2011 Belgian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel led Mark Webber home in a Red Bull one-two at Spa, with Jenson Button recovering to third. Michael Schumacher marked twenty years since his Formula 1 debut by charging from the back to fifth.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Pole time	1:48.298
Fastest lap	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:49.883 on lap 33
First	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Second	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Third	Jenson Button	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
26 August 2011	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
26 August 2011	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
27 August 2011	Practice 3	11:00 – 12:00
27 August 2011	Qualifying	14:00
28 August 2011	Race	14:00

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

Championship background

Sebastian Vettel arrived at round 12 leading the 2011 F1 World Championship on 234 points, with Mark Webber on 149. Red Bull Racing headed the constructors’ standings with 383 points.

Race entries

Bruno Senna replaced Nick Heidfeld at Renault alongside Vitaly Petrov. Michael Schumacher returned to the circuit where he had made his Formula 1 debut in 1991.

Free Practice

Changing weather distorted FP1, with Mercedes’ dry-tyre laps leaving Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg far ahead of the wet-weather times. Bruno Senna’s return to Renault ended early after a spin into the barrier at Turn 9. Di Resta then crashed at the same corner, causing a red flag while his Force India was recovered.

A drying interval in FP2 allowed slick-tyre running before rain returned, with Mark Webber fastest. Force India had scheduled Nico Hulkenberg’s outing for the afternoon expecting worse weather, leaving Adrian Sutil without that dry window. Vitaly Petrov also missed the useful conditions because of a steering problem, restricting Renault’s race preparation.

Heavy rain made FP3 another limited exercise, with many drivers waiting until late before venturing out. Mark Webber led, but tyre conservation mattered as much as outright speed with more uncertain weather expected. Ferrari completed little running, and Fernando Alonso did not set a time before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2011 Belgian Grand Prix FP1, 26 August 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:54.355	13
2	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.474s	15
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+8.385s	8
4	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+9.397s	10
5	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+9.946s	7
6	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+10.308s	18
7	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+10.373s	10
8	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+11.036s	12
9	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+12.228s	16
10	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+12.531s	15
11	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+12.700s	12
12	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+13.126s	15
13	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+13.878s	14
14	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+13.884s	14
15	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+14.563s	10
16	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+15.437s	8
17	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+17.923s	13
18	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+18.034s	10
19	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+18.417s	13
20	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+18.703s	8
21	20	Karun Chandhok	Team Lotus	+18.735s	11
22	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+19.246s	10
23	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	+19.985s	7
24	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+20.578s	11

Free Practice 2 Classification

2011 Belgian Grand Prix FP2, 26 August 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:50.321	22
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.140s	19
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.449s	9
4	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.517s	9
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.897s	15
6	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.921s	23
7	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+1.334s	21
8	14	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.404s	18
9	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+1.430s	9
10	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+1.469s	13
11	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.601s	23
12	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.429s	20
13	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+2.459s	26
14	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+2.590s	25
15	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.688s	25
16	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+2.835s	17
17	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	+3.514s	21
18	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+4.730s	20
19	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+5.173s	23
20	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+5.881s	15
21	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+6.495s	21
22	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+7.129s	19
23	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+7.291s	24
24	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+11.913s	12

Free Practice 3 Classification

2011 Belgian Grand Prix FP3, 27 August 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	2:08.988	7
2	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.058s	8
3	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+0.943s	16
4	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.269s	7
5	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+1.414s	9
6	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+1.592s	15
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.849s	12
8	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.449s	13
9	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	+2.676s	14
10	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+2.679s	10
11	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+2.886s	13
12	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+4.048s	15
13	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+4.086s	12
14	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+4.194s	12
15	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+4.302s	15
16	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+4.790s	12
17	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+5.346s	14
18	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+5.694s	11
19	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+8.171s	12
20	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+9.051s	10
21	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+10.013s	12
22	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+10.609s	14
23	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+13.466s	7
24	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	No time	5

Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel headed qualifying for Red Bull Racing, with Lewis Hamilton second and Mark Webber third.

Sebastian Vettel took pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber. Schumacher lost a wheel before recording a time and started last, while Button was eliminated in Q2 after a misjudgement over the time available for another lap.

Qualifying Classification

2011 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying, 27 August 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	2:03.029	2:03.317	1:48.298	22
2	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	2:03.008	2:02.823	1:48.730	21
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	2:02.827	2:03.302	1:49.376	23
4	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	2:05.834	2:04.507	1:50.256	21
5	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	2:05.091	2:03.723	1:50.552	23
6	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	2:05.419	2:04.561	1:50.773	24
7	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	2:05.047	2:04.452	1:51.121	24
8	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	2:04.450	2:02.768	1:51.251	22
9	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	2:06.284	2:04.625	1:51.374	24
10	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	2:05.292	2:03.466	1:52.303	23
11	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	2:04.744	2:04.692	—	18
12	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	2:07.194	2:04.757	—	18
13	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	2:01.813	2:05.150	—	15
14	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	2:05.720	2:07.349	—	17
15	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	2:06.000	2:07.777	—	12
16	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	2:05.621	2:08.106	—	17
17	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	2:06.780	2:08.354	—	15
18	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	2:07.758	—	—	8
19	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	2:08.773	—	—	8
20	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	2:09.566	—	—	9
–	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	2:11.601	—	—	9
–	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	2:11.616	—	—	9
–	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	2:13.077	—	—	9
–	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	no time	—	—	1

Pastor Maldonado was penalised 5 grid places for causing an avoidable accident with Lewis Hamilton at the end of the second qualifying session.

