. “The two practice starts before the race weren’t great and so we were a bit worried about the clutch going to the start, which put us on to the back foot,” Mark said. “We tried our best, but lost a couple of rows off the line which is not good. We then had to try and clear people on the track, which was difficult, as we had set up the top gear to race in clean air, rather than to pass. The bad start put us out of position and it snowballs from there, as you use up the tyres trying to getting to back into position.”

Meanwhile Daniel Ricciardo was happy to finish in the points after starting from P19. “It was nice to get that point! We ran a long first stint on the Hards and I think that helped us build a good base to have a strong pace in the final stints on the Medium,” Daniel explained. “I felt much more comfortable on the Option tyre and that’s when my race really started. With the last set of tyres I was knocking out maybe ten or so qualifying laps and managed to pick off some cars in front to bring home that crucial point.”

The full transcript of the post-race press conference featuring the first three drivers can be read after the break.

[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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Formula 1 News

Greenpeace protests against Shell at Belgian GP

2013 Belgian Grand Prix

Greenpeace carried out a protest against Shell at yesterday’s Belgian Grand Prix. They wanted to bring attention to Shell’s drilling and exploration for oil in the arctic region. A number of banners and signs were placed around the circuit, including the use of two remote controlled signs that were activated in front of the podium (video below).

The appearance of these signs, or perhaps the removal of them, was responsible for the jeering and booing that could be heard during the post-race interview held on the podium with David Coulthard.

Vanessa Hall, protesting with a banner on the pit straight grandstand, said:  “This sport is all about cutting edge developments in engineering and safety, but Shell’s Arctic drilling programme relies on technology and equipment that was developed before today’s drivers were even born. And of course the only reason Shell can drill there at all is because climate change is melting the Arctic ice cap, and they’re going in to drill for more of the stuff that caused the melt in the first place—it’s madness.”

Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International Executive Director, said: “I was a fan of Grand Prix racing when I was growing up, but I am not a fan of what Shell is doing in the Arctic. Right now we are in the race of our lives against Shell, a company that sees the melting of the Arctic as a business opportunity, rather than a warning. Every driver and F1 fan knows that oil on the tracks spells disaster; an oil spill in the Arctic would be catastrophic. We hope that when they’ve heard about what Shell is up to they’ll join the almost four-million-strong movement to save the Arctic.”

You can read more at Greenpeace.

UPDATE: New images added below courtesy of Greenpeace.

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Sebastian Vettel wins 2013 Belgian GP

Sebastian Vettel wins 2013 Belgian Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel cruised to an easy victory at the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix. The Red Bull ace had to work hard on the first lap to overtake pole sitter Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes AMG) but once that was done he remained unchallenged.

Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) was the big improver the head of the field, finishing second after starting from P9. Lewis Hamilton had to content himself with P3.

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes AMG) finished where he started in P4, while Mark Webber (Red Bull) dropped two places to finish fifth. Although, there was word just before the race began that Webber had clutch issues which may explain his slow getaway off the line and why he dropped three places after the first lap.

Toro Rosso will be pleased that their drivers made good ground after their qualifying woes. Starting from P19 Daniel Ricciardo managed to fight his way to P10 to claim a championship point, while Jean-Eric Vergne improved from P18 to P12.

Aside from a bit of a kerfuffle with Pastor Maldonado (Williams) and the two Force India drivers which sent Paul di Resta in for an early shower not much else happened.

Tonight’s win is Vettel’s 31st career victory which places him equal fifth on the all-time tally alongside Nigel Mansell. What odds he’ll join Fernando Alonso on 32 wins at Monza in a couple of weeks?

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