To accommodate Grand Prix motor racing, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps race course was built in 1921 but it was only used for motorcycle racing until 1924.

Since inception, Spa-Francorchamps has been known for its unpredictable weather. At one stage in its history it had rained at the Belgian Grand Prix for twenty years in a row. Frequently drivers confront a part of the course that is clear and bright while another stretch is rainy and slippery.

It is one of the most popular races on the Formula One calendar, due to the scenic and historical Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Belgian Prix, Round 12 of the 2017 Formula 1 season

Circuit Name: Spa-Francorchamps

Race Laps: 44

Circuit Length: 7.004 km (4.352 mi)

Race Length: 308.052 km (191.410 mi)

Number of corners: 19 (10 Left, 9 Right)

DRS Zone: Two Zones (zone 1 Between turn 4 and 5, Zone 2 Start/Finish Line Between Turn 19 and 1)

Circuit Direction: Clockwise

Pole Position 2016: Nico Rosberg - Mercedes 1:46.744

Lap record: Sebastian Vettel 2009 – Red Bull Renault 1:47.263

Ultimate lap record: Jarno Trulli Q2 2009 – Toyota 1:44.503

Distance from Pole to T1 apex: 270.8 m

Pole position side: Left

Pit Lane length under speed limit control: 385.7 m

Drive-through time at 80 km/h: 17.36 s

Lap time at full throttle: 57 %

Lap distance at full throttle: 70 %

Gear changes per lap: 42

Braking events (>2G): 6

Heavy braking events (<0.4s @ >4G): 4

Fuel consumption: Low

Maximum lateral G-force: 4.8 G

Track evolution (P1 – Qualifying): Low

Key overtaking opportunities: T5

Race lap record: 1:47.263 (VET, 2009)

Absolute lap record: 1:44.503 (TRU, Q2, 2009)

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

 

Pirelli used compounds

Tyres that must be available (one of them to be used) at some point in the race:

One set of P Zero Yellow soft

One set of P Zero Red Super-Soft

Tyres assigned for Q3 in qualifying:                     

One set of P Zero Purple Ultra-Soft

Teams/Drivers compounds choice

Driver	Soft	Super-Soft	Ultra-Soft
Lewis Hamilton	4	3	6
Valtteri Bottas	3	4	6
Daniel Ricciardo	1	3	9
Max Verstappen	1	3	9
Sebastian Vettel	3	3	7
Kimi Raikkonen	3	3	7
Sergio Perez	3	4	6
Esteban Ocon	3	4	6
Lance Stroll	1	5	7
Felipe Massa	1	5	7
Stoffel Vandoorne	1	3	9
Fernando Alonso	1	3	9
Daniil Kvyat	2	3	8
Carlos Sainz	2	3	8
Romain Grosjean	3	4	6
Kevin Magnussen	4	3	6
Nico Hulkenberg	2	3	8
Jolyon Palmer	3	3	8
Marcus Ericsson	2	4	7
Pascal Wehrlein	3	3	7

 

THE CIRCUIT FROM A TYRE POINT OF VIEW:

• Longest circuit of the year at 7.004 kilometres.
• Geographical layout means it can be raining on one part of the track but dry on another.
• Elevation changes and compressions generate forces on tyres from all directions.
• Compromise set-up needed to provide downforce in corners but not too much drag.
• High speeds and big corners place significant energy loads through the tyres.
• Overtaking is very possible at Spa, opening the door to a variety of different strategies.
• The teams have nominated all three available compounds in their choices rather than concentrating on the softer tyres.

 

MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR RACING

“Pirelli was racing at Spa for the 24 Hours last month, which showcased everything this circuit is famous for: changeable weather, unpredictable competition, and heavy demands on the tyres. Now that we are bringing the ultrasoft tyre there for Formula 1, we would expect those demands to increase further with the latest generation of cars: two stops would appear to be a likely strategy but we will know more after the first free practice sessions. Working out the optimal race strategy is especially tricky at Spa as it has to be flexible: the possibility of rain, safety cars, or even a red flag – as we saw last year – means that teams often have to react to changing circumstances rather than follow a fixed plan”.

