Preview quotes
Spa-Francorchamps, with its long straights and epic corners, is one of the calendar’s toughest prospects and a firm favourite with most of the field. It’s also one of Formula One's most historic venues. The drivers, and some senior team personnel, reveal why they find the Belgian track such a special place to visit…
Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
2007 Qualifying - 6th, 2007 Race - 5th
"Spa is a fantastic race track with unique corners and a very special character. Although these days with the V8 engines it is no problem taking the Eau Rouge combination in the hollow at full throttle, it remains a standout feature. Compression is absolutely no problem physically, but it's nevertheless a very special sensation. For the spectators too, I can well recommend this section. It's very impressive the way the cars come roaring along downhill and then accelerate uphill again. In the current race calendar, Spa is the nearest GP circuit to my home town of Monchengladbach, and that's another reason for me to look forward to the Belgian Grand Prix, where I'll be aiming to achieve a good result."
Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber
2007 Qualifying - 14th, 2007 Race - 9th
"From my point of view the race in Spa is one of the best Grands Prix in the calendar. It is a very unique track with high-speed corners you can approach with different racing lines. The most famous corners in Spa-Francorchamps are definitely Eau Rouge and the Bus Stop chicane, which was modified before last year's race. The circuit is very long and very tricky. You have to find the right balance and the right configuration of the car in order not to lose any lap time. Another crucial factor is the weather in Belgium. It can rain in one sector and it can be dry in another sector. I am really looking forward to the race"
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport director
"Spa-Francorchamps is one of the specialities in the Formula One calendar. We look forward to the only course in the calendar that can still be described as a natural circuit since it follows the features of the landscape. In the Ardennes, steep inclines are as much a feature as the unpredictable weather.
"Spa may not be the track with the highest speeds - that accolade belongs to Monza - but in Spa we have the longest stretch taken at full throttle. Since the modification of the famous Eau Rouge corner and the introduction of V8 engines, drivers can go flat-out through the section from the hairpin shortly after the start, through the hollow and then uphill again. In last year's race we calculated that our drivers held the pedal to the floor for more than 1,865 metres, or 24 seconds. Engine power and stability are key requirements here.
"Nick's F1.08 is scheduled to take on a new BMW P86/8 engine with a new transmission, while Robert will be driving with the same engine and gear box as in Valencia. In the first two thirds of the season we didn't have a single retirement caused by any technical fault. We aim to maintain this high level of reliability. On the sporting side, we plan to improve further and see both cars finish solidly in the points at Spa."
Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber technical director
"Spa is one of the last natural circuits remaining in the calendar and therefore ranks among the classics. Most drivers love it, and for good reason. Eau Rouge is one of the most spectacular corners in Formula One, even though the V8 engines now allow it to be taken flat-out in dry conditions. Spa demands medium downforce, comparable to Montreal. High aerodynamic efficiency is very important as you need a lot of downforce in the fast corners of the middle sector while at the same time requiring plenty of top speed for overtaking at the end of the long straights.
"A crucial factor will be how to exploit the tyre potential. In Spa we use the two hardest compounds, which is a challenge particularly if air temperatures are low. The weather in Spa is always a big unknown as it can turn from one moment to the next, sometimes even within individual sections of the track."
Nico Rosberg, Williams
2007 Qualifying - 5th, 2007 Race - 6th
“We had a great race at Spa last year. I finished sixth, which was one of my best results of the season. The important thing for the team at the moment is that we’ve identified where improvements can be made with the FW30 and are making the necessary adjustments to take us into the final few races. The work everyone at the factory is putting in should help us out in Spa. We’re not going to make a huge jump, but we’ll definitely be heading in the right direction. I’m really looking forward to the Belgian Grand Prix because Spa is an amazing race track. It will be difficult to score points there, but you can never predict what will happen somewhere like Spa, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
Kazuki Nakajima, Williams
2007 Qualifying - NA, 2007 Race - NA
“It’s going to be the first time I’ve driven a Formula One car around Spa, so my first priority will be to learn the circuit and to find out how the car behaves on this track. I have, of course, driven Spa while racing in GP2 so know what a great racing track it is. In fact, it’s probably one of the greatest tracks on the calendar so I’m really looking forward to taking my FW30 out and doing that first lap!”
Sam Michael, Williams technical director
“Spa is one of the greatest tracks we visit. The circuit is steeped in history, with one of its most prolific characteristics being its fantastic corners, created by some significant undulations over the course of the lap. It’s a real challenge for the drivers to put in a perfect lap, on what is the longest on the calendar at seven kilometres.
“Spa is a fairly fluid track, with the corners flowing smoothly from one to another. As they are either medium or high speed, good car stability is a pre-requisite, and mistakes made in the early part of the lap are difficult to recover from. A car that can withstand some kerb-riding is also important to get through the Bus Stop chicane quickly.
“Weather is at its most unpredictable in Spa. The mountains in the area create their own micro-climate and small bursts of rain can appear on one part of the circuit and not on the others, which makes tyre choice an additional challenge! Strategists usually adopt a one or two stop approach for Belgium and Bridgestone will take the medium and hard tyre compounds.”
. Here you can find the best weather predictions for the weekend. Zaterdag mean saturday and Zondag means Sunday. So you can follow the forecasts:
