NEED TO KNOW
MOST BELGIUM WINS:
6
Michael Schumacher
MOST BELGIUM POLES:
6
Lewis Hamilton
FIRST GRAND PRIX:
1950
TRACK LENGTH:
7.004km
LAP RECORD:
1:44.701
Sergio Perez (2024)
Trivia
Out of all the circuits, Spa is the longest on the current F1 calendar.
PIT STOP TIME LOSS
18.8 S
(Including 2.5s stationary)
OVERTAKES COMPLETED IN 2024:
62
POLE RUN TO TURN 1 BRAKING POINT:
The Driver's Verdict
Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault F1 driver
Spa is a really nice, flowing circuit. It’s always a trade-off between downforce levels. Do you go low downforce for the first and third sector? Or do you put on some downforce for the middle part of the lap?
You’ve also got to think about how raceable you want your car to be on Sunday, because if you prioritise the middle part of the lap, it can help you in Qualifying on Saturday, but you might be a sitting duck on the straights.
The start of the Grand Prix is always crucial. Being on pole is not necessarily the magic bullet here given that you can get out-dragged along the lengthy Kemmel Straight towards Les Combes on Lap 1.
It’s the longest lap on the calendar in terms of distance and it feels it as well. You’re going a long way away up the hill to Les Combes, and then that’s where your flow starts for the lap, through the right-left-right down the hill.
Probably the biggest challenge, or the most exhilarating part, is Pouhon, which is flat or right on the edge of it in the current-spec cars. But again, in race conditions, it can be a little bit trickier.
Then you need to get your braking right for the Bus Stop, which is the easiest place to mess up the lap. You think you’re a hero and then you just overcook it on the brakes for the final corner and the whole thing goes to pot. You can’t be cautious either. It’s the one that can make or break your lap.
SAFETY CAR
PROBABILITY:
VSC
PROBABILITY:
Previous winners
2024 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2023 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2021 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2020 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Previous polesitters
2024 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2023 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2022 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
2021 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2020 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Current Form
What can be expected going into the Grand Prix weekend?
Oscar Piastri maintains his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship entering into the Belgian Grand Prix weekend – but that advantage has now been cut to eight points following Lando Norris’ victory last time out at Silverstone, the Briton’s second win in a row after also triumphing in Austria one week earlier.
Can Norris carry that momentum into Spa and claim a hat-trick of victories, or will Piastri – who left the British Grand Prix unhappy after receiving a 10-second penalty during the race – return to the top step of the rostrum?
While McLaren still look to be the class of the field, the pecking order will be particularly interesting to keep an eye on in Belgium. Ferrari just missed out on a podium at Silverstone after Lewis Hamilton’s P4 result – will they be able to build on that promise this time out
Mercedes, meanwhile, remain in third place of the Teams’ Championship and will likely be hoping for cooler temperatures at Spa, with the W16 known to favour such conditions. George Russell’s win at the circuit last year was taken away following his disqualification for a technical infringement, but it remains to be seen if the Silver Arrows can fight for the top spot again this time.
Over at Red Bull, much talk will be focused on off-track matters after Christian Horner’s departure as Team Principal earlier this month. How will the squad perform this weekend, at a circuit where Max Verstappen has claimed three Grand Prix wins?
Behind them, the midfield battle took a fascinating turn at Silverstone when Nico Hulkenberg scored a long-awaited podium in P3, putting Kick Sauber just behind Williams in the standings. Can the team continue that level of performance at Spa, or will their rivals be the ones to watch instead?
Iconic Moment
Hakkinen's Heroics
Another classic venue on the F1 calendar, there are plenty of dramatic moments and epic overtakes to choose from when it comes to the Belgian Grand Prix. This time, we’re taking it back to the 2000 season...
Hunting down title rival Michael Schumacher, and after an earlier run-in, Mika Hakkinen pulled off one of the most iconic moves in F1 history by using backmarker Ricardo Zonta to his advantage at the exit of the Eau Rouge/Raidillon complex.
While Schumacher went to the left of the BAR-Honda, Hakkinen darted out of the double slipstream to the right, duly storming past both drivers under braking for Les Combes and taking a lead he would not relinquish.
Relive the unforgettable moment in the video...
