Profile: Spa-Francorchamps
- Location: Francorchamps, Belgium
- Direction: clockwise
- Lap Length: 7.004km
- Race Laps: 44
- Race Legnth: 308.176km
- Lap Record: 1:45.108 (Kimi Raikkonen, 2004)
- Spa-Francorchamps is located in central Belgium and is the longest circuit on the Formula One calendar. It temporary circuit that uses public roads, but has been famed in motorsport for decades hosting its first race in 1922.
It is a demanding circuit, and low to medium downforce settings are used to allow for the varied speeds on the circuit that boasts and the number of fast, downhill corners. The Eau Rouge sweeper is said to be amongst the most challenging stretches of road the circus visits making Spa the number one circuit on many drivers� lists.
Spa has held a permanent fixture in the F1 championship and was only omitted for one season in 2003 due to a disagreement between the sport�s commercial directors and the Belgian government over tobacco advertising.
A lap with Alex Wurz�
On the power along the short start-finish straight at Spa Francorchamps, you reach 180mph / 280km/h in sixth gear as you approach the La Source Hairpin. The tight right-hander is taken at 35mph / 56km/h. You accelerate downhill out of La Source, reaching some 181mph / 290km/h in seventh gear before arriving at the renowned Eau Rouge. Taken flat out, the track drops before climbing steeply left, right then left again at speeds of up to 180mph / 290km/h still in seventh gear. It is vital to maintain your speed through Eau Rouge as it leads onto the fastest section of the track, the Kemmell straight, which sees you reach 206mph / 330km/h.
You then brake hard for the right-hander of Les Combes, which is taken at 87mph / 140km/h in third. The left-right flick of the third gear Malmedy chicane follows immediately and sees your speed increase slightly to some 110mph / 177km/h through the corner. A quick burst of acceleration, reaching 165mph / 265km/h, takes you to the Rivage hairpin. Braking hard you negotiate Rivage at 69mph / 112km/h in second gear. The downhill right-hander is off-camber and you can experience understeer.
Accelerating out of Rivage, you then dab the brakes for a 100mph / 160km/h left hander, before once again getting on the power along the short straight that takes you to Pouhon. Entering the fast double apex left-hander at 133mph / 215km/h in fourth, your speed increases to 170mph / 272km/h through the corner.
A short burst on the throttle takes you to the right-left chicane of Fagnes, entered at 87mph / 140km/h in third gear, your speed increases slightly for the second section to 106mph / 170km/h. Along another short straight, you reach 156mph / 250km/h before braking slightly for the double apex right-hander of Stavelot. You enter the bumpy downhill bend at 95mph / 152km/h in third before accelerating to 150mph / 240km/h in fourth on the exit. This takes you onto the long sweeping left-hander of Blanchimont.
Flicking up through the gears you reach 190mph / 305km/h in seventh gear before braking hard for the bus stop chicane, which has again been modified prior to the Grand Prix, it flicks you right then left before taking you back onto the pit straight to start another lap.
Circuit maps as featured in F1 Championship Manager.
