1994 F1RGP2C Belgian Grand Prix
The 1994 F1RGP2C Belgian Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 1994 F1RGP2C season. The race was won by Jack Christopherson, driving for Williams.
Race Review
Qualifying
Daniel Moreno took his seventh pole of the season. Christopherson completed a Williams front row with a time that was 0.052 second slower than his teammate. Zimmer, the championship leader, qualified five tenths behind Moreno but managed to get to third on the grid. Zimmer survived a massive spin at the exit of Eau Rouge in the first session. Pablo da Silva put in an incredible lap to take sixth place for Sauber, his best qualifying position of the year. Tom Douglas outqualified his teammate Douglas Mann but was unable to improve his time in the second session after an early suspension failure sidelined the Ferrari for the day.
Race
Daniel Moreno dropped down the order at the start as his teammate streamed into the lead. Rory McAllister followed him in second and Zimmer took third from Moreno on Lap 2. At the Bus Stop Chicane, Miko Fäkkinen tried an ambitious overtaking maneuver on George Tramontani. Pippa was unable to avoid the Minardi and she broke her front wing. Christopherson continued to build a lead over McAllister's Ferrari and led by five seconds after seven laps. Leonhard von Gottorp retired with a suspension failure and his teammate would follow him onto the sidelines with a transmission failure two laps later. While making his way back up the field, Fäkkinen was involved in another incident, this time with Masta Valsattis.
Moreno continued to fall through the field. Tom Douglas overtook the Williams on Lap 10 but when Kazuhiko Takagi tried to pass at the Bus Stop, he lost control of his Ferrari and spun out of contention. Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Poppy Whitechapel both retired on Lap 12, Hoshino with a transmission problem and Whitechapel with a left-front puncture. Zimmer and O'Connell pitted on Lap 13 but Zimmer was forced back into the pits five laps later with a brake problem. Zimmer dropped out of the points. At this point, Christopherson had the race in hand and he effectively deployed his two-stop strategy. Everyone who went on a two-stop strategy was able to reap the benefits as the one-stoppers were unable to hold their advantage. Max von Hegel retired on Lap 19 with an engine failure. James Davies' pulled his Sauber off the track after his transmission seized up.
Christopherson was set for an easy win after his first stop (on Lap 17) and he converted the opportunity. He drove flawlessly and was untouchable for the remainder of the race. On Lap 23, George Tramontani spun off at the Bus Stop and stalled his car. Christopherson now led from the two Ferraris and his teammate. They would all stay in the same positions for virtually the entire race. Pablo da Silva had made his way up to fifth place for Sauber but his position was under attack by Zimmer, who passed him on Lap 28. However, disaster struck for da Silva with two laps to go as his Mercedes engine expired, costing da Silva a valuable points finish. This should have elevated Tom Douglas into sixth but he was involved in two separate incidents with Dennis Mignolet and Pieter Kickert. Douglas had collided with Mignolet on Lap 30 and shattered his front wing (Mignolet was on a one-stopper). On his way back up the field, he got tangled up with Kickert's Tyrrell at Fagnes which dropped him further back. The McLaren was eventually classified behind Mignolet and Kickert. The final order was Christopherson first, McAllister second, O'Connell third, Moreno fourth, Zimmer fifth and Kickert in sixth. Christopherson was able to retake the lead in the championship from Zimmer by a two-point margin. Ferrari rebounded well from their debacle in Hungary, scoring their first double-podium (and double-finish) of the season. McLaren's second half freefall began in Belgium as Ferrari was able to draw level in the Constructors' Championship thanks to Douglas' stupidity and a transmission problem on Douglas Mann's car late in the race. Lastly, the race set an F1RGP2C record for most finishers with sixteen cars classified at the end of the race, albeit Andrew Spokes and da Silva both failed to cross the line.
Standings after the race
- Bold text indicates who still has a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion.
- Drivers' Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jack Christopherson
|
44 |
| 2 |  John Zimmer
|
42 |
| 3 | Padraig O'Connell
|
24 |
| 4 |  Leonhard von Gottorp
|
23 |
| 5 |  Daniel Moreno
|
22 |
- Constructors' Championship standings
| Pos | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams-Renault
|
66 |
| 2 | Benetton-Ford
|
55 |
| 3 |  Jordan-Hart
|
41 |
| =4 | McLaren-Peugeot
|
34 |
| =4 |  Ferrari
|
34 |
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
| Previous race: 1994 Hungarian Grand Prix |
Formula 1 Rejects Grand Prix 2 Championship 1994 Season |
Next race: 1994 Italian Grand Prix |
| Previous race: None |
Belgian Grand Prix | Next race: 1995 Belgian Grand Prix |