2008 Belgian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Late rain turned the Belgian Grand Prix into a dramatic duel between Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen, before a post-race penalty changed the winner. Felipe Massa ultimately took victory, with Nick Heidfeld second and Lewis Hamilton third after one of the season’s most contentious finishes.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:47.338
Fastest lap	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:47.930 on lap 24
First	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Second	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber
Third	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
5 September 2008	Practice 1	10:00
5 September 2008	Practice 2	14:00
6 September 2008	Practice 3	11:00
6 September 2008	Qualifying	14:00
7 September 2008	Race	14:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 13 leading the 2008 F1 World Championship on 70 points, with Felipe Massa on 64. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 121 points.

Race entries

The 10 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Free Practice

Felipe Massa led Kimi Räikkönen in dry opening practice under cloudy skies. Ferrari and McLaren occupied the leading positions, while several minor excursions caused no major damage. The usable dry running proved valuable before the changing weather that would complicate the rest of the weekend.

Rain interrupted FP2 and forced teams to change their approach. Kimi Räikkönen damaged his rear wing against the barrier, while Giancarlo Fisichella’s spin brought out a red flag for debris and standing water. Fernando Alonso went fastest as the track dried late, with several other drivers also escaping off-track moments.

Final practice again began in difficult conditions before a drying surface allowed faster laps near the end. Nick Heidfeld set the quickest time, while Jenson Button’s car stopped on its first lap out of the pits. The changing grip left teams with limited certainty about the competitive order before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2008 Belgian Grand Prix FP1, 5 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:47.284	26
2	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.339s	26
3	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.594s	27
4	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.648s	24
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.820s	26
6	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.144s	29
7	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.273s	31
8	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+1.674s	24
9	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.713s	26
10	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.784s	25
11	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.855s	25
12	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.901s	26
13	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+2.327s	30
14	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+2.341s	14
15	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.565s	18
16	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.702s	27
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.833s	19
18	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+2.841s	30
19	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+3.180s	25
20	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+3.621s	25

Free Practice 2 Classification

2008 Belgian Grand Prix FP2, 5 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:48.454	21
2	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.050s	16
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.286s	19
4	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.351s	17
5	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.874s	10
6	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.951s	17
7	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.973s	29
8	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.131s	22
9	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.261s	23
10	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.271s	22
11	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.421s	22
12	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.468s	20
13	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.494s	20
14	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.827s	24
15	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.910s	20
16	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.286s	11
17	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+2.471s	19
18	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.784s	22
19	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+2.880s	19
20	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+3.186s	7

Free Practice 3 Classification

2008 Belgian Grand Prix FP3, 6 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:47.876	19
2	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.289s	10
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.431s	19
4	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.480s	10
5	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.816s	6
6	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.892s	16
7	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.939s	10
8	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.960s	13
9	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.070s	17
10	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.178s	14
11	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.181s	16
12	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.249s	11
13	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.374s	12
14	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.380s	19
15	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.659s	18
16	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.954s	12
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.073s	16
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.158s	16
19	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.185s	17
20	16	Jenson Button	Honda	No time	1

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton claimed pole ahead of Felipe Massa, with Heikki Kovalainen third and Kimi Räikkönen fourth. The McLaren driver’s final lap gave him a useful margin over his championship rival before a race where further rain remained a possibility.

Sebastien Bourdais was quickest in Q1 and both Toro Rosso cars reached the final shootout. Toyota struggled to generate tyre temperature and missed Q3 with both drivers. The leading championship contenders nevertheless occupied the first two rows.

Qualifying Classification

2008 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying, 6 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:46.887	1:46.088	1:47.338	12
2	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:46.873	1:46.391	1:47.678	16
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:46.812	1:46.037	1:47.815	16
4	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:46.960	1:46.298	1:47.992	14
5	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:47.419	1:46.311	1:48.315	18
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:47.154	1:46.491	1:48.504	18
7	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:47.270	1:46.814	1:48.736	19
8	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:47.093	1:46.494	1:48.763	20
9	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:46.777	1:46.544	1:48.951	19
10	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	1:47.152	1:46.804	1:50.319	16
11	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:47.400	1:46.949	—	13
12	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:47.052	1:46.965	—	15
13	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:47.359	1:46.995	—	13
14	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:47.132	1:47.018	—	15
15	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:47.503	1:47.429	—	12
16	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:48.153	—	—	9
17	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:48.211	—	—	9
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:48.226	—	—	9
19	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:48.268	—	—	9
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:48.447	—	—	9

What happened in the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix?

