Spa-Francorchamps
Belgian Grand Prix, Spa, Belgium
The forests of the Ardennes make a beautiful backdrop for Formula One cars as they race at up to 205 mph along the long straights and undulating hills of Spa-Francorchamps. It’s a real treat for enthusiasts, who recognise that Belgian Grand prix tickets offer a racing experience as pure as the Spa mineral water bottled here.
But aside from the natural beauty, Spa is one of the most challenging tracks in the calendar. Key corners of the 4.33-mile circuit must be taken at around 186mph to set up fast laps and overtaking opportunities on the following straights.
At the famous Eau Rouge/Raidillon combination, drivers race down a straight to cross the stream, before heading steeply uphill into a collection of left-right-left corners preceding a blind summit. Fernando Alonso described it giving drivers “a compression in your body as you go through the bottom of the corner. It is very strange, but good fun as well.”
Another classic feature is the Blanchimont, a high-speed left-hand turn where Ayrton Senna left his car to help Erik Comas in 1992.
When F1 returned in 2007, the Bus Stop chicane was moved back towards Blanchimont and the La Source hairpin pushed forwards, to accommodate the new pit and paddock complex and make the start/finish straight longer.
Another feature is a climatic one familiar to British fans: the rain. Wet-weather tyres are always on hand, although the rain can be falling in one section while it is dry elsewhere.
The association with wetness is an ancient one, as long before Formula One fans flocked here, health-seekers came for the mineral water. Later, a casino was set up to attract the rich and famous. Motor racing began here in 1902, and a version of today’s track – a 9.3-mile triangle of narrow public roads – staged the Belgian Grand Prix in 1924. It’s still possible to drive around the old circuit today.
The race traditionally favoured the great drivers, and the 1950s and 1960s were dominated by Alberto Ascari, Juan-Manuel Fangio and Jim Clark, who won four consecutive races here. (In modern times, Ayrton Senna has won five and Michael Schumacher six.)
However, when Jackie Stewart ended up in the cellar of a farmhouse with broken ribs and a coating of engine fuel in 1966, the old circuit’s days were numbered.
Grand Prix racing returned to the new-look track in 1983 and was as popular as ever. Most of the area around Francorchamps was retained, and a new section linked Les Combes with the return leg of the old circuit near Blanchimont.
A Page & Moy Formula One tour is the perfect way to watch the race and see some of Belgium too. The capital’s highlights include the baroque buildings of the Grand’Place square, the Atomium monument and Mini Europe, a park for children full of miniature tourist attractions.
How to book
View our complete list of F1 packages to the Belgian Grand Prix this year.