2022 Belgian GP: F1 returns after a three-week summer break when all teams and drivers travel to Spa Francorchamps.
Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most iconic tracks in F1 history. It’s a race that fans and drivers look forward to every year, because of its fast, exciting layout and the fact that it produces excellent racing action.
Coulthard and Schumacher clash at Spa back in 1998 😮
One of five dramatic moments we’ve picked out from the #BelgianGP archives 🎞🇧🇪#F1
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 23, 2022
This year, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen heads into the Belgian GP as Championship leader. He is 80 points ahead of second-placed Charles Leclerc and is the favorite to win his consecutive World Championship.
Recent rumors have put Spa’s presence in the F1 calendar into question. According to multiple sources, the organizers may be forced to remove it from the schedule in place of races that can offer more money to F1. This is a decision that fans and drivers dislike because it’s a race that is steeped in F1’s long and glorious history.
2022 Belgian GP: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps length and number of laps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps was designed back in 1920 and was 15 km (9 miles) long. Since then it has gone through lots of changes and the length was shortened and increased in years to come. Today’s Grand Prix layout in Spa is 4.352 (7 km) long.
The most famous part of the circuit’s current layout is Eau Rouge. It has been criticized sometimes for being too dangerous, and there have been changes implemented to that part ahead of this year’s race.
It is very strange, but good fun as well,” two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso said about Eau Rouge.
Because of it’s long layout, the Belgian GP is the race with the least number of laps. Fans will be treated to 44 laps of racing action on Sunday.
Also read: Yuki Tsunoda considers himself as fast as $5 Million a year teammate
Belgian Grand Prix lap-time records
Spa-Francorchamps has seen some of the best drivers of all time put in scintillating lap times around the track. It has gone through multiple layout changes over the years, but the most recent one occurred in 2022 itself, with the objective of having more run off area in Eau Rouge to prevent crashes.
BUT HERE COMES SEBASTIAN VETTEL 🔥 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/ZwjAiSNQbO
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 23, 2022
Before this year, the last time there was significant change in the track’s layout was in 2007. This was when the new pit-lane along with the ‘bus-stop chicane’ was introduced.
The fastest driver in this current Grand Prix layout has been former Mercedes star Valtteri Bottas. The Finn put in a lap-time of 1:46.286 in the Mercedes W09 back in 2018.
Also read: Inside Charles Leclerc’s $3 Million Private Yacht parked at the Strait of Bonifacio in France
Belgian GP past winners
Some of the greatest drivers in all time have been winners of the Belgian GP. It’s one of the most iconic races on the calendar, and everyone dreams of standing on the top step of Spa-Francorchamps.
Sitting on my sofa doing bugger all for 4 hours was incredibly boring, but I can only imagine all the people who’ve been sat since probably 10am at spa
— Nathan 霜 (@_Frosts) August 29, 2021
Last season’s outing was won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Fans, however, could only see two laps, which were held behind the safety car. The fact that there was a podium ceremony and half points awarded for a race that did not even take place, enraged a lot of fans. They will all be hoping for something very different this year.
The winners of the last five installments of the Belgian GP are as follows:
2017: Lewis Hamilton
2018: Sebastian Vettel
2019: Charles Leclerc
2020: Lewis Hamilton
2021: Max Verstappen
