Following a year's absence from Formula 1, the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps returns. A track that is considered to be one of the best by drivers and spectators should never have been dropped and it is relief to everyone that Spa is back again this year.

Spa is a road circuit (track layout) that offers difficult and challenging high speed corners. Most popular is Eau Rouge which tests the drivers' abilities and his confidence in the car. This year Eua Rouge is expected to be negotiated flat at around 310 km/H!

The Constructor's championship was won in

Hungary and the Drivers' championship could be decided here. It is a foregone conclusion that Michael Schumacher will win his 7th Title as his only challenger is his team-mate Rubens Barrichello and whether it is due to incompetence, team-orders or a bit of both, Rubens won't challenge Michael.

If Bridgestone once again produce a superior tyre to Michelin as we saw in Hungary, a Ferrari 1-2 will be expected but Michelin will not be sitting idle.

Here is a team by team review:

Ferrari: They've clinched the Constructors' Title with 5 races to go. This must be one of the most successful teams Ferrari has ever had. With some help from Bridgestone they could dominate here too.
Reliability 9.5/10 - Speed 9.5/10 (Team Preview)

Drivers: Michael Schumacher won in Hungary against expectations. He loves Spa and won here on the last 2 occasions. He is the favourite.

Rubens Barrichello was expected to fight Michael at Hungary. He didn't. Don't expect miracles here. A second place if the Bridgestones are superior.

Renault: Continue to hold onto second place following yet another superb drive by Alonso to third beating all the other Michelin runners. The Renault is still at a disadvantage with regards to top end speed but this track also has some very slow chicanes which could help them. They could come up "best of the rest" again!.
Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 9.0/10 (Team Preview)

Drivers: Jarno Trulli continues his unimpressive drives. Strong rumours link him to Toyota but I wonder why ? They signed Ralf who is in a similar boat!

Fernando Alonso finished an impressive third in Hungary and will be a star on this track even though he last drove here in 2001 and only completed 3 laps during the race.

BAR: Move a bit closer to Renault in the championship after both Button and Sato finished in the points. The Button move seems to have had minimum impact so far.
Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 9.0/10 (Team Preview)

Drivers: Jenson Button finished 5th in Hungary and couldn't do much about Montoya who was ahead of him. Expect a better race here. Podium possible.

Takuma Sato finished 6th in Hungary which is a sign of improvement. He'll struggle on this track as it is his first in a Formula 1 car for him.

Williams: It is hard to know if their performance improved in Hungary as a result of their front nose change reverting to the traditional style. In any case they should be strong at Spa.
Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 8.5/10 (Team Preview)

Drivers: Juan Pablo Montoya finished 4th in Hungary which is encouraging. He could finish on the podium here.

Antonio Pizzonia has so far done reasonably well. His performances so far have not done him any harm and could land a drive with another team next season. This race will be tough on him though as he races in a Formula 1 car for the first time on this track.

McLaren: They continue to suffer from mechanical problems. The car is fast though and could do well in Spa.
Reliability 8.0/10 - Speed 9.0/10 (Team Preview)

Drivers: David Coulthard performed below expectations at Hungary with a 9th place finish. He'll bounce back and perform as usual here and finish just inside the points.

Kimi Raikkonen was again unfortunate and retired with an engine failure in Hungary. He'll challenge for a podium finish if his car lasts here.

Sauber: They did well in Hungary and managed to finish one of their cars in the points. They could do well in Spa too given their recent aerodynamic improvements. Scoring points though will be very hard as always.
Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 8.0/10 (Team Preview)

Drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella had another strong finish in Hungary and must be motivated enough following his signing for Renault for next season. Will do well here but points will be hard.

Felipe Massa struggled in Hungary but that was partly due to mechanical problems. He could do well on this track but it is unlikely that he'll finish in the points.

Toyota: Didn't seem to have improved much with their heavily revised car which was introduced in Germany. They may be a bit stronger here but don't expect them to move a big step forward.
Reliability 8.0/10 - Speed 7.0/10 (Team Preview)

Drivers: Olivier Panis finished 11th in Hungary. He could do better here especially if it rains but don't expect points!.

Ricardo Zonta retired from his debut race for Toyota and will struggle at Spa given that the last time he drove here was back in 2000.

Jaguar: They weren't as strong as expected in Hungary but could challenge for a point here.
Reliability 7.5/10 - Speed 7.5/10 (Team Preview)

Drivers: Mark Webber finished 10th in Hungary and can improve on that at Spa.

Christian Klien will struggle here given that Spa is a challenging technical track and Klien has only driven here in a Formula Renault.

Jordan: Benefited from the Bridgestone tyres and mixed it with Jaguar in Hungary. Don't be surprised if they beat a few Michelin teams If that advantage remains at Spa.
Reliability 7.5/10 - Speed 7.0/10 (Team Preview)

Drivers: Nick Heidfeld did well in Hungary finishing in front of a Jaguar. His performance at Spa may determine his Formula 1 future.

Giorgio Pantano will struggle like most other rookies who will drive at Spa for the first time in a Formula 1 car.

Minardi: Once again they finished last but that isn't a surprise. Their chance of a miracle is higher here as there is a higher chance for accidents and the weather can change quickly.
Reliability 6.5/10 - Speed 6.5/10

Drivers: Zsolt Baumgartner will struggle on this technical track and will be glad to finish the race.

Gianmaria Bruni needs to impress on this track if he is to raise his profile in Formula 1 and move to a better team.

Bridgestone Preview - Michelin Preview

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First Friday Practice	Results	Report	Results
Second Friday Practice	Results	Report	Results
First Saturday Practice	Cancelled: Heavy Fog		Results
Second Saturday Practice	Results	Report	Results
Qualifying	Results	Report	Results
Race	Results	Report	Results
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