Formula 1 is back in business this weekend as the paddock reconvenes at what is likely to be a cool and wet Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix. Motorsport Week previews the event and provides the key statistics.
History
The first Belgian Grand Prix was held in 1925 on the public roads linking the area which houses the modern circuit with the nearby districts of Burnenville and Stavelot.
A further nine events were held at Spa-Francorchamps through to the end of the 1940s, via one excursion to the Bois de la Cambre public park in Brussels, and it joined the nascent Formula 1 roster in 1950.
Spa-Francorchamps established itself as one of the most revered venues but its dangerous nature meant it came under close scrutiny amid the safety drive of the late 1960s.
The flat and featureless Nivelles circuit hosted two Grands Prix prior to financial malaise and general apathy towards the track, while Zolder held 10 Grands Prix, including the fateful 1982 event that resulted in the death of Gilles Villeneuve.
Formula 1 returned to the renovated and shortened Spa-Francorchamps in 1983 and the seven-kilometre ride through the Ardennes Forest re-established itself as the de facto venue in 1985.
It has been absent only twice since (2003, 2006) and recently signed a contract extension through 2021.
Circuit
Spa-Francorchamps is undoubtedly one of the best circuits on the Formula 1 calendar, featuring an array of flowing and challenging corners, and almost 100 metres worth of undulation.
The lap begins with the La Source hairpin, after which drivers descend past the old pit lane before tackling the Eau Rouge/Raidillon complex, a left compression that immediately and rapidly rises, cresting a blind summit, leading directly into the Kemmel Straight.
The Les Combes complex marks the end of a near 30-second full-throttle section and leads straight into the right-hander at Malmedy, a tricky cambered turn that can quickly pitch unwitting drivers towards the gravel trap.
Malmedy marks the highest point of the circuit, after which drivers soon descend, plunging through the long-radius hairpin at Rivage, the left-hander at Liege, and the fearsomely fast Double Gauche (Pouhon). The right-left of Pif Paf follows and the exit of the subsequent right-hander of Stavelot is crucial, commencing another full-throttle section that incorporates the flat-out Blanchimont kink.
The rather clumsy and out-of-place Bus Stop chicane – reprofiled when the circuit facilities were renovated for 2007 – concludes the lap.
What happened in 2017?
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel went wheel-to-wheel in a tense race-long duel for the win.
Hamilton retained a slender lead for much of the encounter but a Safety Car phase brought Vettel back into play, who was equipped with fresher and softer tyres.
Hamilton brilliantly preserved his advantage by marginally backing off on the run to Eau Rouge, prompting his rival to do likewise, and denying Vettel the slingshot he craved along the Kemmel Straight.
Hamilton thus held on to triumph, with Vettel second, while Daniel Ricciardo overhauled Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas to round out the podium finishers.
Hamilton’s victory was his third at Spa-Francorchamps, following on from triumphs in 2010 and 2015, though he remains adrift of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of six.
Raikkonen is the most successful Belgian Grand Prix driver on the grid having earned the nickname ‘the King of Spa’ during his first stint in Formula 1, on account of wins in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009.
Vettel was victorious in his 2011 and 2013 title-winning campaigns while Ricciardo surged to top honours in 2014 in the wake of the infamous collision between Mercedes pair Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
In terms of qualifying last year’s pole position brought Hamilton equal on four with Juan Manuel Fangio, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.
Raikkonen and Vettel are the only other drivers on the current grid to have taken a pole position at Spa-Francorchamps, in 2007 and 2011 respectively.
Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, was triumphant at the circuit during the World Endurance Championship round this May – but has never won a Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.
Other details
Hamilton heads into the second half of the season holding a 24-point lead over Vettel in the standings after a pair of unexpected wins in Germany and Hungary.
In the Constructors’ battle Mercedes holds a slender 10-point buffer back to Ferrari.
Tyre supplier Pirelli has nominated the Supersoft (red), Soft (yellow) and Medium (white) compounds in order to cope with the demands placed upon the rubber by Spa Francorchamps.
Either the Soft or Medium tyres must be run for one stint of the 44-lap Grand Prix, assuming dry conditions prevail.
Mika Salo will act as the drivers’ representative on the stewarding panel.
There will be two DRS zones: one along the pit straight, and the other located along the Kemmel Straight.
McLaren reserve driver Lando Norris will make his Grand Prix weekend debut during practice, replacing Fernando Alonso for the opening 90-minute session.
Formula 2 and GP3 will act as the main support series, with both junior categories returning to action after their respective summer breaks.
Weather forecast:
Friday: Rain showers, 16°c
Saturday: Rain showers, 12°c
Sunday: Rain showers, 14°c
Timetable: (GMT+2)
Friday 24 August
FP1: 11:00 – 12:30
FP2: 15:00 – 16:30
Saturday 25 August
FP3: 12:00 – 13:00
Qualifying: 15:00 – 16:00
Sunday 26 August
Race: 15:10 (44 laps or two hours)
What next?
Monza will host the 14th round of the season, the Italian Grand Prix, from August 31 to September 2
