Elevation profile
Lowest point 366 m, highest 471 mElevations from EU-DEM (Copernicus), 25 m, along the OpenStreetMap layout. The yellow line follows the dot on the map.
Corners
In driving order from start and finish. Click a corner to highlight it on the map and in the elevation profile.By the numbers
A crash means a race retirement from an accident, collision or spin. Starts exclude non-qualifications, non-starts and exclusions.History
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is in Francorchamps (Stavelot) in Wallonia, about 8 km south-east of the town of Spa in the Ardennes. The track is run clockwise, is 7.004 km long today and has 19 corners. The original track was a triangle of public roads linking Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot. The first car race was held there in 1922, and the first Grand Prix in 1925.
The old circuit was altered several times. In 1939 the faster Raidillon replaced the slow uphill turn at the Ancienne Douane, in 1947 the chicane at Malmedy was bypassed again, and a fast right-hander took the place of the route through the town of Stavelot. In 1979, for safety reasons, the course of just over 14 km was cut down to a permanent circuit of just under 7 km, and in 1981 the start and finish line was moved to the straight before the La Source hairpin. A new pit lane and a longer start and finish straight were built for 2007, and more run-off, gravel traps and fresh asphalt were added ahead of 2022.
The old layout demanded a great deal of drivers because of its constant high speeds. At the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix, Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey lost their lives. The drivers boycotted the race in 1969 on safety grounds, in 1970 it was run with crash barriers and a temporary chicane at Malmedy, and in 1971 it was cancelled. The current track is also fast and hilly, and speeds above 330 km/h are possible. Parts of the circuit include Raidillon de l'Eau Rouge and the Kemmel straight that follows, Les Combes and Blanchimont. The weather changes often, and it can be raining on one part of the circuit while another stays dry.
Spa was part of the very first world championship season in 1950. Eighteen rounds were held on the old layout up to 1970. Formula One came back to the modern track in 1983. Since 1985 Spa has been on the calendar every year except 2003 and 2006.
Moments
- 1950Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1950 Belgian Grand Prix for Alfa Romeo, a round of the first Formula One world championship.
- 1970Pedro Rodríguez won for BRM in 1970 on the improved old circuit, which had a temporary chicane at Malmedy for that race.
- 1983In 1983 Formula One returned to the new, shorter circuit, and Alain Prost won for Renault.
- 1998The 1998 Grand Prix saw a 14-car pile-up on a waterlogged track, and Damon Hill won for Jordan.
- 2004Spa returned to the calendar in 2004 after a year without a race, with a reprofiled Bus Stop chicane, and Kimi Räikkönen won for McLaren.
- 2007In 2007 Formula One came back after a year's absence to the rebuilt circuit, and Kimi Räikkönen won for Ferrari.
4 layouts since 1950
- 1950-197014.120 km
- 1983-20026.940 km
- 2004-20056.976 km
- since 20077.004 km
Years without a Grand Prix at this circuit: 1957, 1959, 1969, 1971-1982, 1984, 2003, 2006.
Most wins
Click a bar to see every win here with year, team and analysis.
Layout and corner names: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL licence. Elevation: EU-DEM (Copernicus), 25 m. Data: F1DB by Marcel Overdijk, CC BY 4.0 licence.