It’s back! Well, almost. The month-long Formula 1 summer break finally draws to a close this weekend after a much-needed rest for all involved. And what better place to resume the racing than the circuit which many regard as the best in the world?
Only seven countries can boast that they were part of the inaugural World Championship calendar six decades ago, with a very different and far more dangerous Spa-Francorchamps welcoming winner Juan Manuel Fangio across the line for Alfa Romeo on 18 June, just 11 days before Uruguay beat Brazil to win the first FIFA World Cup since the War ended.
Back then, Spa was just as thrilling albeit a less inviting place if racing drivers’ safety was anything to consider; never mind the new speed humps and asphalt run-off areas which grace the circuit this season, but it was non-protected blasts through heavily-wooded areas and active towns which brought the expected hazards, not least competitors ending up in buildings at times.
Designed in 1920 – nearly half a century before this year’s eldest F1 driver was even born - by a pair of men called Jules de Their and Henri Langlois van Ophem, the first-ever Spa was in-fact triangular in shape and made best use of the roads connecting surrounding towns Malmedy, Francorchamps and Stavelot (all familiar names nowadays for either corners or the venue itself).
In 1922 the first race was staged, as the ’21 event was called off when only one competitor signed the entry list (!). Following the inaugural running of the Spa 24 Hours (still a popular fixture in the Le Mans Series) in 1924, the maiden Grand Prix took place 12 months later.
Fast-forward past a selection of fantastic on-track encounters and horrific crashes to 2010 and it’s unlikely you’ll find a driver whose top five tracks list doesn’t include the Ardennes-based facility. Due to its geographical nature, Spa also possesses a highly unique microclimate and it’s not strange to find umbrellas being used to shelter from rain at one end of the circuit as other spectators shade from sunshine…
This would be no preview to the Belgian Grand Prix – which has been shared between Spa (42 races), Zolder (10) and Nivelles (2) over the years – without taking a moment to recall just a selection of superb races we’ve enjoyed at the track.
Of recent seasons 2008 springs to mind, with Lewis Hamilton having taken the chequered flag after a titanic scrap with Kimi Räikkönen as rain threw all sorts of variables into the closing stages of the race, only for the Champion elect to then be thrown off the top spot by stewards for cutting the much-altered Bus Stop Chicane and handing victory to none other than title rival Felipe Massa in the process.
Ten years earlier, an out-of-control David Coulthard speared across the charging pack before duly helping to create what was the most spectacular multiple collisions the sport has ever seen, with over half the field being affected as the crowd could only hope that no debris made its way over the barriers.
Although the ’98 carnage was certainly spectacular, the moment fortunately did not possess the same amount of fear which came with the majority of accidents at the venue in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Racing greats Jackie Stewart and Stirling Moss are just two of the men to have escaped from heavy crashes, with the former trapped in his BRM upside-down and with broken ribs in 1966 as leaking fuel continued to coat his overalls, with the car unbelievably having made its way off the circuit and into the cellar of a nearby farmhouse.
In 1960, due to separate accident Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey tragically lost their lives within just a quarter of an hour of each other and by 1969 the drivers had had enough, refusing to race due to the extreme danger of the track and forcing the cancellation of that year’s event as a result. Thankfully, Armco barriers were at least added for the start of the 1970s although more human loses in sport and touring car races – for competitors and onlookers alike - practically signed the death certificate of the circuit configuration which included forest sections.
As well as tragedy, Spa has also endured its far share of political and financial woes over recent years, not least due to the national government’s views over funding the event and its strict clamping town on tobacco advertising which meant that – with around half the teams sporting such logos in the 1990s – they were replaced with alternatives…or perhaps subliminal messages…for this race.
And so we move on to 2010. We have seven races to go and five drivers separated by just 20 points at the top of the table – a scintillating prospect which will begin to unfold at an equally scintillating race track. Damage limitation could be the key phrase for Red Bull Racing; how much time can they save in the twisty second sector, with the general feeling being that the long straights will not bring out the best in the Renault-powered cars. With that in mind, watch out for a McLaren-Ferrari assault on the leader’s championship advantage.
Laps: 44
Direction: Clockwise
Corners: 19
Lap record: 1:45.108 / K. Räikkönen / McLaren-Mercedes / 2004
Local start time: 2pm (BST +1)
Slick tyre compounds:
Soft & Hard
FIA driver race steward:
Nigel Mansell
Circuit changes for 2010:
- La Source AstroTurf extended to end of the run-off area
- Grass and gravel trap replaced by asphalt run-off at Les Combes
- AstroTurf and three speed humps installed on outside of Les Combes
- New 50mm negative kerb in place on exit of Les Combes left-hander
At a glance:
- Spa pole position winners
- Spa Grand Prix winners
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