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS MINIMUM STARTING PRESSURES (SLICKS)

 

EOS  CAMBER LIMIT

Belgian Grand Prix Winners 1950 – 2016

 

Year	Driver	Constructor	Location
2016	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
2014	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull-Renault
2013	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault
2012	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes
2011	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault
2010	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes
2009	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari
2008	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
2007	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari
2006	Not held
2005	Kimi Raikkonen	McLaren-Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
2004	Kimi Raikkonen	McLaren-Mercedes
2003	Not held
2002	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
2001	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
2000	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren-Mercedes
1999	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes
1998	Damon Hill	Jordan-Mugen-Honda
1997	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
1996	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
1995	Michael Schumacher	Benetton-Renault
1994	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault
1993	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault
1992	Michael Schumacher	Benetton-Ford
1991	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda
1990	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda
1989	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda
1988	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda
1987	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG
1986	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda
1985	Ayrton Senna	Lotus-Renault
1984	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	Zolder
1983	Alain Prost	Renault	Spa-Francorchamps
1982	John Watson	McLaren-Ford	Zolder
1981	Carlos Reutemann	Williams-Ford
1980	Didier Pironi	Ligier-Ford
1979	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari
1978	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford
1977	Gunnar Nilsson	Lotus-Ford
1976	Niki Lauda	Ferrari
1975	Niki Lauda	Ferrari
1974	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren-Ford	Nivelles
1973	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell-Ford	Zolder
1972	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Ford	Nivelles
1971	Not held
1970	Pedro Rodríguez	BRM	Spa-Francorchamps
1969	Not held
1968	Bruce McLaren	McLaren-Ford	Spa-Francorchamps
1967	Dan Gurney	Eagle-Weslake
1966	John Surtees	Ferrari
1965	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax
1964	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax
1963	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax
1962	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax
1961	Phil Hill	Ferrari
1960	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax
1959	Not held
1958	Tony Brooks	Vanwall	Spa-Francorchamps
1957	Not held
1956	Peter Collins	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
1955	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes
1954	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati
1953	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari
1952	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari
1951	Giuseppe Farina	Alfa Romeo
1950	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo

 

 

Multiple Winners (Drivers)

# of wins	Driver	Years
6	Michael Schumacher	1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002
5	Ayrton Senna	1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
4	Jim Clark	1962, 1963, 1964, 1965
	Kimi Raikkonen	2004, 2005, 2007, 2009
3	Juan Manuel Fangio	1950, 1954, 1955
	Damon Hill	1993, 1994, 1998
2	Alberto Ascari	1952, 1953
	Emerson Fittipaldi	1972, 1974
	Niki Lauda	1975, 1976
	Alain Prost	1983, 1987
	Sebastian Vettel	2011, 2013
	Lewis Hamilton	2010, 2015

Multiple Winners (Constructors)

# of wins	Constructor	Years won
16	Ferrari	1952, 1953, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1984, 1996,  1997, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009
14	McLaren	1968, 1974, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2000,  2004, 2005, 2010, 2012
8	Lotus	1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1972, 1977, 1978, 1985
4	Mercedes	1935, 1939, 1955, 2015, 2016
	Williams	1981, 1986, 1993, 1994
3	Red Bull	2011, 2013, 2014
2	Benetton	1992, 1995

 

 

Numbers and Facts

Most wins (driver) 6, Michael Schumacher 1992 – 95 – 96 – 97 – 2001 – 02

Most wins (constructor) 16, Ferrari 1952 – 53 – 56 – 61 – 66 – 75 – 76 – 79 – 84 – 96 – 97 – 2001 – 02 – 07 – 08 – 09

Wins from pole position 23, 1952 – 54 – 60 – 61 – 66 – 72 – 75 – 76 – 78 – 81 – 83 – 84 – 88 – 89 – 90 – 91 – 2000 – 02 – 07 – 11 – 12 – 15 – 16

Lowest grid for past winner 16, Michael Schumacher at Spa Francorchamps in 1995

Most recent 1-2 finish 2015, Mercedes (Lewis Hamilton-Nico Rosberg)

Most emphatic win (here) 4m 54s, 1963 (Jim Clark-Bruce McLaren)

Closest winning margin 0.35s, 1974 at Nivelles (E.Fittipaldi-Lauda) – Here the closest is 0.7s in 1961 (P.Hill-von Tripps)

Rain-affected races 17, 1952 – 56 – 63 – 65 – 66 – 77 – 81 – 85 – 89 – 92 – 95 – 97 – 98 – 2000 – 05 – 08 – 10

Safety Car-affected races 13, 1995 – 96 – 97 – 98 – 2000 – 04 – 05 – 09 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 15 – 16

Fastest race 2001, 36 laps @ 1hr 08m 05.002s (race reduced to 36 laps after accident to Luciano Burti)

Slowest race (here) 1952, 36 laps @ 3hrs 03m 46.3s (old 14.1 km/ 8.761 mile circuit – used 1946 to 1978)

Most pole positions (driver) 4, J-M Fangio 1951 – 53 – 54 – 56, Alain Prost 82 – 83 – 85 – 93 Ayrton Senna 88 – 89 – 90 – 91

Most pole positions (constructor) 12, Ferrari 1953 – 58 – 61 – 66 – 68 – 74 – 75 – 76 – 84 – 95 – 2002 – 07

What Happened last race here?

