It’s been a little while since the last grand prix, so let’s briefly recap…
At the start of July, Lando Norris won his home race, the British Grand Prix, as Nico Hülkenberg took his first Formula 1 podium in a wet race at Silverstone.
The race marked the halfway point in the season, where Oscar Piastri‘s championship lead over Norris has been significantly reduced, but McLaren still retain a strong hold of both championships.
On to round 13 at Spa — a sprint weekend and a historic circuit enjoyed by fans and drivers alike.
Weather forecast – rain
Friday is set for light showers and highs of 20°C (68°F), with Saturday being similar temperatures and mostly cloudy all day.
Sunday is forecast for more showers across the day and similar temperatures in the high teens.
Jump to: Circuit history & stats | 2024 race | race predictions | how to watch | championship standings
Latest news
Red Bull filled the break with the shock announcement that team principal Christian Horner had been sacked. Was his dismissal a gamble to keep Max Verstappen (who is being courted by Mercedes)? Find out in our analysis of the team management reshuffle.
Senior figures at Red Bull promoted Racing Bulls team principal, Laurent Mekies, to lead the team, and no doubt he will be a popular man with reporters this weekend, as journalists seek to clarify the situation at Red Bull.
Still on the subject of Red Bull, Carlos Sainz has said he still does not understand why Red Bull did not sign him as Max Verstappen’s teammate for this season.
For more Red Bull analysis and a preview of the Belgian Grand Prix, listen to the latest episode of ESPN’s F1 podcast Unlapped with Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson.
Circuit stats and history
Spa-Francorchamps remains one of the most iconic F1 circuits and a favourite of fans and drivers alike. It’s one of seven circuits that was part of F1’s inaugural season in 1950, and only two years have been missed since then.
The 1957 edition was cancelled due to fuel rationining and financial trouble related to the Suez Crisis, and the 1969 race was cancelled over safety concerns raised by Jackie Stewart.
The original 1921 circuit was 14.9km long and built using public roads. The following year, a chicane was installed to slow the cars down, but it would be the final year of ‘old Spa’ as F1 moved to Zolder and Nivelles for the next 10 years.
Redevelopments at Spa took place in 1979 and saw the track shortened to 7km, which still makes it the longest circuit on the F1 calendar.
Spa shares a similar backdrop to the Austrian Grand Prix with forests and hills of the Ardennes region. The circuit, which sweeps through the forest, has everything you could want: elevation changes, overtaking opportunities and highly unpredictable weather.
It features the famous duo of Eau Rouge and Raidillon, for a long time renowned as one of the toughest (and steepest) corners in F1.
First F1 race: 1950
Laps: 44 laps of the 7km circuit. Total race distance 308km
Lap record: 1:44.701, Sergio Pérez (2024)
Most wins: Michael Schumacher with six (1992, 1995-1997, 2001-2002). Other winners from the current grid:
Most poles: Hamilton with six (2008, 2013, 2015, 2017-2018, 2020). Other pole sitters from the current grid:
What makes it special: The sweeping, high-speed rollercoaster through the Ardennes forest is regarded as one of F1’s most iconic venues. Legendary corners like Eau Rouge and Blanchimont and the chance of totally unpredictable weather add to the drama of this circuit.
What the drivers say about it: “Spa is probably the best circuit in the world, and every lap you do here is magic.” — Fernando Alonso
Where to watch from: Eau Rouge and Raidillon. One of the most famous sections in motorsport, where cars blast uphill at full throttle. The grandstands here give an incredible view of the elevation change and commitment required to take it flat out.
Fun facts about Spa:
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Verstappen was born in Belgium, which loosely makes Spa-Francorchamps his home race as well as Zandvoort
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Discounting Verstappen, no Belgian driver has won the Belgian Grand Prix
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The original bus stop chicane at the end of the lap, actually derived from a bus stop as the 1921 circuit design utilised public roads
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Eau Rouge didn’t feature on the original circuit layout. Prior to F1, the name is synonymous with a river in Liege, with which had red oxide deposits
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The 24 Hours of Spa started in 1924, making it the oldest race held at the circuit
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Of 69 editions of the Belgian Grand Prix, 27 have been won from pole.
What happened last year?
It was a Mercedes one-two led by George Russell, but he was later disqualified for an underweight car. His teammate Lewis Hamilton inherited the victory — his second win of the season.
The race was tight with the top three separated by 1.1 seconds, but Mercedes’ strategy and Hamilton’s lunge on pole sitter Charles Leclerc for the race lead was the move that enabled the victory.
Who will win?
It’s hard to bet against anyone other than a McLaren driver winning at the moment. Momentum has been with Norris lately, but Piastri has lost none of his performance and is our pick to turn the tide and take his first win since Spain this weekend.
How the championships look
Piastri’s lead in the drivers’ championship has been reduced to eight points ahead of teammate Norris. However, the McLaren pair are way ahead of the rest of the field as Verstappen is 61 points behind Norris in third.
McLaren lead the constructors’ championship with 460 points, 238 ahead of second-best Ferrari.
How to watch the GP
For fans in the U.S. only, watch on ESPN and ESPN+.
In the UK live broadcast coverage is on Sky Sports F1 and BBC Radio 5 Live.
For news, analysis and updates, follow the coverage with ESPN’s F1 team Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson at Spa and on social media.
Session times below in BST (British Summer Time). Local time is Central European Summer Time (+1 hour from BST).
Friday
Free practice one: 11:30-12:30 BST
Sprint qualifying: 15:30-16:14 BST
Saturday
Sprint race: 11:00-12:00 BST
Qualifying: 15:00-16:00 BST
Sunday
Race starts: 14:00 BST (live text commentary build-up from 13:15 BST on ESPN.co.uk).
– Standings | Calendar | Teams
– 2025 F1 circuits: Their history, stats and why they’re special
– Key facts on drivers, teams, venues, more
– Reasons to root for each F1 driver, questions for every team
– Meet the rookies: What to expect from F1’s Class of 2025
