F1 News
Date: 30/August/2012
After a lengthy five-week summer break, an unpredictable 2012 F1 World Championship bursts back into life at one of the most thrilling circuits on the calendar, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, this weekend.
A world away from the glamour of the Monaco street circuit, Spa nevertheless shares a similar status among drivers, many of whom consider it to be the ultimate racing challenge.
The circuit - which weaves its way through the Ardennes forest - contains legendary corners such as the uphill Eau Rouge kink and daunting Blanchimont left-hander over its 7.004km distance.
It is no coincidence that the best of the best have enjoyed the most success at Spa, led by six wins for Michael Schumacher, five for Ayrton Senna and four for both Jim Clark and Kimi Raikkonen.
Schumacher, born over the border in Germany, made his F1 debut at the circuit in 1991 and will become only the second driver in history to reach 300 grand prix starts on Sunday.
“It’s certainly an interesting and beautiful number,” said Schumacher on Thursday. “And a number that I didn’t think I would reach when I retired at the end of 2006.
“This morning I had a beautiful welcome by becoming an honorary citizen of Spa, that is something very special to me. That’s why the 300 is special - because it’s in Spa.
“It all happened to me here. First race, first victory, some beautiful and interesting races, the seventh title in 2004, last year the 20th anniversary and now number 300 and being honoured.
“Spa has always meant a lot to me. I always called it my living room - now I can officially call it my living room!”
Asked what makes the circuit so special, Schumacher replied: “It's one of the old character tracks with lots of history. It is going through the natural countryside that we are in, the up and down like a rollcoaster. There are so many variants that make it so particular and so special.
“We all, as race drivers, prefer high speed and if you have a challenging high-speed corner it's special. If you go through Eau Rouge… nowadays it's probably a little bit too easy flat-out, but the sensation, the forces that go through you in a cornering sense and in a vertical sense, that is a combination that you don't find everywhere.”
Reflecting on his lengthy career, Schumacher picked out the 2000 Japanese Grand Prix, when he clinched Ferrari’s first world title since 1979.
“I keep talking about Suzuka in 2000, both for the quality of the race, for the end of the race and for the whole meaning of that result,” he said. “It was a total package of many circumstances which made it a very special race.”
The last two and half seasons since returning from retirement haven’t been as memorable. The German has claimed just one podium since signing for the ‘Silver Arrows’ and is presently twelfth in the World Championship.
But the 43-year-old Mercedes racer insists his passion for the sport is as strong as ever.
“I have the same passion for what I am doing, absolutely,” he said. “Formula One is the ultimate racing and if you're involved, you're only involved because you want to do the best that you can. There's been plenty of satisfaction that I've had over more than 20 years now and I still enjoy it.”
Schumacher’s racing future beyond the end of this season is yet to be confirmed and he refused to give any further clues.
“I think we made a very clear statement some time ago that by October we will be able to give an indication and nothing has changed since then, so no news I'm afraid,” he said.
Schumacher’s former Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello holds the all-time F1 start record, at 326 grands prix.
One big name missing from the Spa victory list is 30-time F1 race winner and present World Championship leader Fernando Alonso.
The Ferrari ace will start this weekend with a 40-point lead over Red Bull’s Mark Webber. Alonso (3) and Webber (2) are the only multiple race winners from the eleven rounds so far held.
Spa is the first of nine remaining rounds before the season concludes in Brazil on November 25.
No comments:
Post a Comment