Kimi Räikkönen passed Felipe Massa early and took the lead after Lewis Hamilton spun at La Source. Ferrari controlled much of the race, while Heikki Kovalainen received a drive-through penalty after contact with Mark Webber. Lewis Hamilton began closing again in the final stint before heavy rain transformed the battle.

Lewis Hamilton cut the Bus Stop chicane during an attack, returned the position and immediately passed Kimi Räikkönen at La Source. Both then struggled on dry tyres as the rain intensified. Kimi Räikkönen crashed at Blanchimont, leaving Lewis Hamilton to cross the line first, while Nick Heidfeld’s late switch to intermediates brought a spectacular charge through the field.

The stewards added 25 seconds to Lewis Hamilton’s time for gaining an advantage by cutting the chicane, promoting Felipe Massa to victory and Nick Heidfeld to second. Lewis Hamilton was classified third, and McLaren’s subsequent appeal was ruled inadmissible. Timo Glock also received a penalty for passing under yellow flags, returning the final point to Mark Webber.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 76 points, followed by Felipe Massa on 74. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 131, with McLaren on 119.

2008 Belgian Grand Prix race results

The 2008 Belgian Grand Prix was held on 7 September 2008, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	44	1:22:59.394	10
2	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	44	+9.383	8
3	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	44	+10.539	6
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	44	+14.478	5
5	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	44	+14.576	4
6	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	44	+15.037	3
7	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	44	+16.735	2
8	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	44	+42.776	1
9	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	44	+1:07.045	0
10	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	43	Gearbox	0
11	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	43	+1 Lap	0
12	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	43	+1 Lap	0
13	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	43	+1 Lap	0
14	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	43	+1 Lap	0
15	16	Jenson Button	Honda	43	+1 Lap	0
16	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	43	+1 Lap	0
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	43	+1 Lap	0
18	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	42	Accident/Spun off	0
Ret	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	19	Gearbox	0
Ret	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	13	Accident	0

Lewis Hamilton finished first, but was given a 25-second penalty for cutting a chicane and gaining an advantage after giving back the position in an inconvenient manner.

Timo Glock finished eighth, but was given a 25-second penalty for overtaking Mark Webber under yellow flags.

Heikki Kovalainen and Kimi Räikkönen were classified because they completed over 90% of the race distance.

2008 Belgian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	24	1:47.930	233.618
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	20	1:48.135	233.175
3	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	26	1:48.222	232.987
4	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	35	1:48.223	232.985
5	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	36	1:48.965	231.399
6	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	31	1:49.002	231.320
7	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	36	1:49.067	231.182
8	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	16	1:49.086	231.142
9	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	25	1:49.238	230.820
10	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	34	1:49.515	230.236
11	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	19	1:50.177	228.853
12	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	37	1:50.255	228.691
13	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	27	1:50.487	228.211
14	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	32	1:50.543	228.095
15	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	32	1:50.656	227.862
16	16	Jenson Button	Honda	19	1:50.671	227.832
17	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	35	1:50.970	227.218
18	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	12	1:51.118	226.915
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	17	1:51.701	225.731
20	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	10	1:52.072	224.983

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2008 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix.

2008 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	76
2	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	74
3	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	58
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	57
5	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	49
6	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	43
7	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	26
8	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	23
9	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	19
10	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	15
11	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	13
12	Sebastian Vettel	German	Toro Rosso	13
13	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	11
14	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	9
15	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	8
16	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	6
17	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	4
18	Jenson Button	British	Honda	3
19	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
20	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
21	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
22	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0

2008 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	131
2	McLaren	119
3	BMW Sauber	107
4	Toyota	41
5	Renault	36
6	Red Bull Racing	25
7	Williams	17
8	Toro Rosso	17
9	Honda	14
10	Force India	0
11	Super Aguri	0

2008 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2008 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	16 March
2	2008 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	23 March
3	2008 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	6 April
4	2008 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	27 April
5	2008 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	11 May
6	2008 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	25 May
7	2008 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	8 June
8	2008 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	22 June
9	2008 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	6 July
10	2008 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	20 July
11	2008 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	3 August
12	2008 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	24 August
13	2008 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	7 September
14	2008 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	14 September
15	2008 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	28 September
16	2008 Japanese Grand Prix	Fuji Speedway, Oyama	12 October
17	2008 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	19 October
18	2008 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	2 November