Belgium: Spa Francorchamps Track Facts

By Phil Huff
September 16 2007

Nestling deep inside the Ardennes forest near Liege, Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most historic and evocative circuits in Formula One and makes a welcome return to the 2007 calendar after a year’s absence for modernisation of the circuit and facilities.

Spa features a mixture of long straights combined with very high speed corners and low speed technical sections. Chassis set-up requires a compromise between reducing drag to aid straightline speed and generating downforce to aid cornering. Braking stability is also an important consideration, particularly when stopping the car after the flat-out Blanchimont corner for the new low speed chicane. 

With a 7.004 km lap, Spa is the longest circuit on the calendar and its fantastic corners, wonderful scenery and adrenalin pumping elevation changes make it a place where driver bravery and skill become even more significant than usual. The weather is notoriously changeable which only adds to the excitement of the race weekend.

The last outing at Spa was back in 2005, where BAR-Honda had a reasonably successful weekend. Jenson Button and team mate Takuma Sato qualified in eighth and 10th position respectively. Sato was involved in a collision with seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, retiring on lap 13, while Button improved to take a podium finish, ending the race behind just Kimi Raikkonen and eventual champion Fernando Alonso.