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South Africa’s hordes of F1 fans have been in slumber during the past few weeks, and we’ve had to occupy ourselves with depressing sports that we’re not very good at – rugby, for example. But the good news is that the mid-season break is at an end, and F1 is set to burst into life again this weekend.
If you’re thinking it’s about time you got yourself to some real, live F1 action, the Belgian Grand Prix would be a great place to do it. Not only will this weekend’s race herald the business end of an epic multi-man world title fight, but it’s arguably one of the best places to watch F1. If you’re only going to get to one Grand Prix in your life, there aren’t many better places than Spa-Francorchamps to see F1 cars at their best.
Spa has is all
Monaco may be glamorous, but the circuit is poky. Monza’s full of history and passion, but it’s rarely an entertaining race these days. But Spa has it all. It’s got stacks of history and much of the track is recognisable to that on which Juan Manuel Fangio & Co raced in the 1950s. It’s right in the middle of Europe and full of knowledgeable fans from all over the place. It’s famous for unpredictable weather, which invariably makes for a great race. But even in the dry, Spa is one of those places the drivers and fans love – there are fast, sweeping corners at every turn and that’s where F1 cars can really wow fans and test their pilots.
Spa is located in Belgium’s Ardennes region, which means it’s closer to some parts of the Netherlands and Germany than it is to Belgian capital Brussels, which also has the nearest major airport. But the good news for visiting fans is that nowhere is very far from anywhere in this part of the world, and even booking a hotel in Brussels wouldn’t be a problem. It takes less than an hour and a half to get near Spa on the highway from the city of sprouts. You’ll get traffic near the track, but that applies even if you’re staying in the famous little hot-spring town of Spa itself.
Accommodation and food
Think outside the box when it comes to accommodation, especially at this late stage. Aachen in Germany is an easy drive to Spa, and Maastricht in the Netherlands is also in close reach. Luxembourg is an option too. Liege, less than half an hour from the circuit and on the main route to Brussels, is the nearest big city to the track, but it’s run-down in places and not to everybody’s taste. Hotels may also be long-since booked up there. If you’re heading that way, be warned that road signs will try to confuse you by naming it Luik if you’re driving in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium. Brussels, too, will be signposted Brussel or Bruxelles depending on where you are, and Anvers means Antwerp if you’re in Francophone country.
When you’re heading for the track, under no circumstances forget your raincoat and umbrella. The Ardennes are famous for rain, and sometimes it arrives with no warning. But don’t be surprised by hot sunshine either – it is still summer in Europe, after all.
By all means take a picnic to the track with you, as this will keep your costs to a minimum. But make sure to treat yourself to at least one portion of frites (hot chips) and mayonnaise at the track. It’s the local speciality, and guzzling on these whilst watching F1 cars go by is the quintessential Spa experience. Wash them down with one of Belgium’s vast array of beers – the cherry-infused kriek is particularly interesting, although you’d probably need to buy this in advance and take it to the track.
Best seats in the "house"
The toughest decision you’ll face is where to watch from. Go for all three days of the meeting if you can, otherwise you’ll run out of time to try all the spots. A ‘bronze’ general admission ticket can get you onto some great hillsides overlooking the track – the bank at the entry to Les Combes is probably the best spot to be for overtaking during the race. But the one at Pouhon is a good bet for qualifying, because this is a fast corner where the cars will take your breath away. The bronze tickets are €160 for the full meeting and €145 for Sunday only. Book online here.
If jockeying for a good spot on the banks doesn’t sound fun, get a grandstand seat – although you’ll need to ‘know someone’ as these are now sold out. Seats around La Source corner and all the way down to the flat-out, world-famous Eau Rouge are always a good bet for atmosphere, and with careful positioning you can be close to the start, first-corner pile-up, pitstop action and the podium ceremony.
Don’t forget that there is a host of support races. F1 feeder series GP2 and GP3 are in action, with Mexico’s Esteban Gutierrez likely to wrap up the latter title and fellow Mexican Sergio Perez desperately trying to stop Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado running away with the former. Unless you’ve been following this year’s TV coverage on SuperSport, though, make sure to get a programme and bring binoculars so you know who is who. Remember circuit commentary will be in French and Flemish as well as English, and will probably get drowned out anyway, so don’t rely on that!
Drive it
Finally, don’t leave without driving the famous original road circuit, which hosted the Belgian GP almost every year until 1970. This was a terrifying place, eventually closed in the 1970s and replaced by the current, shorter, safer version of the track. The old circuit peels off from the new track at Les Combes corner, joining the main perimeter road a couple of hundred metres on. Continue towards Malmedy and you’re driving on a piece of F1 history graced by the likes of Fangio and Jim Clark. Keep following the road past the Malmedy turnoff, through Masta and towards Stavelot. There’s a banked right-hander just before you get to Stavelot, and (bad-tempered gendarmes permitting) you should be able to drive around that and up through the woods to where the old track rejoins the new at Stavelot corner.
