Why Fans Just Love Spa-Francorchamps

Before Formula 1 heads into its annual summer break, there's a double-header to enjoy – and it all begins with a true fan favourite.

Spa-Francorchamps is the first half of the back-to-back that wraps up this phase of the season, and while the calendar is stacked with iconic venues, there’s something about Spa that captures the hearts of fans both new and lifelong – whether you’re watching your very first season or your 75th.

Set in the depths of the Ardennes Forest, the 7-kilometre layout is comfortably the longest circuit on the calendar. But that’s already a trimmed-down version of the original 1921 configuration, which once stretched through neighbouring towns and villages on public roads – many of which you can still drive today.

Whether you’re trackside in Belgium or watching from home, there’s something about this place. You feel it in the atmosphere, and you can see it in the racing. From a driving point of view, there’s no shortage of challenges.

The climb through turns 2, 3 and 4 – better known as Eau Rouge and Raidillon – is arguably the most famous sequence in all of motorsport. No photo or onboard lap can truly capture the gradient, nor the commitment required.

That leads to the Kemmel Straight, a prime overtaking opportunity and one of two DRS zones on the circuit. From the exit of Turn 1 all the way to Turn 5, drivers are flat out for roughly 23 seconds.

Once at the highest point of the track, it’s a fast, flowing descent through the middle sector – 10 corners, five in each direction – before arriving at the final challenge: the run through Blanchimont and down to the Bus Stop chicane. This sector alone boasts as many corners as the entire Red Bull Ring, but still rewards the brave, especially when the weather throws its inevitable curveball.

Because, of course, it wouldn’t be Spa without the skies getting involved. Rain can arrive – and disappear – within minutes, often affecting one part of the circuit while leaving the rest dry. It’s part of the unpredictability, and the theatre, that fans come back for year after year.

Lap times here sit well north of 100 seconds, the longest single-lap duration of the season – but when every one of those seconds is packed with drama, history and risk, it’s no wonder fans adore it.

Next weekend, Spa plays host once more. Who will master it this time around? We’ll have to wait and see.

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