Belgian GP
No 1No 2No 3
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FACT FILEVenue: BelgiumRace Date: August 28, 2011Circuit Length: 7.004 km (4.352 mi)Race Length: 308.176 km (191.492 mi)
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FACT FILEMost Constructors Wins: Ferrari (16)Most Driver Wins: Michael Schumacher (6)
Jules de Their and Henri Langlois Van Ophem designed the original Belgium circuit which was an astounding 14.9kms long. The original track course comprised public roads between the Belgian towns of Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot.
Over the years, minor modifications were made to the circuit's layout. These included a slight reduction in the length of the track and the fine-tuning of some fast corners. When the old Spa-Francorchamps hosted its last Belgium GP in 1970, it was still 14kms long and super fast. French driver Henri Pescarolo at an average speed of 262kph holds the record for the fastest lap on the old Belgium circuit.
1983 saw the resurgence of the Belgian circuit as the new Spa-Francorchamps - a sharper and shorter version of its elder sibling. The new Spa-Francorchamps has since been the home of the Belgian F1 Grand Prix. It is 7kms long and has still retained two-third of the original Belgium circuit. The legendary Eau Rouge corner continues to be the highlight of the new circuit especially after the fearsome Masta Kink was taken out from the track's course. The Masta Kink was a high-speed left-right chicane in between the Masta Straight and the Holowell Straight before Stavelot. The chicane had seen a number of gruesome accidents including Jackie Stewart's crash in 1966, which left the former F1 driver with broken ribs and drenched in fuel that was gushing out of his toppled BRM.
The new Spa-Francorchamps is one of those few tracks that have managed to retain the ‘magic’ of their older versions. The new Spa-Francorchamps is just as fast and technically demanding as the original Belgian circuit. While the Eau Rouge and Blanchimont corners demand exemplary driving skills, the fast and hilly route through the Ardennes, capable of speeds in excess of 330 km/h, tests the raw power of the F1 speed machines.
Besides the track itself, the notorious weather conditions in Belgium always make the GPs anything but predictable. There have been numerous occasions in Belgian GP history when it has only rained on some parts or on one side of the circuit. Hence the F1 drivers are forced to adapt to the continuously changing wet and dry conditions on the already demanding Spa-Francorchamps circuit. All these factors have therefore contributed in making Spa-Francorchamps, one of the most popular F1 circuits among the spectators and also the F1 drivers. The Spa-Francorchamps is definitely a favourite of seven times World Champion, Michael Schumacher, who is among the very few F1 drivers that have really mastered this Belgian circuit. After making his F1 debut here in 1991, Schumacher has won the Belgian Grand Prix a record six times. This surely makes the German F1 legend, the king of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Recent Results:
2010: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
2009: Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2008: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2007: Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2005: Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren-Mercedes)
Over the years, minor modifications were made to the circuit's layout. These included a slight reduction in the length of the track and the fine-tuning of some fast corners. When the old Spa-Francorchamps hosted its last Belgium GP in 1970, it was still 14kms long and super fast. French driver Henri Pescarolo at an average speed of 262kph holds the record for the fastest lap on the old Belgium circuit.
1983 saw the resurgence of the Belgian circuit as the new Spa-Francorchamps - a sharper and shorter version of its elder sibling. The new Spa-Francorchamps has since been the home of the Belgian F1 Grand Prix. It is 7kms long and has still retained two-third of the original Belgium circuit. The legendary Eau Rouge corner continues to be the highlight of the new circuit especially after the fearsome Masta Kink was taken out from the track's course. The Masta Kink was a high-speed left-right chicane in between the Masta Straight and the Holowell Straight before Stavelot. The chicane had seen a number of gruesome accidents including Jackie Stewart's crash in 1966, which left the former F1 driver with broken ribs and drenched in fuel that was gushing out of his toppled BRM.
The new Spa-Francorchamps is one of those few tracks that have managed to retain the ‘magic’ of their older versions. The new Spa-Francorchamps is just as fast and technically demanding as the original Belgian circuit. While the Eau Rouge and Blanchimont corners demand exemplary driving skills, the fast and hilly route through the Ardennes, capable of speeds in excess of 330 km/h, tests the raw power of the F1 speed machines.
Besides the track itself, the notorious weather conditions in Belgium always make the GPs anything but predictable. There have been numerous occasions in Belgian GP history when it has only rained on some parts or on one side of the circuit. Hence the F1 drivers are forced to adapt to the continuously changing wet and dry conditions on the already demanding Spa-Francorchamps circuit. All these factors have therefore contributed in making Spa-Francorchamps, one of the most popular F1 circuits among the spectators and also the F1 drivers. The Spa-Francorchamps is definitely a favourite of seven times World Champion, Michael Schumacher, who is among the very few F1 drivers that have really mastered this Belgian circuit. After making his F1 debut here in 1991, Schumacher has won the Belgian Grand Prix a record six times. This surely makes the German F1 legend, the king of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Recent Results:
2010: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
2009: Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2008: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2007: Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2005: Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren-Mercedes)
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