Belgium – All summers lead to Spa

« As if you were transported to another world. »

With this brief phrase, former Red Bull driver Mark Webber almost single-handedly captures the unique spirit emanating from the 7.004-kilometer track, initially laid out on a road through the Ardennes forests, connecting three towns in the province of Liège, in the Walloon region: Francorchamps, Stavelot, and Malmedy.

Land of history, a race was organized around this triptych as early as 1921, but it was canceled, and for good reason: only one car was on the entry list! The very first official automobile competition took place the following year. The initial project was very ambitious, aiming to make the Spa-Francorchamps track one of the fastest in Europe. That’s why an artificial turn was added to the original course, climbing a steep slope near a small river. The myth of the Raidillon de l’Eau Rouge was born.

After the Second World War, Spa was included in the very first Formula 1 World Championship calendar in 1950. On June 18 of that same year, Juan Manuel Fangio won the very first Belgian Grand Prix of Formula 1 driving an Alfa Romeo. The track then measured nearly 14 kilometers, with a start judged at the foot of the Raidillon and continuing straight at the current Combes corner.

But Spa was removed from the calendar in 1971 for safety reasons, notably raised by Jackie Stewart, who almost lost his life there in 1966, narrowly missing hitting an electric pole at high speed and under heavy rain.

After a few incursions in Nivelles or Zolder, the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa returned to the calendar in 1983, on a safer and half-shortened version, but still including the famous Eau Rouge and Blanchimont corners. Despite a few new still-spectacular incidents (notably thinking of the terrible crash of the Frenchman Erik Comas in 1992, saved by Ayrton Senna), the circuit became safer over the years.

A new chicane was added before the start/finish straight, the Bus Stop one, broken and permanently slowed down in 2007.

Nevertheless, Spa experienced two years without Formula 1, in 2003 and 2006, due to a national suspension of tobacco brand advertising. Finally, the local region spent again to ensure the continuity of the race, which now has a contract at least until 2018.

Consequently, this race is always a special place on the calendar. For his part, Jenson Button (r) simply loves Spa.

« Eau Rouge is one of those corners that all fans still talk about today. The feeling of slight sliding up to the top of the climb is something fantastic. The average speed is high (around 230 km/h): we are at full throttle for 65% of the lap. It remains very brutal, even in today’s cars. »

A famous turn that makes any overtaking move magnificent, like the famous maneuver by Mark Webber on Fernando Alonso at the foot of the Raidillon in 2011.

As such, the expected top speed will be around 345 km/h, which equates to (only!) about sixty gear shifts.

Quinté or not quinté?

Since returning to Europe, Hamilton has led every race and the Brit even regained the championship lead in Hungary. With four consecutive wins, Hamilton has simply matched Rosberg’s early season performance, who claimed victory in the first four Grand Prix. For the record, the best victory streak last year was three, both for Hamilton and Rosberg, with Hamilton taking victory at Spa-Francorchamps by just two seconds over his German teammate. But this year, the Barcelona disaster in mid-May didn’t have the same effect on the Mercedes drivers; Rosberg seemed to have lost that famous confidence he gained by amassing (including 2015) seven consecutive wins. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton was transformed since Monaco for the rest, as you know. But be careful, the difficulty will be greatly increased for the Brit, as the press conference confirmed: Hamilton will incur a penalty this weekend for changing one or more mechanical components on his Mercedes, which means starting from the back of the grid.

An Italian-Austrian battle

In the drivers’ standings, only 18 points separate Daniel Ricciardo, in third, from Max Verstappen, in sixth. Between them, there are five world championship titles and two Ferrari drivers. This battle between Red Bull and Ferrari might be the real attraction this year, with the audience no longer really paying attention to Mercedes’ superiority. Worse, there’s even more concern for the health of the prancing horse brand, losing ground to its Austrian rival.

But let’s not count our chickens before they hatch: Kimi Räikkönen is the driver on the grid with the most victories on the Ardennes rollercoaster, with four wins in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2009, the date of his last success at the wheel of a Ferrari. On the other side of the garage, Sebastian Vettel has two wins to his name, in 2011 and 2013. Just like Lewis Hamilton, who won in 2010 for McLaren and is the titleholder after his 2015 success with Mercedes.

Three drivers on this grid each have one victory, Massa in 2008 (after the controversial disqualification of Hamilton), Button in 2012, and Ricciardo in 2014, which still stands as his last Grand Prix win.

The almost local of the stage

Stoffel Vandoorne not starting this weekend, it is the young Dutchman Max Verstappen, born in Hasselt in eastern Belgium, who will draw the crowds. For this edition of the Belgian Grand Prix, the spirited Red Bull driver will be the center of attention, and a record turnout is expected around the circuit this year. “70,000 tickets have already been sold,” announced André Maes, the Grand Prix promoter, on the sidelines of the event. The number 33 is also the only driver to have won against Mercedes this season—under exceptional circumstances in Barcelona—so a strong personal performance is expected from him this Sunday, especially considering the excellent results in the last Grand Prix before the summer break.

Cocorico deux fois

He was alone, but the Frenchman Romain Grosjean will now have a compatriot with him on the track: Esteban Ocon takes the wheel of the Manor this weekend, and we are eager to see his performances. Above all, it is an opportunity for him to showcase his talent against Pascal Wehrlein, the Mercedes protégé, and prove that he deserves a spot on the starting grid of a Grand Prix in the long term, notably with Renault and Frédéric Vasseur. In front of the microphone of our journalist on site, the young rookie certainly does not lack confidence.

To truly know everything…

Winner of the 1985 Indianapolis 500 and brief driver for Benetton-Tyrrell in 1983, the chief steward will be the American Danny Sullivan.

It will not be disrupted by the setting of this edition /f1/actualite/21238-max-verstappen-fait-venir-les-foules-a-spa.html, which has hardly changed: the DRS zones remain unchanged; the first in the long Kemmel straight towards Les Combes, the second set at the start/finish straight.

On the tire side, the super-soft, soft, and medium will make up the range available for the drivers, detailed in the list below.

Ready to get back into the #F1 saddle? https://t.co/guwiIpOZyz The #BelgianGP is coming soon. pic.twitter.com/am7hyTdHYg

— Pirelli Motorsport (@Pirellisport) 22 août /f1/actualite/21238-max-verstappen-fait-venir-les-foules-a-spa.html

Finally, in line with this sunny week, Spa is expected to enjoy very mild weather conditions. Sunshine is anticipated throughout the three days, with a maximum temperature estimated at 30 degrees and a minimum of around 15 degrees. However, there are small chances of clouds and rain expected in the afternoon on Sunday, which could potentially spice up the second half of the race.

For sure, keep an eye on the forecasts announced in the coming hours to get a definitive idea of what awaits you at Spa Francorchamps, whether you’re comfortably seated in your chair or even directly on site if you have the chance to go there!