Belgian Grand Prix: Preview

Motor-racing has been taking place in the Ardennes Forest close to the thermal town of Spa for over a century. Originally, a triangle of public routes linking the villages of Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot was outlined, and it formed the basis of the circuit for the Belgian Grand Prix. It was part of Formula 1’s inaugural championship season in 1950 but the evolving sport soon outgrew the road-based 14km layout on safety grounds, and after 1970 it was dropped. 

After a stint at the unpopular Nivelles and Zolder circuit, Formula 1 returned to a renovated Spa-Francorchamps in 1983, with portions of the old layout retained but the sweeping road section towards Stavelot bypassed. Nevertheless, the new Spa-Francorchamps swiftly received widespread acclaim and remains among the most-loved circuits on the current calendar by drivers and teams alike. For 2023 the event has moved from August to July as the final race prior to Formula 1’s summer recess. 

 

At 7km, Spa-Francorchamps is the longest circuit on Formula 1’s current calendar, with a lap taking drivers on an undulating journey through the Ardennes Forest. The circuit, a steep challenge for drivers, also provides a set-up quandary for teams. High downforce is preferred for the long-radius corners that comprise the long middle sector of the lap, but top-end speed is essential for the lengthy full-throttle blasts of the first and final sectors, which include the renowned flat-out Eau Rouge/Raidillon and Blanchimont curves respectively. 

The microclimate around Spa-Francorchamps can intervene, even in the height of summer, with temperature fluctuations and wet weather likely to influence proceedings. As the old saying goes: if you can’t see the forests it’s raining, and if you can see the forests, well, it’s going to rain. 

This year’s Belgian Grand Prix will feature F1 Sprint, the first time that the two-race format has been held at Spa-Francorchamps. It will be the third of six presences for F1 Sprint in 2023.

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal

The final round before the summer shutdown brings MoneyGram Haas F1 Team to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix. How would you assess the first half of the season looking at all areas of the team?

“We had a good start to the season again, but we’ve fallen back a bit as we haven’t got as much out of our car compared to other teams. The positives are that we now have Nico in the team, which has been a big help to get all the performance out and he’s working really hard to keep the team motivated and to push, he also fits in fantastically. There’s lots of other things that are positive, such as our pit stops. We’re pretty solid at the moment – fingers crossed it keeps on like this – but we can’t really show what we can do because, I wouldn’t say the lack of race pace, but with the degradation of the tires in the race, the most important thing we don’t bring home is points.” 

Last weekend in Hungary showed once again the one-lap potential of the VF-23, but also that race pace didn’t seem to be as affected as in previous races. Have updates brought to the car helped our current issue or was it track specific? And looking ahead to the second part of the season, when do developments to this year’s car turn into workings for next season’s challenger?

“In Hungary, the result looked worse than it was because we weren’t far from our competitors, but we were still behind. It’s not fantastic but it’s the right direction. To say whether it was the updates that gave performance or whether it was track specific, it’s very difficult to judge because of how mixed up the teams are getting and how close it is, it’s hard to come to a definitive conclusion on whether an update works. Our upgrade was small as we all know but what it promised to do, it did, but it just wasn’t enough. 

“Upgrades for this season will also be implemented on next year’s car and that’s why we’ve decided to continue with this year’s car development to really understand our problems and where we need to put effort into making the car better for next year. Right now, we’re developing both cars in parallel, and we don’t really know yet when we switch over only to 2024.”

 

The summer shutdown provides a much-needed break for team personnel and those traveling the world with Formula 1. What are your plans for your time away from the track and how essential is it to give drivers and staff time to rest and recharge the batteries?

“I personally will go for a few days on the beach with my family and the rest of the time I will spend with my family as it’s the best way for me to rest and recharge. It’s very important that each of us has something left in the battery when we get to the end of the season, as it’s a tough one. It’s tough for everyone in Formula 1 so we need to take the time when we have it.”