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McLaren Racing – Everything you need to know about the Belgian Grand Prix


McLaren Racing - Everything you need to know about the Belgian Grand Prix

Anyone in the mood for a spa break? We know this great place in the Ardennes.

Formula 1 is returning from its annual summer shutdown this weekend and just as no vacation is complete without a trip to the spa, an F1 season is not the same without a visit to the sublime Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix. After a four-week hiatus, there is probably no better place to return to racing.

To bring you up to date, our latest race preview has the thoughts of McLaren F1 drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo as well as team principal Andreas Seidl before this weekend. We’ll also point out a few things to look out for at Spa and keep the lid off on how to get your hands on some of our most sought-after merchandise.

So follow you

Round 12th
Where Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
When August 27-29
Start time 3:00 p.m. local, 2:00 p.m. BST, 9:00 a.m. EDT
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What you say

“I can’t wait to get back to Spa to get the season going again. After a short break and preparation for the second half of the year, I’m looking forward to getting back in the car. The Belgian GP is a special race. First, it’s one of my favorite tracks on the calendar with a really fluid and fast layout. The Radillon and Eau Rouge sequence is one of the most exciting on the entire calendar, and it’s really cool to take those turns at full throttle in a modern F1 car. Second, it is home to many of my families, which always makes racing there a special occasion. I definitely feel the love of the fans out there too, so I’m looking forward to getting out on the track and giving them a good show. We got off to a good start into the season in the first half of the year, so the focus is now on picking up on that again and continuing through to the end of the season. “


McLaren Racing – Everything you need to know about the Belgian Grand Prix

“After a few weeks away from Formula 1, I’m looking forward to racing again at Spa, a great track. It’s the perfect route to return to with its high-speed sections and dramatic elevation changes. I’ve been working in the simulator at the factory again this week to prepare for the weekend and I’m ready to take it up again. “

“This is a special weekend for me as well as I prepare to line up for my 200th Grand Prix. If you had told me on my 2011 debut at Silverstone that I had reached 200 Grands Prix, I would certainly have been very excited. It’s a really cool milestone and definitely one to be proud of. I will do everything I can to make it an unforgettable weekend. “


McLaren Racing – Everything you need to know about the Belgian Grand Prix

“After a rest period during the summer break for the team to rest, recharge and prepare for the second half of the season, we will soon be ready to race again. We are currently in an intense battle with our closest rivals in the Constructors’ Championship and we know we have to get going at Spa to keep up the pressure. The circuit in Spa is a really unique and exciting circuit and represents an interesting challenge for both our engineers and our drivers. This Grand Prix weekend is also a special moment for Daniel and the team as we are celebrating his 200th. Grand Prix. Reaching this milestone is a really significant achievement and is a testament to the experience he has gained over his 10 year career. He’s joining an elite club of drivers by passing 200 grands prix and we look forward to celebrating the weekend with him.

“On the way to another triple header, the team will work hard to pick up where we left off at the end of the first half of the season and to collect points in all but one race. The intense schedule is a challenge for the team, but we are ready to tackle it directly, both within the track team and in the team at the plant as well as with our colleagues from Mercedes HPP. I know the whole team is excited to be back out there and give it their all. “

What the statistics say

A DNF last time ended Lando’s run of 15 consecutive points – a record for a McLaren F1 driver – but he’s returning to a track he knows well and scooped in the points last year. Daniel has now scored points in six of the ten races in which he drove with F1 machines at Spa. In fact, he has stood on the podium on three of those occasions, including a trip to the top tier in 2014.

McLaren enjoyed that feeling of victory at Spa too. The legendary track is of course the place where our founder Bruce McLaren took the team’s first Grand Prix victory in 1968. Since that memorable day, there have been another 13 wins for the team, including a remarkable streak of five wins in a row from 1987 to 1991 – an achievement no other team has matched.


McLaren Racing – Everything you need to know about the Belgian Grand Prix

Choice of tire compound for the Belgian GP

What to look out for

Fast, flowing, with many straights and differences in altitude – and unpredictable weather – the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is loved by drivers and fans alike. It’s one of the easiest tracks to overtake of the season, so getting caught in traffic is less of a concern, and a lackluster qualifying doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to compete for the race. The teams will therefore focus more on race performance than qualification performance.


McLaren Racing – Everything you need to know about the Belgian Grand Prix

The downforce level will be a major focus for the teams during free practice. They will try to find the right compromise between running enough wings to compete through the more technical mid-sector without having too much drag that could make them fight or attack on the straights.

Spa is the longest track on the calendar at 7km, which means the race is only 44 laps long. This poses an additional challenge for the strategists, as the chances of a pit stop are lower. And with the notoriously unpredictable weather in Spa, there is a very real risk of being on the track for about two minutes with the completely wrong set of tires.


McLaren Racing – Everything you need to know about the Belgian Grand Prix

What to wear

Ever since we showed a special, one-off Gulf livery at the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this year, fans have been longing for the return of the Gulf colors. Well, you’ll be delighted to hear that by popular demand you are coming back …

… to the McLaren Store. Okay, we’ll admit it was a bit mean to give you such hope, but on the positive side we’re stocking up on the McLaren x Gulf Collection starting next week and that means you have another chance to get your hands on all of these beautiful merch that sold out in no time last time. It’s likely to fly off the shelves again. So if you want to know exactly when refills are available and get exclusive access to orders before anyone else, you need to sign up for McLaren Plus using the form below.

Coming soon…

Be the first to know when the McLaren X Gulf collection is replenished


Plus one

Hmm … we still feel pretty bad about what we did there. How about we make up for it by getting Lando and Daniel to sign some of those stunning limited edition McLaren x Gulf posters and then give them away? Yeah, we thought that might be the trick. Just make sure you’re signed up for McLaren Plus and fill out the entry form for the chance to see one of the coolest posters in the world.


Win signed and framed McLaren x Gulf posters

Signed golf poster

Take part now and win these limited prizes

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The post McLaren Racing – Everything you need to know about the Belgian Grand Prix first appeared on monter-une-startup.
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