Summer is over. Maybe not in meteorological terms, but for Formula 1. The ‘Grand Circus’ ends its vacation period and returns to action with the long-awaited Belgian GP. The renovated Spa-Francorchamps circuit will witness the restart of the competition in a totally changed setting. And not so much because of the modifications to the loopholes on the route as by the global situation of some of the protagonists of the championship.
Fernando Alonso will be an Aston Martin driver next season, while Oscar Piastri seems headed to compete with McLaren. For now, the Woking team has reached an agreement with Daniel Ricciardo so that his contract ends at the end of this season and the Australian can return to Alpine -previously Renault-. In this point, there is no shortage of cross-declarations and behind-the-scenes negotiations.
Novelty Grand Prix
Focusing on this season and the Belgian GP, the truth is that Spa presents a new face. The Belgian layout has made important modifications to the loopholes on the track, being perhaps the main one in the ‘Eau Rouge’ section and the ‘Raidillon’. The wall is now further away and the banana deterrents have been removed. Turn 1 run-off is now gravelwhile several curves have been resurfaced to eliminate potholes.
There will also be changes in the composition of the grid, although temporarily and only during FP1. In this first free session, the young New Zealand driver Liam Lawson will be at the controls of Pierre Gasly’s single-seater, in what will be their first practice session as AlphaTauri drivers. With the presence of Lawson in the AT03 of the French pilot, the team meets the first of the two Grand Prix in which a ‘rookie’ has to line up during the first free.
The battle for the title at the back of the grid
At the close of the first half of the season, Max Verstappen drives an 80-point lead over Charles Leclerc, a really important difference that the Dutchman will have to manage. However, the battle between the two great protagonists of the championship will be run from the back of the grid as both Max and Charles change engines at Spa. In the case of the Ferrari driver, this substitution is due to the new engine specification introduced by the team at the Belgian GP.
As you can see, there are multiple incentives to experience this Belgian GP with enormous intensity. Changes in the layout, new faces, penalties among the leaders and a large dose of ‘silly season’ that invite you to make popcorn and sit in front of the television. As a complement and/or alternative, At Motor.es we tell you all the details of the appointment at the iconic Spa track, starting with the free practice sessions.