Nico Rosberg won this Grand Prix, with Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton, second and third respectively.

Hamilton received a multi-grid penalty before the start of the race due to a Power Unit change.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen and both Ferraris were involved in an incident at the start of the race.

The race was stopped on lap 9 after Kevin Magnussen crashed heavily at Raidillon, suffering a 12.5G impact, causing structural damage to the armoured collision barrier and tyre wall which required repairs, before the race could resume under green flag conditions. Magnussen suffered a cut on his ankle but no serious injury.

2016 Race Classification

Pos	Driver	Constructor	Time/Retired	Grid
1	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:44:51.058	1
2	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer	+14.113	5
3	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+27.634	21
4	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India-Mercedes	+35.907	7
5	Sergio Perez	Force India-Mercedes	+40.66	6
6	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+45.394	4
7	Fernando Alonso	McLaren-Honda	+59.445	22
8	Valtteri Bottas	Williams-Mercedes	+1:00.151	8
9	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	+1:01.109	3
10	Felipe Massa	Williams-Mercedes	+1:05.873	10
11	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer	+1:11.138	2
12	Esteban Gutiérrez	Haas-Ferrari	+1:13.877	18
13	Romain Grosjean	Haas-Ferrari	+1:16.474	11
14	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	+1:27.097	19
15	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+1:33.165	13
16	Esteban Ocon	MRT-Mercedes	+1 Lap	17
17	Felipe Nasr	Sauber-Ferrari	+1 Lap	16
Ret	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	Accident	12
Ret	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber-Ferrari	Gearbox	20
Ret	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	Puncture damage	14
Ret	Jenson Button	McLaren-Honda	Collision damage	9
Ret	Pascal Wehrlein	MRT-Mercedes	Collision	15

 

Did you know?

DRIVERS

✪ Sebastian Vettel has still not won back-to-back Grand Prix since he won the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix. That race ended a 9-race run of victories that started in Belgium, (BEL, ITA, SIN, KOR, JAP, IND, ABU, USA, BRA)

✪ Vettel needs to lead ‘only’ 62 more race laps to equal Ayrton Senna’s career total of 2,987. The all-time most F1 race laps led is 5,111 by Michael Schumacher

✪ Vettel and Lewis Hamilton are the only drivers to have finished in the points in all races so far this season

✪ Hamilton is scheduled to make his 200th F1 Grand Prix race start on Sunday

✪ Hamilton is just 1 pole position from equalling Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 68 F1 GP pole positions. Since he has been at Mercedes he has taken pole 41 times already, nearly 50% of all races he’s started for the team (41/ 86 = 47.7%). A Hamilton pole would also equal an event all-time record (see next page)

✪ Hamilton has won (57) 28.6% of all GP he’s started (199) and is in the top 10 drivers races to win ratio of all-time. Here’s how he compares:- Fangio 47.0%, 2. Ascari 40.6%, 3. Clark 34.7%, 4. M. Schumacher 29.7%, 5. Hamilton 28.6%, 6. Ja. Stewart 27.2%, 7. Prost 25.6%, 8. A. Senna 25.5%, Vettel 24.3% (46/189) 10. Moss 24.2% ✪ Valtteri Bottas will be 28 on the Monday after the race ie 28th August

✪ Kimi Raikkonen’s next win if ever it comes will be the 21st of his F1 career and will also be the most by a Finnish driver in F1. Currently he shares the record of 20 wins by a Finn with Mika Hakkinen. Another career stat he shares is 37 F1 front row appearances with Fernando Alonso

✪ Raikkonen’s next front row will be the 39th of his F1 career and will equal Mika Hakkinen’s record for the most front row grid positions by a Finnish driver in F1

✪ The Spanish Grand Prix marked the first anniversary of Max Verstappen’s first Grand Prix win. He has until the Singapore Grand Prix in September to win a second while still a teenager. (20th birthday on September 30th 2017). He is of course, so far the only teenager in F1 history to win a F1 World Championship Grand Prix and could still become the only teenager to take pole position too for a F1 World Championship Grand Prix. Max and Ricardo Rodriguez who started the 1961 Italian Grand Prix from P2 in his Ferrari when aged 19 years and 208 days are the only teenage drivers to date to have started a Grand Prix from the front row (Max the youngest, at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix where he started P2 he was aged18 years and 333 days

✪ Sergio Perez needs just 1 more podium to become the Mexican driver with the most F1 podiums (currently = with Pedro Rodriguez on 7)

