Spa highly modified for F1 2009 GP

[Krys TOFF]

Original page (in Nederland language) : http://f1-club.be/nieuws/verslag.php?id=2099
English version : http://translate.google.fr/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Ff1-club.be%2Fnieuws%2Fverslag.php%3Fid%3D2099&sl=nl&tl=en&hl=fr&ie=UTF-8

Turn 11 will be modified (probably enlarged to be faster) and there will be a long almost straight road from turn 11 to bus stop chicane, making this track quite similar to Canadian's circuit Gilles Villeneuve except the part from turn 7 to turn 11 and, of course, the topography of the road.

[Duplode]

Aaaargh... where's the puke emoticon?!! To hell with those bastards!

[Krys TOFF]

I aggree. This is the worst idea since the modification of Hockenheim. It will kill most of the "soul" of Spa.
But F1 is business now, and in Spa the race last only 44 laps due to track length, so they (mostly Bernie and Max) want to reduce the track distance to allow the public to see the cars more often during a race.

[Krys TOFF]

Expectations of what the track may look like for F1 in 2009 (it remains as before for other competitions) :

[Chulk]

Expectations of what the track may look like for F1 in 2009 (it temain as before for other competitions) :

Awful, awful, awful!!! At least they'll keep La Source as it is now... I like those messing startings.

[Duplode]

Expectations of what the track may look like for F1 in 2009 (it temain as before for other competitions) :

So next race will likely be the last time we'll see F1 machines thundering down Blanchimont... and Pouhon is arguably my favourite turn to handle in all of Grand Prix 4 But not only that, having another monster strength in addition to the Eau Rouge -> Les Combes one is very uniteresting, even more counting that the new curved braking zone leading to Bus Stop does not seem to be a good overtaking point! At least they got some sense not to destroy the rest of the track so at least GT fans and drivers can enjoy them (should they do otherwise I'd probably be less injured if they cancelled the Grand Prix altoegether and kept the track safe).

[Krys TOFF]

Also, current Spa-Francorchamps track is already a big modification of the original track (more than 14km long) that existed before 1979 :


And I aggree that Pouhon corner is a very special one, and part of the legend of this track since 1979.

Anyway, since last years there has been numerous "small" changes (new bus stop chicane, pitstops improved, ...) in this track, but if this one is made, then the track will be really VERY different. Will this new long (almost) straight part will help bypassing at the bus stop break ? Not sure, but it can't be worse than Valencia city track where only 1 regular bypassing happened in the race (and only a few laps before the finish line and at the bottom of ranking), all other bypassing were done during pitstops. F1 is now far from the golden age of Arnoux/Villeneuve duel for 2nd place in Dijon-Prenois (French GP, 1979)...

[CTG]

NO PLEASE!!! Spa is my absolute favorite track, they already made a big mistake with cutting the bus stop part. And now this...  F U C K you Bernie & Mosley!

[Duplode]

An official from Spa denied (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/01092008/13/spa-official-denies-layout-change.html) the modification rumours... let's hope this denial is to be believed.

[Krys TOFF]

Fingers crossed then. I really hope Spa-Francorchamps won't be modified (except to bring back the old bus stop section that was faster than new one ).

[Chulk]

An official from Spa denied (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/01092008/13/spa-official-denies-layout-change.html) the modification rumours... let's hope this denial is to be believed.

I heard that too, hope it isn't just a "media" denial, and then modify the track all the same...

[Mark L. Rivers]

The modify would be really pure madness...