Aug 27, 2011
For me, the first time through Eau Rouge was actually in Formula Renault 2.0 in 2007. A couple of months before the race, there was a test here which is when I first drove it. Spa was the circuit I was most excited about driving and I was really excited about that test.
I remember the track walk, just walking up Eau Rouge I was quite overwhelmed by it, it’s huge. Television just doesn’t do it justice. Looking back down it, it seemed pretty daunting but I was keen to drive it, especially at full speed. Coming out of the pit lane I wanted to do it straightaway, but I knew the tyres were cold, so I had a bit of a lift, but on the next lap, with the tyres up to temp, I did it full. It was so cool, something to tell your dad and your mates: ‘I did Eau Rouge flat.’
In that Formula Renault it was actually quite easy, but you do still get that compression and you fly up the hill and there’s that little bit of a blind spot at the top where you can’t pick the apex on the exit, all those things make it incredible. Going down the hill towards it is not easy either. You start to think ‘maybe I’m at a good enough speed to take it’ but there’s always a bit more. It just keeps going down. The first few times you go through it your right foot does go a little bit light! But once you’ve done it, you quickly get the confidence and it’s actually not as scary as it looks.
It’s a great feeling coming out of there the first time. You realise you’ve been holding your breath the whole way through and as you go up you breathe out and give a little fist pump. It’s great.”
Credit: Red Bull Racing Formula one Team (www.redbullracing.com)
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