09/09/2005
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second free practice session at Spa Francorchamps, the air temperature is 20 degrees C, while the track temperature is 23 degrees.
With just three minutes to go before the start of the session, the heavens have opened.. it's very wet.
Juan Pablo Montoya has had the engine in his McLaren changed, however he has escaped a ten-spot grid penalty. A problem was detected at the beginning of today's first free practice session, and changed immediately.
However, because the Colombian had not been out in the car, he escaped the ten-place grid drop, just one week after his teammate, was penalized, costing him a win and possibly the championship.
We understand that as a precaution, Renault will be changing the engine in Giancarlo Fisichella's car, which means he loses ten grid-spots, which will assist McLaren's Constructors' Championship fight.
Tonio Liuzzi is first out, however he doesn't last the lap, aquaplaning off the track and into the barriers. The session is immediately red-flagged and the only other driver on track, Robert Doornbos, cautiously makes his way back to the pits.
Liuzzi lost control at the top of the hill approaching Les Combes, the car suddenly veering right into the barriers, after aquaplaning on a 'river' running across the track, then sliding further along the barriers and finally hitting the tyre wall. The Italian was merely a passenger, unable to do anything.
The car is removed by crane, as the rain continues to fall. Stewards inspect the barriers to ensure that they are secure.
The session resumes at 14:13 but organizers reveal that it will still end at 15:00.
Fernando Alonso leaves the Renault garage at 14:18, he is the only man on track. It is still raining heavily, and the blue and yellow car twitches a couple of times as the Spaniard makes his way back to the pits.
Twenty five minutes into the session and there's nobody on track, indeed several drivers can be seen joking with their mechanics, showing no sign of going out.
With twenty minutes remaining, it is still chucking it down. A few drivers wait patiently in their cars, whilst around the track fans do what they can to avoid the downpour, as other simply resign themselves to getting soaked.
With less than five minutes to go it is unlikely that anyone is going to go out, with nobody having posted a time in this session.