Rain comes as no surprise at Spa-Francorchamps – and if the weather forecast is correct, a fair amount of rain could fall over the weekend of the Belgian Grand Prix.
The legendary Ardennes racetrack is said to have its own microclimate where conditions can often change very quickly, and the BBC says the track could be wet on all three days when Formula 1 returns from its summer break.
The teams could get away with slicks for FP1 on Friday morning if the forecast predicts a chance of rain of up to 30% but cool conditions, maybe only around 12 degrees.
In the afternoon, however, the raindrops will appear on the forecast graphs for the FP2, with sunshine and showers likely.
This theme continues throughout Saturday when the rain probability for RP3 in the morning seems to be over 50% higher.
The likelihood of showers decreases only marginally for afternoon qualifying, which offers the potential for one of those thrilling sessions when a rapidly developing surface – either wetter or drier – makes the timing of push laps critical and pole position is wide open.
For the race on Sunday, the sun symbol disappears completely from the forecast in Spa. Instead, it suggests light rain with a constant probability of over 40% and a light breeze for the duration of the race.
We’re here, Spa
And you always have the feeling that the rain is about 10 minutes away 
# HaasF1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/542l38k1BR
– Haas F1 Team (@ HaasF1Team) August 26, 2021
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The teams must therefore be careful about how they use their tire allocation during the three days, as a heavy reliance on intermediates and rain tires is likely.
In the so far very entertaining season, two of the most exciting races of the season inevitably took place shortly before the start after a downpour.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola was won by Max Verstappen and was marked by incidents where Lewis Hamilton, George Russell / Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez were all surprised by the difficult conditions.
Last time at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Bottas misjudged his braking in the first corner and triggered a close combat that knocked several podium contenders out of the count. Esteban Ocon scored a shock victory for Alpine.
Probably the most famous rain race in Spa was in 1998, when Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher achieved a one-two for Jordan – the team’s first Formula 1 victory.
That race was also remembered for a dramatic first lap pile-up as Eau Rouge approached and Michael Schumacher’s furious reaction after his Ferrari hit David Coulthard’s McLaren.
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