Mercedes F1 Team Principal Toto Wolff on Belgium: A challenge!
“We had a strong run of races before the summer break and scored our best points tally from a race weekend this year at the Hungarian Grand Prix. While we’re not quite in the fight for wins, we’re getting closer so we need that momentum maintain and keep up the pressure.
The summer break is an important time for the team to take time out, recharge their batteries and spend time with the families whose support is invaluable throughout the year. There are few opportunities to do so during the season and the development race is relentless so the break was well deserved for everyone on the team.
We’re in for an intense second half of the season, with nine more opportunities to find improvements, make progress and hopefully challenge Red Bull and Ferrari in the battle for victories.
Spa-Francorchamps needs no further introduction. It’s a heritage track with an old-school feel that has been the scene of many iconic moments in Formula 1 history and presents an incredible challenge for both car and driver. We look forward to going back there and hope we can offer the fans in Belgium a great show this year. We will also be celebrating the 55th anniversary of Mercedes-AMG with some exciting activities.”
Facts & Figures: Formula 1 Belgium Grand Prix
- At 7.004 km, Spa-Francorchamps is the longest track on the current Formula 1 racing calendar, while at the same time, with 44 laps, this means the lowest number of race laps this year.
- Spa used to be one of the biggest challenges in terms of engine power and full throttle time, but with the new rules and circuit Spa has slipped down the list a bit. However, the course still remains in the top 5 in this respect.
- Despite some long, full-throttle passages, Spa is in the midfield in terms of fuel consumption. Most fuel is consumed by constant ‘stop and go’, which is why routes like Montreal and Monaco are more fuel efficient than Spa and Monza.
- Tire stress and tire wear at Spa are among the highest of the season, with high averages on all four corners of the car.
- The long lap distance at Spa presents some unique challenges. For example, if a car is damaged early in the lap, more time is lost getting back to the pits. In addition, the weather is very changeable, so the conditions can vary greatly from corner to corner. That means the lap is longer and therefore you can’t fit as many laps into the practice and qualifying runs to test different setup configurations.
- From corner exit at La Source to the braking zone for Les Combes, drivers have their foot firmly on the accelerator for around 23 seconds (and 1,875 meters) of the route.
- Because of this full-throttle section, the exit of La Source is significant as the corner leads onto the long straight to Eau Rouge and Raidillon.
- Between the highest (Les Combes, Turn 7) and the lowest point (Stavelot, Turn 15) of the circuit, there is an elevation gain of around 100 meters – the biggest elevation gain of the season.
- On the approach to Eau Rouge, which is downhill, and the approach to Raidillon, which is uphill, drivers and vehicles experience a compression in which strong forces act on them. They drive at pretty much Vmax (car’s maximum speed), almost as fast as the car’s maximum speed, before going through this section. This means there is a vertical compression of 3g. In this section, the track surface has been redesigned and paved, which eliminated one of the major bumps and should have alleviated some of the compression forces.
- The slipstream is very strong at Spa-Francorchamps due to the long straights, especially in the section to Raidillon. In the first lap, he’s even stronger because the pursuers can slipstream from multiple cars. The absence of the DRS in the first round reinforces this effect.
- 80% of the lap length at Spa is covered at full throttle, one of the highest percentages of any Formula 1 circuit on this year’s racing calendar.
- The first and third sectors at Spa consist of long straights and flat out sections, but the second sector is twisty. This makes it difficult to find the right balance and setup compromise, especially in terms of wing settings. A larger wing gains mid-sector time but is vulnerable on the straights, while a smaller wing offers less drag for the full-throttle sections but doesn’t offer the same level of grip in the corners. This is a similar dilemma as in Baku.
- Due to the history of the track and the iconic corners, this is one of the few circuits in Formula 1 where the engineers refer to the corners by names rather than numbers.
Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix Schedule 2022
Freitag, 26.08.2022
1st free practice: 2:00 p.m
2nd free practice: 5:00 p.m
Saturday, 08/27/2022
3. Free Practice: 1:00 p.m
Qualifying: 16:00 Uhr
Sunday, 08/28/2022
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Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps): News & Results