on Aug 22, 2011
When you ask drivers and fans to name their favourite race circuit, Spa-Francorchamps is, nine times out of ten, top of the list.
Set in the beautiful Ardennes forest, and with a heady mix of long straights and demanding corners, dramatic climbs and falls, plus some notoriously fickle weather, Spa has it all.
We’ve had two podium appearances here, Mark finished second last season, and Seb came third in 2009. All of our other Belgian points have been won by Mark, who finished eighth in 2008 and seventh in 2007.
The first Belgian Grand Prix was run at Spa-Francorchamps in 1925 and it became part of the modern F1 championship in 1950. This will be the 56th F1 Belgian Grand Prix and the 44rd run at Spa. Nowadays, the circuit has 19 turns and is 7.004km in length, a little less than the track’s former life as an energy-sapping 14.9km. The modern race is 44 laps, a distance of 308.052km.
The most successful driver of recent years at Spa is undoubtedly Kimi Raikkonen. In just seven F1 outings at Spa he won four times – in 2004 and 2005 for McLaren and then in ’07 and ’09 for Ferrari. The all-time king of Belgium is Michael Schumacher, who has six wins to his name, while Raikkonen holds the lap record time of 1:45.108, set in 2004.
The circuit is 8km from the town of Spa, which is (unsurprisingly) famed for its water, and has plenty of local Belgian charm. For those who prefer the brighter lights of a bigger city, Liege is a 40-minute drive away, and Brussels two hours.
Credit: Red Bull Racing Formula one Team (www.redbullracing.com)
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