Formula 1 Paddock Diaries, Day 3 at Belgian Grand Prix: Weekend energy at Spa, Jehan Daruvala's podium-finish and remembering Michael Schumacher

August 31, 2019

The day ended on a tragic note with the passing away of Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert. He was a bright young talent, the reigning GP3 champion and a Renault junior driver. Motorsport is dangerous, and despite being infinitely safer with every passing year, there are still huge risks involved. Drivers risk their lives every time they are on track and it is important to recognise that. Our heartfelt wishes to Anthoine's family, friends and members of the Arden/Renault teams. As a mark of respect, Sunday's Formula 2 race stood cancelled.

Saturdays in the paddock

Saturday is when the energy really starts picking up — for many in the paddock, qualifying is the most anticipated session (even more than the race). Finding our way into the circuit became a challenge as hundreds of cars caused a jam in the tiny mountain roads around Spa and scores of spectators marched towards the venue in particularly high spirits. Seeing the grandstands fill up is exciting, and paddock regulars opined that attendance this year seemed significantly higher 1 the Max Verstappen effect? It was also heartening to see several young fans curiously taking in the sights of the paddock. “This is much cooler than on TV!” exclaimed one.

An ode to Schumacher

Kimi Raikkonen may be the King of Spa but Michael Schumacher is at the top of the grand pecking order — he is the driver with the maximum number of victories at this circuit. Fans paid tribute to the legend through a gigantic poster on the main straight, which declared that 'Michael: F1 is nothing without you.' We absolutely agree!

Fans pay tribute to Formula One legend Michael Schumacher. Image: Kunal Shah/Mithila Mehta

Fans pay tribute to Formula One legend Michael Schumacher. Image: Kunal Shah/Mithila Mehta

The local hero behind Barichello’s first pole in 1994

During our time at the circuit, we interacted with a fine gentleman by the name of Philippe Servais. He has been working at the Belgian Grand Prix every year since 1991 — “the same year as Michael Schumacher started, and I am still continuing!” he grinned.

Philippe narrated a very interesting anecdote to us: An hour before qualifying at the 1994 Belgian GP, a young Rubens Barichello came up to him. Barichello asked if Philippe was a local, and what he thought of the weather conditions for qualifying. Spa was known for its whimsical weather (and it still is), and often posed the biggest challenge for drivers. Basis Philippe’s advice, Barichello was able to take advantage of the weather conditions and grabbed the first-ever pole of his career. He also set the record for the youngest driver to secure pole at that time. In the picture below, Philippe poses with a picture taken with Barichello right after this momentous qualifying session and autographed by the driver. The message: "Thanks again for your great advice!"

Philippe Servais' weather tip gave Rubens Barichello his first ever pole position in 1991, and the former has made sure the memory stays with him. Image: Kunal Shah/ Mithila Mehta

Philippe Servais' weather tip gave Rubens Barichello his first ever pole position in 1991, and the former has made sure the memory stays with him. Image: Kunal Shah/ Mithila Mehta

Jehan takes a podium in F3’s first race

Jehan Daruvala is India’s next Formula 1 hope — the 20-year-old is racing in the Formula 3 series with Prema Racing. His doting parents travel with him to most races, and it is heartwarming to see their dedication and unwavering support for Jehan.

In Race 1 at Spa, Jehan grabbed pole and went on to finish third in the race. As we waited for the drivers to emerge on the podium, his mother could not stop beaming. She shared that the feeling of seeing Jehan stand on the podium was as special every single time.

After the race, Jehan shared a special message for all his fans and friends back in India via Firstpost, saying that “he hopes he is making everyone proud.” This result propelled him to second in the overall championship standings. Let’s see how he can do in the second race at Spa on Sunday.

Hamilton nearly gets Mercedes into trouble

Lewis Hamilton got Mercedes into a spot of trouble when he mentioned at Spa that “we had a bit of dialogue with the team which we generally don’t usually have during the break, just trying to see what else we can do to improve.” The FIA was spurred on to dig deeper, given that teams must undertake a mandatory 14-day shutdown in summer to guarantee time off for their staff.

Mercedes later clarified that “Lewis was referring to contact with the team during the week after Hungary, when he had begun his summer break but the team was still working until the following Friday, when our (official) shutdown period began for the mandatory two weeks.” All’s well that ends well, and good to know that the Mercedes staff got their holiday as mandated!

Notorious Raghunathan strikes again

Indian Formula 2 driver Mahaveer Ragunathan has been the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons. The driver rose to notoriety for amassing penalty points at a blistering pace — which even led to a two-race ban in Austria. Ragunathan’s latest transgression at Spa came during the Friday qualifying, where he failed to slow down for the yellow flags on the circuit. Motor racing is a dangerous sport and it is imperative that drivers adhere to rules and regulations. Ragunathan is going to have a hard time explaining why he constantly finds it necessary to flout them. We have reached out to the driver for an interview and will update our readers when he responds.

Vettel rues loss of German GP in 2020

The only race from the current calendar to not make it to 2020 is the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. This is disappointing, given that it has a special connection with the sport. Sebastian Vettel called it a “big shame” to lose his home race. He shared with the media, “It is not possible for F1 to lose races in countries with a big history. I just hope wherever we go instead will have as good a race and as many people in the grandstands — which is not a given, honestly.” The loss of Hockenheim illustrates F1’s ongoing quandary around expanding to newer markets while trying to keep historic circuits intact: Vietnam is set to debut on the F1 calendar next year.

Jacques Villeneuve to Haas?

The second seat at Haas is of much interest — to Romain Grosjean, of course, and to Nico Hulkenberg. However, in the midst of the pressure of retaining his seat for 2020, Grosjean was able to maintain his humour. "Now there's only a couple of teams that have seats available, here one so we're going to hear every rumour, maybe even Jacques Villeneuve at one point,” joked the Frenchman. In fact, we spotted Villeneuve in the paddock on Saturday conducting his television duties, like he always does — wonder if popped in at Haas to negotiate his contract!



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