✪ Nico Hulkenberg was 30 on 19 August

✪ Marcus Ericsson will be 27 on Saturday week, 2nd September

CONSTRUCTOR’S

✪ Mercedes in Belgium will be aiming to lockout the front row for the 50th time. The all-time record is 62 and is jointly held by McLaren and Williams. The lock-out if achieved would also mark the 149th and 150th F1 front row appearances by a driver racing for Mercedes-Benz

✪ Mercedes as a constructor has set 1 more race fastest lap in F1 World Championship GP (53) than Red Bull (52)

✪ Ferrari has still not scored consecutive pole positions since Fernando Alonso took pole for the Scuderia at the 2012 British and German Grand Prix and has still not scored a consecutive front row lock-out since Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa lock-out the front row for the 2006 US and French Grand Prix

✪ Ferrari last season was the only team to score championship points at all 21 events

✪ Red Bull has achieved a podium result for at least one of their drivers in 106 different F1 Grand Prix

✪ The current Williams team traces its origins back to 1977. The team began by running a March for Belgian Patrick Neve who sadly died earlier is year and later in 1978, became a constructor running a single FW06 car for Alan Jones. In 1979 the team expanded to 2 cars with Clay Regazzoni joining Jones. Regazzoni won Williams’s first Grand Prix, at Silversone in 1979 while Jones claimed Williams’s first driver’s and first constructor’s titles in 1980. Frank Williams had made his first forays into F1 in 1969, running a Brabham for Piers Courage. Campaigns with De Tomaso, private March’s, with his own cars and Heskeths latterly in conjunction with Canadian-Austrian entrepreneur Walter Wolf followed but it wasn’t until Williams teamed up with Head in 1977 and started all over again that Williams’s F1 fortunes really took off

✪ McLaren has not led a F1 race lap since Jenson Button led lap 14 of the Hungarian GP in 2014. The team has started 59 GP since

BELGIAN GRAND PRIX

✪ This year is the 50th F1 World Championship-qualifying Belgian Grand Prix to be held at Spa Francorchamps (it will be the 59th Belgian Grand Prix at Spa)

✪ If Lewis Hamilton takes pole position he will equal the all-time record for the most poles for the event. The record of 4 Belgian Grand Prix pole positions is currently jointly held by Juan-Manuel Fangio, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost

✪ Only Michael Schumacher (6 wins) and Ayrton Senna (5 wins have won more Belgian Grand Prix than Kimi Raikkonen (4 wins – tied with Jim Clark)

✪ The race has been won by the World Champion-to-be for 3 of the last 4 years

✪ This year is the 50th anniversary of Dan Gurney’s win here in the All American Racers’ Eagle-Weslake. Fifty years on the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix remains the only World championship F1 Grand Prix won by an American driver driving an American car for an American-owned team (please note that the Weslake engine was British, designed by famed BRM engine designer Aubrey Woods. It was built on commission from Gurney at Harry Weslakes’ premises in Rye, East Sussex)

Driver’s Championship standing

 

Pos	Driver	Points
1	Sebastian Vettel	202
2	Lewis Hamilton	188
3	Valtteri Bottas	169
4	Daniel Ricciardo	117
5	Kimi Raikkonen	116
6	Max Verstappen	67
7	Sergio Perez	56
8	Esteban Ocon	45
9	Carlos Sainz	35
10	Nico Hulkenberg	26
11	Felipe Massa	23
12	Lance Stroll	18
13	Romain Grosjean	18
14	Kevin Magnussen	11
15	Fernando Alonso	10
16	Pascal Wehrlein	5
17	Daniil Kvyat	4
18	Stoffel Vandoorne	1
19	Jolyon Palmer	0
20	Marcus Ericsson	0
21	Antonio Giovinazzi	0

Constructor’s Championship standing

Pos	Team	Points
1	Mercedes	357
2	Ferrari	318
3	Red Bull Racing-Tag Heuer	184
4	Force India-Mercedes	101
5	Williams-Mercedes	41
6	Toro Rosso-Renault	39
7	Haas-Ferrari	29
8	Renault	26
9	Mclaren-Honda	11
10	Sauber-Ferrari	5

 Driver’s penalty points:

Driver	Penalty points
Daniil Kvyat	10
Sebastian Vettel	7
Kevin Magnussen	7
Carlos Sainz	5
Jolyon Palmer	5
Sergio Perez	5
Stoffel Vandoorne	5
Nico Hulkenberg	4
Esteban Ocon	4
Romain Grosjean	3
Max Verstappen	3
Pascal Wehrlein	2
Felipe Massa	2
Jenson Button	2