Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
The Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium: 7.004 km of hills and long sweeping corners, born on public roads in 1921.
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is in Francorchamps, in the Liège province of Belgium, within the municipality of Stavelot with a few stretches in Malmedy. In its present form it is 7.004 kilometres long with 19 turns.[1],[2]
It hosts, among other events, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the 24 Hours of Spa, and the European Le Mans Series since 2016.[1],[2]
At a glance
| Town | Francorchamps (municipality of Stavelot), Liège province[1],[2] |
|---|---|
| Country | Belgium |
| Layout | Grand Prix |
| Endurance series | WEC |
| Period | 1921-present |
| Length | 7.004 km, 19 turns[1],[2] |
| Opened | 1921[1],[2] |
| First 24 Hours of Spa | 1924[1],[2] |
Landmarks of the circuit
- Eau Rouge and the Raidillon
- After the descent that follows the La Source hairpin, cars cross the Eau Rouge stream and then climb a steep sequence of corners with a blind crest. The Raidillon replaced a U-shaped corner at the former customs post in 1939. Prototypes and Formula 1 cars take it at more than 300 km/h.[1],[2]
- La Source
- It is the very tight hairpin that closes the lap, described as the slowest point of the circuit. Cars brake hard there before plunging towards Eau Rouge.[1],[2]
- Les Combes and the Kemmel Straight
- The long straight after the Raidillon leads to Les Combes, a left-hander where overtaking is possible. On the old layout, this corner opened the long Burnenville descent.[1],[2]
- Blanchimont
- A very fast left-hander, present on both the old and the new layout, it is the last sweeping corner before the chicane that leads to the pit straight. Behind the barriers the ground drops 7 to 8 metres.[1]
- The Bus Stop chicane
- This chicane comes before the pit straight. It was reprofiled in 2004 and moved back towards Blanchimont during the 2007 works.[1]
Key dates
- 1921 — The circuit opens, a triangle of about 15 kilometres on public roads between Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot.[1],[2]
- 1924 — First 24 Hours of Spa; the Belgian Grand Prix follows in 1925.[1],[2]
- 1939 — The Raidillon de l'Eau Rouge replaces the U-shaped corner at the former customs post.[2]
- 1978-1979 — The old layout is abandoned and a new permanent circuit, 6.947 km long, opens in 1979.[1],[2]
- 2006-2007 — Modernisation and safety works: a new pit lane, La Source brought forward and the Bus Stop moved back.[1],[2]
- 2022 — Extra run-off is added at the Raidillon and gravel traps at several corners.[1]
In the game
This circuit is part of the Circuit game: a heavily zoomed photo of one of its landmarks that you have to recognise. Play Circuit
Sources
The numbers in brackets refer to the sources listed at the bottom of the page.