July 27, 2023
It is time for the last race before summer break: the Belgian Grand Prix! This race has traditionally been held at the end of August, as a opener to the second half of the season. Teams have data from this track dating back to 1950, and they know it so well that it is a great place to test upgrades and changes made over the break. But with the FIA being the FIA, we now get Spa at the end of the first half of the season, when its true beauty and value isn’t appreciated. Nevertheless, it is still Spa and it will still be magical. Here is everything you need to know for the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix:
Weekend Schedule (in EST):
Practice 1: Friday 7/28, 7:30-8:30 AM
Qualifying: Friday 7/28, 11:00-12:00 AM-PM
Sprint Shootout: Saturday 7/29, 6:00-6:44 AM
Sprint: Saturday 7/29, 10:30-11:30 AM
Race: Sunday 7/30, 9:00 AM
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
The Belgian Grand Prix takes place in the Ardennes Forest at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Spanning about 4.3 miles, Spa is the longest track F1 visits and its impressive length means one part of the track can get heavy rain while another section is dry. This is part of why Spa is often regarded as one of the most technical tracks of the season. The first and final sectors are fast with high-speed corners and long straights while the middle sector is tighter and more complex. Teams who opt for a high downforce set-up will be faster in the middle sector but slower in the first and last sectors as they experience drag. Conversely, cars with a low downforce set-up will perform better in the first and final parts of the lap but struggle in the middle. At the end of the day, teams will have to choose which set-up suits their car best.
This weekend will have yet another Sprint race and honestly, it seems like a half-baked idea to me. 2023’s Sprint format means teams will only have one practice session to figure out their set-up before they have Qualifying for the race on Friday afternoon, Sprint events on Saturday, and Sunday’s race. Since Spa is the longest track on the F1 calendar, drivers complete fewer laps during the hour-long practice sessions and collect less data per session. This is why teams value having three Practice sessions. The highly technical and difficult track often forces teams to make Friday night changes to their cars and strategies, and a Sprint weekend’s single Free-Practice doesn’t allow for nuances like this. It doesn’t seem like making Spa a Sprint weekend was properly thought out.
Another hurdle teams will have to overcome is the weather. With cold, rainy conditions forecasted for the weekend, the matter of safety will come into question. Earlier this month, a Formula Regional race in rainy conditions at Spa claimed the life of young driver Dilano Van’t Hoff. With Spa being the place of two deaths in the past four years, both crashes occurring in the rain, F1 will be weary about racing around this track in wet conditions.
Now, onto the teams:
Red Bull’s dominance this season has been out of this world as they just reached the unprecedented milestone of 12 consecutive race wins. Since we already know they are winning the Drivers and Constructors championships, I guess we just have to wonder how long this winning streak is going to last. Unless some act of God makes Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez crash out, I have a strong feeling we’ll see Red Bull win every race in the season.
If any teams are going to give Red Bull a run for their money though, it is McLaren and Mercedes. The two British teams have been the closest to catching the Red Bulls all season. At Silverstone, Lando Norris took the lead of the race from Verstappen and both McLarens managed to stay within DRS zone of the Red Bull for the beginning of the race. And in Hungary, Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position. He may not have capitalized on this position, but it showed that Mercedes stands a chance against Red Bull. Going into Spa, we expect the track to favor these two cars as well. So perhaps we will see Red Bull dethroned by a Lando Norris maiden win and first podium for Oscar Piastri.
What the McLaren boys should look like after this race
The other two second place contenders, Aston Martin and Ferrari, might have a more difficult weekend. Both teams have cars that are better suited to low or medium-speed corners, not the high-speeds at Spa. On top of that, the high downforce set-up and demanding corners of Spa should make extending tire life especially difficult for the teams who have struggled with tire degradation. Ferrari and Aston might have to settle for P7 or P8 finishes this weekend.
After two horrible races, both ending in double DNFs, Alpine needs a clean weekend and some points if they want to stay ahead of their competition. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have said they aren’t happy with the team’s performance during this first half of the season but they intend on starting the second half fresh. The goal for this weekend is to test their new floor design, maximize their potential, and have both cars finish the race. With Alpine’s luck this season, this could be a lot to ask for.
Since McLaren has moved up the rungs, Alpine’s new competition appears to be Williams. I have said it before, but Williams’ comeback is incredible. They went from being a team who hoped they would just finish a race, to consistently fighting for points. Even in Hungary, a track where the team expected to do poorly, Alex Albon finished just outside the points positions in P11. We should expect Wiliams to be more competitive in Spa because their car’s strength is in its aerodynamic efficiency. This allows the team to run more downforce without risk of drag, something we know is extremely valuable at Spa.
Daniel Ricciardo’s return to F1 went as well as he could have expected. By out-qualifiying and finishing ahead of his AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda, Ricciardo not only showed the world that he’s back, but that he is going to do everything he can to fight for the open 2025 Red bull seat. Both, Yuki and Daniel, will be vying for points finishes during the rest of this season as they compete for that open seat.
That’s all for now! Spa is always my favorite race of the season and although they have ruined it by adding a Sprint and putting it in the wrong spot on the calendar, I can still let myself enjoy it. I guess we can consider it a dramatic end to the first half of this season instead of a great “Welcome Back!” at the beginning of the second half.
I unfortunately will not be able to give you guys a recap to this race, so make sure you watch it!!!
Have a wonderful summer break and I will be back at the end of August for the Dutch Grand Prix!
Happy Race Weekend!
- Divya
Where I got these
from:
https://www.formula1.com/en/racing/2023/Belgium/Circuit.html
https://www.ferrari.com/en-US/formula1/articles/belgian-grand-prix-2023-preview
https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2023/belgian-grand-prix/guide-to-belgium/
https://scuderia.alphatauri.com/en/2023-belgian-grand-prixview/
https://www.alpine-cars.co.uk/formula-1/f1-news/formula1-belgian-grand-prix-preview.html