Spa-Francorchamps is a favourite among many of the drivers, with its iconic corners, high speeds and elevation changes. To triumph here, one needs to tackle physical demands not present on many venues. History has provided many iconic race events at the circuit, with this weekend shaping up to be the same.

As It Currently Stands

Kimi Antonelli still leads the championship heading to Belgium, but his disappointing race finish brings George Russell and Lewis Hamilton into play. With just 25 points between the two Mercedes drivers, every position will be vital as we head towards the summer break.

Last race, Antonelli was met with a particularly bad string of luck, taking damage and some badly timed pit stops. Following a time penalty, he ended the race out the points, allowing Hamilton and Russell to close the gap. Also a contender is Charles Leclerc, following his win at Silverstone.

For McLaren, qualifying in Spa will be important, particularly for Lando Norris, who will serve a 10-place grid penalty this weekend. The Brit has opted to fit new power unit elements to his car, to hopefully improve the cars reliability. These changes mean he sacrifices starting position so, even if he finishes qualifying P1, he will start the race no higher than P11.

Demanding in All Categories

Spa remains as the longest circuit in the calendar, at 7.004km. Spa also has some of the greatest elevation changes across all 24 circuits, including numerous high speeds corners and straights. For this circuit, the drivers will need to master the balance between tyre life and power. The 19 corners around the track will be a killer for all three categories competing these weekend – F1, F2 and F3.

Historically, Max Verstappen has excelled at Spa. Taking three consecutive wins here from 2021 and Pole position, he understands well the demands required to tackle the track. His crash at the British Grand Prix provided himself and the team a great opportunity to fully reset. On a circuit he knows well, it’s expected that he will come back fighting. Spa and Silverstone share similarities with their track elements, which suggest the Red Bull may remain competitive here too.

However, what Verstappen needs, is for the team to have resolved the cars issue with downforce. High speed corners require enough downforce to keep them from spinning off, much like what occurred at Silverstone and again in Austria. The balance is tricky to find.

Dry Weather Predicted

More often than not, the Belgium Grand Prix welcomes a considerable amount of rain across the weekend. It has provided some brilliant strategies and race craft in the past, and aided Oscar Piastri’s victory here last season. However, so far, forecasts show the chance of rain being low, with it being close to non for Sundays race.

This adds a new element into tyre life and strategy. In the past, teams have been able to anticipate rain, which uses another tyre and allows slicks to run longer. Without rain, the surface temperatures become much worse for the already rapidly degrading tyres. A 3-stop strategy from any driver this weekend shouldn’t be surprising.