Belgium: The Pilots’ Perspective

When mentioning the name Spa-Francorchamps to drivers, whether they come from Formula One or elsewhere, words often fail or flirt with banality as the circuit elicits unanimous approval. Kimi Räikkönen, for instance, is ready to bet that all drivers love Spa. Of course, the Finn is no exception: For me, it’s the most beautiful circuit in the world. It’s my favorite place. I’ve loved it since my first race here, in 2000, in Formula Renault.

If for Jenson Button, Spa is the mother of all races, one of the greatest Grand Prix circuits in history, Michael Schumacher, six-time winner in the Ardennes, simply believes that he feels at home there: For me, it’s clearly the number one circuit in the world. It’s uncanny because it seems I’ve always had special moments there: my debut, my first victory, a championship [in 2004, Ed] and plenty of very good races. The fact that I’m celebrating my 300th Grand Prix there seemed almost inevitable, and we must celebrate it in the right way.

While Timo Glock finds the track fascinating, Sergio Pérez also joins in the chorus of praise: Spa-Francorchamps is quite an intimidating circuit with a great history. It has its own character, and circuits like this are hard to find these days. His teammate, Kamui Kobayashi, is no less enthusiastic: I love high-speed corners, and I also love how this circuit blends into such a green setting: it gives it a very special atmosphere.

On the side of the Force India drivers, while for Nico Hülkenberg it’s definitely one of the best places to drive a Formula One car to feel its performance in high-speed corners, Paul di Resta agrees with his fellow drivers in saying that it’s one of the best circuits in the world: “It’s always a special feeling to return there. I never had the chance to race much there at the beginning of my career, so it’s great to be able to go and discover such an impressive array of corners in an F1.”

For Kimi Räikkönen, it’s fabulous to race here, it provides sensations you can’t experience anywhere else. Racing with a modern car on a real circuit with such a grand tradition is fantastic. Regarding the driving itself, the Finn explains that Spa offers very challenging high-speed corners that require good setup: As we’ve seen so often this year, a good spot on the grid is extremely important and could prove decisive here as well. Everyone knows it. It’s essential to have excellent aerodynamics to handle these fast corners. […] Many things can depend on the outcome of the qualifications, so it’s imperative to set an excellent setup on Friday and Saturday and then be very strong in qualifying.

Thus, for Lewis Hamilton, it is always thrilling to succeed in a fast lap there, and after five weeks out of the cockpit, the first lap on Friday morning will provide absolutely sensational feelings. They will be even more so because, according to Nico Rosberg, the circuit offers the most exciting corner of the year, the Raidillon de l’Eau Rouge.

But Pedro de la Rosa points out that while Spa-Francorchamps is spectacular and difficult, it is not just because of its fast corners but also due to the weather, as one part of the track can be dry while the other may be wet, so you have to be able to adapt quickly. For Kamui Kobayashi, the unpredictability of the weather conditions over the Belgian Ardennes can significantly influence qualifying or the race.

On the French side, while Romain Grosjean believes that the Spa track is fantastic and considers it a bit like his third home race, along with Monaco and Canada, since they speak French there, Charles Pic feels that everything about it is a real challenge for a driver, the circuit has such an atmosphere due to its history. The Marussia driver is also eager to race there in Formula One for the first time.

But Spa-Francorchamps also stands out from its calendar companions because it has managed to modernize without losing its essence. Even though many run-off areas have been added over the years, it still offers some of the trickiest corners on the calendar, emphasizes Narain Karthikeyan.

And so, because the Ardennes rollercoaster is a legendary figure in Formula One, it is one of those circuits, like Monaco, Silverstone, Monza, or Suzuka, where drivers try to stand out: « The circuit has a long history, so it’s a race where you want to do well, » concluded Pastor Maldonado.