With Formula One and Moto GP crossing paths on our tele-boxes for at least the second time in as many months it might have been expected that the latter should win out in terms of pure entertainment value. Luckily F1 had the magic of the Ardenne Forest on its side and the show was nothing but classic racing at its absolute very best.  (MotoGP had a couple of people falling off…)

What makes a Grand Prix special? The spills? The near misses perhaps? What about side by side racing, up, down and around one of the world’s most demanding corners? Just maybe, it’s one of F1’s absolute greats retaking his crown after a period of uncertainty and dilemma for both he and his team? All of this was in evidence at Space Francorchamps today, as the pedigree of open wheeled racing battled it out for a place in history at this epic circuit.

Of course we have one man to thank for getting the ball rolling on a spectacular weekend, a man so removed from the limelight of the sport, that it is sometimes difficult to imagine that he’s in the race at all. Yesterday, Giancarlo Fisichella, the diminutive Italian made sure to remind all of us that he was indeed in the sport, and would be sticking around for a few years yet, his qualifying sessions were the stuff of legend and if it hadn’t been for an irksome KERS button, today’s race may well have been something a little bit special too. But yet, despite all of the excitement surrounding Fisi, this was not his race, and the honours instead belong jointly, in no particular order, to Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld; two drivers who perpetuated the ever changing battle for position in today’s Grand Prix.

Over the past months, Formula One has been the ultimate Hollywood “underdog” story, a veritable “phoenix from the flames” kinda tale. But unlike last weekend’s slightly ropey congratulations of a racer past his best, who seemingly can’t keep his emotions in check, this afternoon’s fight was one for recognition from two of the sport’s most understated individuals. In all fairness, claims on how a team has put on a good show of losing a race, belong fair and square to Nick and Kuby, yet they’ve kept their heads down in a season that hasn’t just offered disappointment and let down in the likes of one venue like Hungary, but at nearly every circuit visited. The manner in which they have handled themselves, with decorum and decorum have insisted upon them a steely determination to succeed, and today it paid off.

Now ordinarily, fourth and fifth are not positions to get exactly ecstatic about, and for Heidfeld who qualified in third, a two place drop is a little bittersweet, yet this is the product of a team of people who may not have jobs next year. At a circuit as demanding and unpredictable as Spa Francorchamps; the wise will look at qualifying pace as a true indication of what one is made of, and yesterday it was less about brawn or bullishness and more about determination.

Today, the BMW drivers managed to equal their points haul from their last eleven races, and whilst it is true that Nick Heidfeld has occupied the scoring seat more often than his Polish counterpart, he is generally regarded as the lesser of the pair to be in actual demand following BMW’s departure at the end of the year. Nothing confirmed this fact more than Heidfeld’s reluctance to take centre stage yesterday following a well-deserved third place on the grid. In this day, Formula One is governed by sponsors and the exorbitant sums of money that they bring to the game; in return they demand exposure, and a driver who skirts off from the photo opportunity early is probably not their ideal candidate, no matter how much of a kicking he’s given his team thus far this season.

The “other” fella who exhibits this behaviour of reckless abandon, a Mr Kimi Raikkonen can in a certain respect get away with it, because it’s a name that is associated in totality with a trademark for “seat-of-your-pants” racing and a absolute balls out attitude whilst on track; something that was thankfully in full display today at the Belgian circuit. Questions over the “correctness” of Kimi’s first corner antics will no doubt be abound as the forums fire long into the night, but regardless, any pre-planned intention to pull the move was negated by the absolute stomach crunching feat through Eau Rouge as he soared four places in a series of manoeuvres that left nobody questioning his fitness to remain in Formula One. “Inspiring” doesn’t quite do it justice.

Through from inspiring to just plain miraculous, Sebastian Vettel’s rapid turnaround will have surprised even his staunchest critics, and for those who cited an impetuous and error-prone driving style were greeted with a racer who pushed hard but took the right moments to make a move. This wasn’t his race to win, but he has hopefully demonstrated a momentum and ability that can bring the title charge down to the final few rounds after a drive that saw him almost a second quicker in the middle sector than his nearest rivals, allowing him to close six-tenths per lap in the latter stages of the race.

Though we’ve had two Grands Prix in as many weeks; we badly needed a race. Thankfully Spa Francorchamps was this reprieve and its manic mayhem may just have guaranteed a kick-start to the title race in time for the final five events.