PREVIEW: Belgian Grand Prix 2021 – Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

After a long four-week summer break, the FIA ​​Formula 1 World Championship is back and ready to go with the Belgian Grand Prix.

In round 12, the teams return to the fan favorite Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian countryside. It is also the first of three races in a European triple header.

What happened at the Hungarian Grand Prix?

Rain caused chaos in the first round of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Go to the first corner Valtteri Bottas lost control of his car, collided with Lando Norris. Norris was then pushed inside Max Verstappenwho trimmed his Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez. Elsewhere, Lance walk collided with Charles Leclercwho cut off Daniel Ricciardo, sent him to spin. The race was then canceled with a red flag.

Of all the cars involved in the first lap incident, Bottas, Pérez, Norris, Leclerc and Stroll all had to give up. Ricciardo and Verstappen were able to continue, albeit with damaged cars.

The race was restarted with a standing start, but first in a Formula 1, Lewis Hamiltonwho was on pole was the only one to start the race. The rest of the grid had dived into the pits after the warm-up lap to switch from wet tires to slicks. With the lights off, Hamilton raced ahead, but realized he had made a mistake by not pitting and having to change tires at the end of the lap, which meant he was the last to come out.

Esteban Ocon and Sebastian Vettel had managed to avoid the chaos of the first lap, which meant the pair were now first and second in the race. Hamilton managed to storm down the field but failed to take on Ocon and Vettel due to some great defenses Fernando Alonso when the couple battled for fourth place.

When the checkered flag comes up, Ocon took his first career win and Alpine F1 teams first victory. Vettel finished second but was disqualified for excessive fuel consumption, which meant Hamilton with. Finished second Carlos Sainz Jr.complete the podium.

Williams scored their first points of the season, with both drivers finishing in the top ten.

What happened at the 2020 Belgian Grand Prix?

Hamilton was able to get the go-ahead for the checkered flag at the last Belgian Grand Prix. Sainz Jr. was unable to start the race due to a problem with his power unit and promoted those who qualified eighth and below a space.

The race was relatively uneventful. Antonio Giovinazzi brought out the only safety car of the race. He hit the wall at turn 14. The impact released one of its wheels, which was the Williams races from George Russell. Both had to end the race early.

Hamilton won, Bottas finished second and Verstappen third.

The racetrack

Spa-Francorchamps has a total of 20 corners. Drivers will complete 44 laps of the 7.004km circuit, the lowest number on the F1 calendar this year. The total race distance is 308,052 km.

Bottas currently holds the lap record with a time of 1: 46.286, which was set in 2018.

Photo credit: Pirelli Media

Sectors, corners and DRS zones

Sector 1 sends the drivers to La Source, through Raidillon Eau Rouge and along the long Kemmel straights.

Sector 2 begins with the three corners of Les Combes before following through Bruxelles, Pouhon, Campus and ending the sector at Stavelot.

The third and final sector consists of Courbe Paul Frère, Blanchimont and the chicane in finals 19 and 20.

The route has two DRS zones. The first detection zone is between La Source and Raidillon Eau Rouge and is ready for the riders speeding along the Kemmel Straight. The second detection zone begins just before the last chicane, ready for the DRS along the start / finish line.

Tire strategy

Pirelli chose Spa-Francorchamps for the mid-range mixes. C2 is white striped hard, C3 yellow striped medium and C4 red striped soft.

This is the same mix as 2020, a step tougher than 2019. This is because the lap is the longest on the F1 calendar.

What should we watch out for this year?

The rivalry between Mercedes and Red Bull is stronger than ever. Since Verstappen only got two pints in two races, it brought Hamilton and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team at the top of the respective drivers ‘and constructors’ championships. Verstappen is hoping to be unlucky in the recent changes and can claim the top stop again.

Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren F1 team are head to head with 163 points, with Ferrari taking third place due to its higher placements. If McLaren is looking to recapture third place, they hope Ricciardo can catch up with Norris in the second half of the season.

Alpine really put itself on the map with Ocon and the team’s first win in Hungary. With Alonso also signing a new contract, the guys are looking strong and will shoot for fifth place among the constructors.

Williams took his first points of the season and it was an emotional point. Now they are in eighth place among the designers and hope for more points to keep them there.

What’s the schedule?

Friday, August 27th

10:30 am BST / 11:30 am local time – Free Practice 1
14:00 BST / 15:00 local time – Free practice 2

Saturday, August 28th

11:00 BST / 12:00 local time – Free Practice 3
14:00 BST / 15:00 local time – qualification

Sunday 29th August

14:00 BST / 15:00 local time – race

How can I keep up with the action?

Follow the action at the Checkered Flag with our extensive coverage, quotes and analysis on every session of the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. You can see all the coverage live on Sky F1 and the highlights on Channel 4.