Pick one.

THE RACE

I don't think David Coulthard was joking when he suggested that Michael Schumacher take the rest of the season off. I don't think he was wrong either. After the first blast up the Kemmel straight, the outcome of this race was never in doubt. But there were a lot of good races further down the field and, as somebody suggested, maybe they should just have all seventeen races here.

Fisichella was clearly the surprise of the day and once again those of us that own rose-tinted glasses are putting them on and succumbing to ‘next season syndrome’. Next season, with Renault back full force, we'll have four teams and eight drivers (OK, seven if Jenson Button can't get over the fact that he's Jenson Button) that can challenge for the championship. Glasses off; Schumacher by Easter with one hand tied behind his back.

And while we're on the subject of Button, both he and Rubens Barrichello had their noses put out of joint by the bollards they added to the bus-stop chicane. Both drivers hit the bollards during the race and lost their front wings. I know those bollards weren't there on Friday but they were there on Saturday and you would have thought that after thirty or so race laps they would have noticed them.

Frentzen and Prost wasted a great qualifying result by buying their launch control system at a McLaren yard sale. Thereafter, their race was ruined by "a heavy fuel load which resulted in a lack of balance" and not by the fact that the car is a dog.

Montoya and Williams went round the back of the garages to pick up the pieces that Prost had thrown out and that was their race over before it was run. Montoya struggled manfully from the back of the grid and picked up places just as quickly as people retired but in the end his day was ended by either: (a) typical Montoya luck (if it wasn't for bad luck he wouldn't have any at all) or; (b) the BMW's fairly predictable tendency to go boom. (No doubt Ralf thought that Montoya was driving too quickly i.e. quicker than him, which was the cause of his mechanical failure).

Eddie Irvine once again finished his race going backwards. I hear that Jaguar are going to turn his seat around in order to provide for better visibility for the majority of Irvine's track time. (Although Niki Lauda also said that Rahal would not be fired so I wouldn't place too much faith in anything that comes out of Jaguar if I were you).

A valiant point for Alesi who, with every interview, is starting to sound more and more like the saviour of Jordan. I think Jean should consider that it will take more than a point and a DNF for him to claim sole credit for Jordan's stunning fifth place. Hell, Frentzen got six times as many points and he was fired.

And spare a thought for poor Michael. So far out in front that not even Bernie could make the Belgian TV director cover him. Number 52 and a spot in the record books that will stand for years. Obviously not an interesting enough topic to ask him a question about so I think we can safely ignore it.