For the second race of the season, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) comes to rest in the middle of the Belgian Ardennes region.
The 7km track includes, among others, such emotive sequences and corners as La Source, the hairpin, the famous climb up from Eau Rouge to Raidillon, Blanchimont, Les Combes or Pouhon. Set in the Ardennes forests, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit constantly keeps the drivers on the edge of their seats as it demands as much of them as of their cars.
History tells us the Eau Rouge flowing under the chicane of the same name was the border between two empires. At the height of the Roman Empire, the river was the border between the provinces of Cologne and Tongeren. It was also the border that separated the Netherlands and Prussia (1815-1839) and most recently, Prussia from Belgium (1839-1919).
Nicknamed as the "Ardennes Toboggan", Spa remains an old-style circuit which is very technical. It is often in the mid-section, where it becomes more winding, that precious seconds are won or lost. Indeed, each turn requires a specific approach regarding downforce and how it is approached.
And then there is another decisive factor: the weather. Whatever the season, showers are frequent in this area of Belgium and can quickly add some spice to the race. This phenomenon is brought sharply into focus by the length and elevation of the circuit, because it can be raining in one part of the circuit and not in another…