Despite being outside the 107% margin, Jérôme d'Ambrosio, Daniel Ricciardo and Vitantonio Liuzzi were granted dispensations to race on the grounds that variable weather conditions in qualifying meant their times were not representative of their ability to qualify.

Michael Schumacher was permitted to race as he had consistently been within 107% of the fastest lap times set in Free Practice.

What happened in the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix?

Rosberg surged into the lead from fifth on the grid, but Vettel soon retook first place. Tyre blistering complicated the leaders’ plans and prompted early stops, while Senna’s first-corner contact eliminated Alguersuari.

Hamilton retired after contact with Kobayashi approaching Les Combes. The resulting safety car allowed Vettel to make another stop, setting up a strong position for the remaining distance.

Webber recovered from a slow start and made his strategy work to secure second. Button overcame early damage and a low starting position, passing Alonso late in the race to claim the final podium place.

Vettel won ahead of Webber, Button and Alonso. Schumacher finished fifth after passing team-mate Rosberg, while Maldonado collected his first Formula 1 point in tenth. Red Bull extended its grip on both championships.

Further down the points places, Adrian Sutil, Felipe Massa, Vitaly Petrov and Pastor Maldonado completed the scoring positions. Mark Webber set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2011 rules.

After the race, Sebastian Vettel headed the drivers’ standings with 259 points, followed by Mark Webber on 167. Red Bull Racing led the constructors’ table on 426, with McLaren on 295.

2011 Belgian Grand Prix race results

The 2011 Belgian Grand Prix was held on 28 August 2011, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	44	1:26:44.893	25
2	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	44	+3.741	18
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	44	+9.669	15
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	44	+13.022	12
5	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	44	+47.464	10
6	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	44	+48.674	8
7	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	44	+59.713	6
8	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	44	+1:06.706	4
9	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	44	+1:11.917	2
10	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	44	+1:17.615	1
11	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	44	+1:23.994	0
12	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	44	+1:31.976	0
13	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	44	+1:32.985	0
14	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	43	+1 Lap	0
15	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	43	+1 Lap	0
16	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	43	+1 Lap	0
17	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	43	+1 Lap	0
18	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	43	+1 Lap	0
19	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	43	+1 Lap	0
Ret	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	27	Suspension	0
Ret	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	13	Vibration	0
Ret	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	12	Collision	0
Ret	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	6	Collision damage	0
Ret	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	0	Collision	0

2011 Belgian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	33	1:49.883	229.465
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	39	1:50.062	229.092
3	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	42	1:50.424	228.341
4	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	36	1:50.451	228.285
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	41	1:51.107	226.937
6	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	34	1:51.137	226.876
7	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	42	1:51.564	226.008
8	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	39	1:52.263	224.601
9	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	34	1:52.432	224.263
10	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	33	1:52.591	223.946
11	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	32	1:53.223	222.696
12	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	43	1:53.362	222.423
13	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	39	1:53.585	221.987
14	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	35	1:53.871	221.429
15	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	35	1:54.051	221.080
16	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	26	1:54.244	220.706
17	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	38	1:54.571	220.076
18	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	8	1:55.647	218.029
19	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	38	1:56.319	216.769
20	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	37	1:56.540	216.358
21	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	4	1:56.790	215.895
22	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	42	1:58.061	213.570
23	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	10	1:59.831	210.416

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

2011 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix.

2011 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	259
2	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	167
3	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	157
4	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	149
5	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	146
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	74
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	56
8	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes	42
9	Vitaly Petrov	Russian	Renault	34
10	Nick Heidfeld	German	Renault	34
11	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Sauber	27
12	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	24
13	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	12
14	Jaime Alguersuari	Spanish	Toro Rosso	10
15	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Sauber	8
16	Paul di Resta	British	Force India	8
17	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Williams	4
18	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Williams	1
19	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Sauber	0
20	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Team Lotus	0
21	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	HRT	0
22	Bruno Senna	Brazilian	Renault	0
23	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Belgian	Virgin Racing	0
24	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Team Lotus	0
25	Timo Glock	German	Virgin Racing	0
26	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian	HRT	0
27	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	HRT	0
28	Karun Chandhok	Indian	Team Lotus	0

2011 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Red Bull Racing	426
2	McLaren	295
3	Ferrari	231
4	Mercedes	98
5	Renault	68
6	Sauber	35
7	Force India	32
8	Toro Rosso	22
9	Williams	5
10	Team Lotus	0
11	HRT	0
12	Virgin Racing	0

2011 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2011 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	27 March
2	2011 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	10 April
3	2011 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	17 April
4	2011 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	8 May
5	2011 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	22 May
6	2011 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	29 May
7	2011 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	12 June
8	2011 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	26 June
9	2011 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	10 July
10	2011 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	24 July
11	2011 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	31 July
12	2011 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	28 August
13	2011 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	11 September
14	2011 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	25 September
15	2011 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	9 October
16	2011 Korean Grand Prix	Korea International Circuit, Yeongam	16 October
17	2011 Indian Grand Prix	Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida	30 October
18	2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	13 November
19	2011 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	27 November