The Belgian race began well for AF Corse, with Watch Club-sponsored drivers Melo and Bruni achieving pole position. Team-mates Luís Pérez Companc and Matías Russo weren’t very far behind, at fourth on the grid. The final three drivers from the AF Corse camp, Jean Alesi, Gianfranco Fisichella, and Toni Vilander, had an unfortunate flag during qualifying, leaving them to start thirteenth.
The race was nothing short of remarkable, with unexpected heavy rain deluging the track soon after the start. Fortunately the three AF Corse cars succeeded in negotiating the mayhem unscathed. After that, a technical fault at the track caused a total timing blackout, causing all results to be lost, and the race red-flagged with only 40 minutes to go!
After considerable trouble sorting out the correct positions, the race was re-started; the Watch Club drivers gave a good account of themselves in the final stint, with Gianmaria Bruni and Jaime Melo in second place and Alesi, Fisichella, and Vilander on the third step of the podium.
