Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Belgian Grand Prix)
Spa-Francorchamps in the Ardennes forest is the longest circuit on the calendar at 7.004 km and the most loved by drivers. It blends the legendary uphill sweep of Eau Rouge and Raidillon and the long Kemmel straight with fast, sweeping corners, and its own micro-climate means it can be dry on one part of the track and wet on another.
At a glance
- Location: Stavelot, Ardennes, Belgium
- Length: 7.004 km
- Corners: 19
- Layout: permanent circuit, run clockwise, through forested hills
The character
:::analysis Spa is a driver's circuit in the truest sense. The flat-out plunge through Eau Rouge and up Raidillon is one of the great corners in motorsport, feeding the long Kemmel straight, and the middle sector is a rhythm of fast, committed sweeps with real consequences. Because the lap is so long and the Ardennes weather so fickle, rain can fall on one sector while another stays dry, which has decided many a Belgian Grand Prix. :::
Strategy and overtaking
The long Kemmel straight after Eau Rouge is one of the best overtaking spots in F1, with DRS and slipstream combining for big runs into the hairpin[1]. The wing-level choice is a gamble between straight-line speed and the fast middle sector, and the ever-present chance of rain makes wet-weather strategy and safety-car timing central to the weekend.
Related
- [1]Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Wikipedia) (wikipedia-en). Accessed 2026-06-18.