Belgian Grand Prix 2026
The cathedral of Formula 1. Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps weaves through the forests of the Belgian Ardennes on a 7 km lap that has been thrilling and terrifying drivers since 1950 — home of Eau Rouge, the most famous corner in all of motorsport, and weather so unpredictable it can rain in one sector while sunshine blazes in another.
Circuit Facts
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Stavelot, Ardennes, Belgium
44
7.004 km — Longest on the F1 calendar
1950 — Original championship round
Valtteri Bottas — 1:46.286 (2018)
About Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Few circuits anywhere in the world carry the mystique and raw drama of Spa-Francorchamps. Snaking through the forests of the Belgian Ardennes near the old spa town of Stavelot, this 7.004 km circuit is both the longest and widely regarded as the greatest single challenge on the Formula 1 calendar. First used for the World Championship in 1950, Spa has witnessed some of the sport’s most legendary moments — from Jim Clark’s mastery in the 1960s to Ayrton Senna’s genius in the wet, to Max Verstappen’s run of dominant Belgian victories in the early 2020s. Drivers universally rate it as one of their favourite circuits on earth.
The circuit’s defining characteristic is its extraordinary variety. The first sector descends from La Source through the iconic Eau Rouge/Raidillon and along the Kemmel Straight in one of the most spectacular stretches in motorsport. The middle sector winds through the Ardennes forest with fast, technical corners that demand high downforce and total commitment. The final sector opens up again through the near-flat Blanchimont sweeper and into the Bus Stop chicane, creating a lap that tests every aspect of car and driver simultaneously. Adding to the drama, Spa sits within a notorious microclimate: “Ardennes weather” regularly means dry conditions at La Source while rain hammers Pouhon, just a few kilometres away.
The Belgian GP is the only race on the modern F1 calendar where you genuinely need a rain jacket, sunscreen, and dry tyres all within the same qualifying session. That irreducible unpredictability, combined with the raw spectacle of the circuit and the forest setting, makes Spa one of the most anticipated events of the season for fans, drivers, and teams alike. It is quite simply unlike anywhere else.
Key Corners
Spa-Francorchamps packs an extraordinary variety of corner characters into its 7 km lap — from the tightest hairpin to the fastest sweeper in the sport.
La Source — Turn 1
A tight, slow, uphill hairpin at the top of the circuit and the very first corner of the lap. La Source is a prime overtaking spot at race starts, with cars braking sharply from pit-straight speeds into a right-hand hairpin. Getting a clean, fast exit from La Source is vital for the full-throttle blast down the hill towards the unmistakable valley of Eau Rouge.
Eau Rouge & Raidillon
The most famous corner sequence in all of motorsport. Cars plunge downhill through the left-hand Eau Rouge valley before immediately blasting uphill over the blind, high-speed Raidillon crest at over 300 km/h — nearly flat in a modern F1 car but with enormous loads through the suspension and tyres. Every driver cites this combination as the ultimate test of commitment in racing.
Les Combes
The first heavy braking zone after the long Kemmel Straight, Les Combes is a right-left chicane at the crest of the circuit where cars shed enormous speed from over 320 km/h. The DRS zone on the Kemmel Straight creates real overtaking potential into this braking zone, making Les Combes one of the most frequent position-change points throughout the race.
Blanchimont
A near-flat, sweeping left-hander in the final sector taken at extraordinary speed. Blanchimont demands total trust in the car’s aerodynamic balance and the driver’s nerve — any instability at 310+ km/h carries severe consequences. Carrying maximum speed through here sets up the approach to the Bus Stop chicane and determines straight-line speed across the start-finish line.
Race Atmosphere
The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa is widely considered one of the very finest motorsport spectator experiences anywhere in the world. The natural forest amphitheatre creates acoustics that amplify F1 cars to an almost otherworldly level as they echo through the tree-lined valleys. Thousands of fans camp deep in the woodland around the circuit for the entire weekend, creating a genuine festival atmosphere that blends motorsport passion with European camping culture — Belgian beer, barbecues, and the distant howl of a V6 hybrid screaming through the trees in the early morning mist.
Tyre Strategy
Pirelli typically nominates the Hard and Medium compounds for Spa, reflecting the circuit’s exceptional demands across its 7 km lap. The Kemmel Straight and Raidillon sequence place extreme thermal stress on tyres through the transition from peak deceleration to peak lateral load, while the sustained cornering forces through Pouhon and Blanchimont accumulate wear more rapidly than the lap length alone might suggest. Most dry strategies involve one or two stops.
But Spa’s ever-present threat of rain can change the entire strategic picture from one lap to the next. The call to switch from intermediates back to slicks — or to hold off on a tyre change with rain incoming — has won and lost championships at this circuit. Teams always keep a full set of wet-weather tyres pre-fitted and ready in the garage throughout the Belgian GP, regardless of what the forecast says.
How to Watch the Belgian Grand Prix
In the UK, the Belgian Grand Prix is broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via Sky Go and NOW TV. Channel 4 provides highlights coverage. Belgium is in the Central European Summer Time zone (UTC+2), so the race starts in the early-to-mid afternoon in the UK — a perfect summer Sunday viewing window.
Global viewers can stream the full race live via F1 TV Pro, the official Formula 1 streaming platform offering multi-channel onboard cameras, team radio, and driver tracker. Other broadcasters include ESPN (USA), Canal+ (France and Belgium), and RTBF (Belgium’s free-to-air broadcaster). Check our TV schedule page for confirmed session times.
Previous Winners
| Year | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing |
| 2024 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2023 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing |
| 2022 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing |
| 2021 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing |