Five Things to Know About the Belgian GP

The Belgian Grand Prix is almost upon us — and it looks set to be one of the highlights of the Formula 1 season. Visits to Spa are typically packed full of excitement, as drivers bid to navigate the 20 challenging turns of this legendary circuit. With that in mind, here are five things to look out for over the coming days…

This weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix is the final race before the summer shutdown, so Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon will be keen to put in positive performances ahead of their extended break. The 2024 campaign will resume on the weekend of 23rd-25th August in the Netherlands, meaning our duo will have just under a month to recuperate after 14 rounds of Formula 1 action. Trips to Italy, Azerbaijan and Singapore then quickly follow the Dutch GP, so there is certainly plenty to look forward to. But while fans can salivate over a tantalising set of upcoming races, LS2 and AA23 will be fully focused on trying to secure points in Spa this Sunday.

The Belgian GP is famed for its unpredictable weather — and there is likely to be plenty of rain in the Ardennes Forest for this year’s edition. There is approximately a 56-57% chance of showers at the start of both FP1 and FP2 on Friday, at the time of publication. That will increase to around 70% throughout Saturday’s action, before dropping to 51% by Sunday’s race. We’re also set for light winds and moderate temperatures of 19-21°C (66.2-69.8°F) across the weekend.

We’ve reached the business end of the season in Formula 3, with just two rounds remaining for Luke Browning to try and claim top spot. The Williams Academy driver is currently in second place, just four points behind title rival Gabriele Minì. A battling performance last time out saw Luke claim three valuable points in Saturday’s Sprint Race, but he will need to be at his best in Spa — and again in Monza after the summer shutdown. Elsewhere, fellow Williams Academy drivers Franco Colapinto and Zak O'Sullivan will also be in action, as they look to climb the Formula 2 rankings at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

Williams have enjoyed plenty of historic moments in Belgium over the years. Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann won the race in 1980 and 1981, respectively, while Nigel Mansell secured P1 in 1986. But no Williams driver can compete with Damon Hill’s record on this track, after he triumphed in both 1993 and 1994. George Russell’s performance in the pouring rain of 2021 is certainly worth a notable mention, however — he qualified in P2 that year, before going on to record a sensational second-place finish in the FW43B.

A challenging test lies in store for Logan and Alex this weekend, at one of motorsport’s most iconic venues. The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is Formula 1’s longest track — stretching across 7.004 km (4.352 miles) and is packed full of high-speed corners and dramatic elevation changes. Fortunately, both drivers can draw inspiration from previous achievements in Belgium. Logan will have happy memories of a victorious Formula 3 Sprint there in 2020, as well as a third-place finish the following year. He also came fifth during the 2022 Formula 2 season. Alex, meanwhile, will look back at P5 and P6 finishes during his time with Red Bull Racing in Formula 1, and his P10 placing while driving for Williams in 2022. Both LS2 and AA23 will be hoping to make more memories in Spa this time around.