2009 Belgian Grand Prix: A Mega-Gallery Of Supreme Wackiness
An unusual Formula One season on an unusual track should produce the usual results, right? Maybe not—and definitely not at Spa. Potential spoilers in the crashgasmic gallery below.
Spa Francorchamps is a racetrack from the glory days of motor racing. It is long, fast, scenic and very deadly. It also tends to produce races with surprising results—and in a season all about surprising results, this year's Belgian Grand Prix was a surprise squared: almost winning the race was Giancarlo Fisichella of Force India, driving a car which has not picked up a single point in the entire season. Kimi Räikkönen took victory for Ferrari, ending a spell of 25 races with no wins, while Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull rounded out the podium in third.
Jenson Button, who still leads the series, crashed out on the first lap, along with Lewis Hamilton, Jaime Alguersuari and Romain Grosjean. They are all fine. Button still leads the series, currently living off his ludicrous start to the season, with five races to go.
The wreckage of Lewis Hamilton's car lifted off the track.
Photo Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images
Romain Grosjean's Renault with a big gaping hole after he clips Jenson Button's Brawn. Notice peculiar rear wing on Renault.
Photo Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images
Here's young Romain leaving the premises.
Photo Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images
Beneath Hamilton's McLaren is Button's Brawn, also written off for the race on Lap One.
Photo Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images
In our first photo depicting classic Spa porn, we see Mark Webber in his Red Bull take one of the track's many gorgeous corners.
Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
The feet of Sebastian Vettel.
Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
The feet of Sebastian Vettel operating his Red Bull in Eau Rouge corner.
Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Sebastian Vettel arrives at the scene of a Spa cliché: cute little Belgian house standing right by the track! With a man in a gray sweater in the window.
Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
If you're an Indian billionaire like Vijay Mallya, owner of the Force India team, you can look like a stereotype of an Indian billionaire and not give a damn.
Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
A rude but very apt description of test driver Luca Badoer's performance with the Ferrari during this race and last weekend's race in Valencia. It's the same car as the one Kimi Räikkönen used—to win the race. Badoer came 14th.
Photo Credit: Ker Robertson/Getty Images
Jenson Button having a killer time.
Photo Credit: FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Brawn GP's mechanics having a killer time.
Photo Credit: FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Kimi wins! In spite of not winning for 25 races straight, this is his fourth win at Spa in the past five years. He knows his shit when not eating ice cream!
Photo Credit: FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Russell Peters, are you reading this? Please do a sketch on this dude. Pretty please, with sugar on the top?
Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
The scene on Lap One which would decide so much in the race: here's Kimi Räikkönen steering clear of all the debris on the track.
Photo Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images
A pile of useless racing cars. In front is Jenson Button's.
Photo Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images
This is what a carbon fiber suspension piece looks like after a crash. Depicted here is Romain Grosjean's Renault.
Photo Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images
I shall leave you with random babes. It is, after all, Formula One.
Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images