Summer break over, it’s crunch time now.
The Burning Questions
What madness happens on the first lap this time?
Will Red Bull decide to get an almost inevitable engine penalty out of the way here?
Are we set for a typical wet and wild race in Spa with showers forecast all weekend?
The Track
The Stats
- Track Length: 7.004 km
- Laps: 44
- Race Distance: 308.052 km
- Maximum Speed: 330 km/h
- Lap Time at Full Throttle: 72%
- First Grand Prix: 1950
- Race Lap Record: Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 2018 | 1:46.286
- Outright Lap Record: Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 2020 | 1:41.252
- Most Driver Wins: Michael Schumacher | 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002
- Most Constructor Wins: Ferrari | 1952, 1953, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1984, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2018, 2019
The Trivia
- Spa was originally a treacherous 14-kilometre track designed for speed, which used mainly local public roads
- The fearsome Eau Rouge/Raidillon complex features an elevation change of 35 meters from its lowest to highest point
- In 2019, Charles Leclerc became the first driver to score a maiden grand prix victory at Spa since Michael Schumacher did so in 1992
- At 7.004 kilometres, Spa is the longest current F1 circuit, but it has one of the smaller spectator capacities with space for just 70,000 fans
The Weather
The Quotes
Valtteri Bottas | “There’s no news to share yet. Who knows? Maybe I know something, maybe I don’t, but like I said, there’s no news to share.”
George Russell | “Obviously in discussions over the summer break but there’s nothing to announce one way or another this weekend and probably not next weekend either, to be honest. It’s no problem. Do things right rather than quickly, let’s say.”
Max Verstappen | “For sure they will be quick here. This track hasn’t been the best for us because of the long straights – I know that we definitely did close the gap a bit in terms of top speed, but we are still not there.”
Lewis Hamilton | “The break was definitely much needed but it felt too long at the end. I was definitely excited to get back to work and missed working with the team and missed being in the car.”
The Friday Form
Practice 2 Top 5
1 | Max Verstappen | 1:44.472 | 12 Laps
2 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:44.513 | 14 Laps
3 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:44.544 | 13 Laps
4 | Fernando Alonso | 1:44.953 | 15 Laps
5 | Pierre Gasly | 1:44.965 | 17 Laps
Practice 1 Top 5
1 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:45.199 | 18 Laps
2 | Max Verstappen | 1:45.363 | 14 Laps
3 | Pierre Gasly | 1:45.699 | 20 Laps
4 | Charles Leclerc | 1:45.818 | 19 Laps
5 | Carlos Sainz | 1:45.935 | 20 Laps
Things appear very evenly matched between the two leading teams for the moment, with the usual Ham-Bot-Ver front three spending most of the Friday sessions separated by a matter of hundredths of a second.
As ever, engine settings are an unknown – and particularly important around a track like Spa – but Mercedes seem to have an advantage on the straights with a lower downforce setup than their rivals currently.
Verstappen edged the second practice session but ended it in the wall with terminal damage to his Red Bull, after losing the car at Turn Six.
The Photos
The Predictions
Podium
Pole Position
Fastest Lap
Driver of the Day
