Spa-Francorchamps loses unique feature on start straight with new asphalt – PHOTO

With the laying of the new asphalt, the Spa-Francorchamps track has lost one of the unique features of its start straight. The organizers of the Belgian GP are racing to keep the track, nestled in the Ardennes, on the calendar for as long as possible. After a new grandstand was built in 2022, the new asphalt, and a slight modification of Eau Rouge, Spa has further changed its appearance. In fact, with the arrival of the new track surface on about half of the track, the Spa start straight has lost one of its main features that made it unique.

The weather in Belgium is always a decisive factor in whether a GP takes place or not. The most recent example is 2021, where the Sunday race lasted just 3 laps under the Safety Car. The high amount of rain made it impossible to drain the excess water, creating walls of water that significantly limited the drivers’ visibility.

However, this was an exceptional case, but on other occasions when it rained, the track surface was able to drain the water, allowing the race to proceed as normal. The most important and critical moment of any race is the start, especially on a track like the Belgian one where the grid is slightly uphill. Besides this peculiarity, the Spa start straight was characterized until June 2024 by a particular laying of the asphalt. What made this start line unique was the presence of oblique grooves that allowed rainwater to drain, as explained by f1ingenerale.

With the new asphalt, the grooves for water drainage disappear – @F1inGenerale

With these many lines etched into the track surface, the problems of water pooling were reduced, limiting the sliding of the cars at the start in wet conditions. This choice was also dictated by the closed structure of the asphalt layer, which had very limited drainage capabilities. The laying of the new asphalt allowed the organizers to eliminate this feature by using a more open matrix for greater water runoff.