Spa-Francorchamps is a true classic Formula One circuit. There was a time when it was 14 kilometres in length and, even today, it is the longest track on the calendar, at 7.004 kilometres. One key section is the Bus Stop, formerly a double chicane and now a single turn. It’s very easy to overshoot and for safety reasons, it’s not possible to cut the corner. Rejoining the track therefore costs precious time. It nearly always rains in Spa, either in practice or during the race. It’s a track that sorts the boys from the men and the majority of drivers love it. To appreciate the difficulty of the challenge it presents, you only have to look at the winners’ roll of honour. Among the track’s most famous sections are the uphill esses at Eau Rouge and the following Raidillon, as well as Les Combes, Malmedy, Stavelot and Blanchimont.
The uniqueness of Eau Rouge is the high vertical load that is put into the suspension (and driver) as the track dips down and then rises sharply into the steep climbing turn out of the corner. Simply adding packers in order to prevent the car bottoming out can make the car too nervous. Spa is also a great challenge for the drivers who like to boast about taking the corner flat out. That, say the men who check the telemetry, is something that has to be checked along with the braking telemetry, for even though the throttle might stay wide open throughout the corner many drivers use their left foot to brake the car slightly to stabilize it. Flat out is not always the quickest way around the corner, for if the car gets a bit out of shape more time can be lost than is gained.
Scuderia Ferrari has won 16 times in Belgium, 12 of them at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, while other four at Zolder: the first winner for the Maranello team was Alberto Ascari in 1952 and the last victory to date was courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen in 2009.
Michael Schumacher remains the driver with most wins at the Belgian Grand Prix (six out of which four with the Italian team).
List of wins for Scuderia Ferrari:
1952 Ascari (500 F2)
1953 Ascari (500 F2)
1956 Collins (D50)
1961 Hill (156 F1)
1966 Surtees (312 F1-66)
1975 Lauda (312 T)
1976 Lauda (312 T2)
1979 Scheckter (312 T4)
1984 Alboreto (126 C4)
1996 Schumacher (F310)
1996 Schumacher (F310 B)
2001 Schumacher (F2001)
2002 Schumacher (F2002)
2007 Raikkonen (F2007)
2008 Massa (F2008)
2009 Raikkonen (F60)
List of Pole positions for Ferrari:
1952 Ascari (500 F2)
1956 Fangio (D50)
1958 Hawthorn (246 F1)
1961 Hill (156 F1)
1966 Surtees (312 F1-66)
1968 Amon (312 F1-68)
1974 Regazzoni (312 B3-74)
1975 Lauda (312 T)
1976 Lauda (312 T2)
1984 Alboreto (126 C4)
1995 Berger (412 T2)
2002 Schumacher (F2002)
2007 Raikkonen (F2007)
List of Fastest Laps by Scuderia Ferrari drivers:
1952 Ascari (500 F2)
1958 Hawthorn (246 F1)
1960 Hill (256 F1)
1961 Ginther (156 F1)
1966 Surtees (312 F1-66)
1975 Regazzoni (312 T)
1976 Lauda (312 T2)
1979 Villeneuve (312 T4)
1984 Arnoux (126 C4)
1988 Berger (F1-78/88C)
1990 Prost (F1-90)
1998 Schumacher (F300)
2000 Barrichello (F1-2000)
2001 Schumacher (F2001)
2002 Schumacher (F2002)
2007 Massa (F2007)
2008 Massa (F2008)
Leave a Reply