The Belgian Grand Prix (Dutch: Grote Prijs van België; French: Grand Prix de Belgique; German: Großer Preis von Belgien;...
The Belgian Grand Prix (Dutch: Grote Prijs van België; French: Grand Prix de Belgique; German: Großer Preis von Belgien; English: Belgian Grand Prix) is a Formula One World Championship race organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. It is traditionally held in September and is held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps near the town of Spa in the eastern part of the country, in the Ardennes mountains. Other venues where the race has been held include Zolder, Nivelles and Bois de la Cambre.
A new pit lane and buildings for the entire paddock were built for 2007, and the famous Bus Stop passage was rebuilt, including the approach to the finish straight. Over the years, the track has undergone a number of modifications, including its shortening to its current length of 7,004 m. It is currently a fast and hilly track leading through the Ardennes, where speeds often reach 330 km/h. Since the beginning of the local races, Spa-Francorchamps has also become known for its unpredictable and changeable weather. Among other things, there can be situations where one part of the track is dry, while another part may be raining. Fans and drivers love the local races. A boring race is very rare here, most current drivers say that, together with Suzuka in Japan, it represents one of the greatest challenges for drivers in the world. Spa-Francorchamps itself demonstrates the importance of driver skill more than any other circuit. This is especially evident in the Eau Rouge and Blanchimont corners. Both of them must be driven very sharply in order to successfully exit the following long straights, which helps the drivers with the resulting lap time and overtaking.