Just don’t bother imagining crash barriers dotted around this flat-out old masterpiece: there weren’t any! And keep your speed down – both the old and new Spa-Francorchamps are for highly-skilled drivers only!
If you’re thinking it’s about time you got yourself to some real, live F1 action, the Belgian Grand Prix would be a great place to do it. Not only will this weekend’s race herald the business end of an epic multi-man world title fight, but it’s arguably one of the best places to watch F1. If you’re only going to get to one Grand Prix in your life, there aren’t many better places than Spa-Francorchamps to see F1 cars at their best.
Spa has is all
Monaco may be glamorous, but the circuit is poky. Monza’s full of history and passion, but it’s rarely an entertaining race these days. But Spa has it all. It’s got stacks of history and much of the track is recognisable to that on which Juan Manuel Fangio & Co raced in the 1950s. It’s right in the middle of Europe and full of knowledgeable fans from all over the place. It’s famous for unpredictable weather, which invariably makes for a great race. But even in the dry, Spa is one of those places the drivers and fans love – there are fast, sweeping corners at every turn and that’s where F1 cars can really wow fans and test their pilots.
Spa is located in Belgium’s Ardennes region, which means it’s closer to some parts of the Netherlands and Germany than it is to Belgian capital Brussels, which also has the nearest major airport. But the good news for visiting fans is that nowhere is very far from anywhere in this part of the world, and even booking a hotel in Brussels wouldn’t be a problem. It takes less than an hour and a half to get near Spa on the highway from the city of sprouts. You’ll get traffic near the track, but that applies even if you’re staying in the famous little hot-spring town of Spa itself.
Accommodation and food
Think outside the box when it comes to accommodation, especially at this late stage. Aachen in Germany is an easy drive to Spa, and Maastricht in the Netherlands is also in close reach. Luxembourg is an option too. Liege, less than half an hour from the circuit and on the main route to Brussels, is the nearest big city to the track, but it’s run-down in places and not to everybody’s taste. Hotels may also be long-since booked up there. If you’re heading that way, be warned that road signs will try to confuse you by naming it Luik if you’re driving in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium. Brussels, too, will be signposted Brussel or Bruxelles depending on where you are, and Anvers means Antwerp if you’re in Francophone country.
When you’re heading for the track, under no circumstances forget your raincoat and umbrella. The Ardennes are famous for rain, and sometimes it arrives with no warning. But don’t be surprised by hot sunshine either – it is still summer in Europe, after all.
By all means take a picnic to the track with you, as this will keep your costs to a minimum. But make sure to treat yourself to at least one portion of frites (hot chips) and mayonnaise at the track. It’s the local speciality, and guzzling on these whilst watching F1 cars go by is the quintessential Spa experience. Wash them down with one of Belgium’s vast array of beers – the cherry-infused kriek is particularly interesting, although you’d probably need to buy this in advance and take it to the track.
Best seats in the "house"
The toughest decision you’ll face is where to watch from. Go for all three days of the meeting if you can, otherwise you’ll run out of time to try all the spots. A ‘bronze’ general admission ticket can get you onto some great hillsides overlooking the track – the bank at the entry to Les Combes is probably the best spot to be for overtaking during the race. But the one at Pouhon is a good bet for qualifying, because this is a fast corner where the cars will take your breath away. The bronze tickets are €160 for the full meeting and €145 for Sunday only. Book online here.
If jockeying for a good spot on the banks doesn’t sound fun, get a grandstand seat – although you’ll need to ‘know someone’ as these are now sold out. Seats around La Source corner and all the way down to the flat-out, world-famous Eau Rouge are always a good bet for atmosphere, and with careful positioning you can be close to the start, first-corner pile-up, pitstop action and the podium ceremony.
Don’t forget that there is a host of support races. F1 feeder series GP2 and GP3 are in action, with Mexico’s Esteban Gutierrez likely to wrap up the latter title and fellow Mexican Sergio Perez desperately trying to stop Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado running away with the former. Unless you’ve been following this year’s TV coverage on SuperSport, though, make sure to get a programme and bring binoculars so you know who is who. Remember circuit commentary will be in French and Flemish as well as English, and will probably get drowned out anyway, so don’t rely on that!
Drive it
Finally, don’t leave without driving the famous original road circuit, which hosted the Belgian GP almost every year until 1970. This was a terrifying place, eventually closed in the 1970s and replaced by the current, shorter, safer version of the track. The old circuit peels off from the new track at Les Combes corner, joining the main perimeter road a couple of hundred metres on. Continue towards Malmedy and you’re driving on a piece of F1 history graced by the likes of Fangio and Jim Clark. Keep following the road past the Malmedy turnoff, through Masta and towards Stavelot. There’s a banked right-hander just before you get to Stavelot, and (bad-tempered gendarmes permitting) you should be able to drive around that and up through the woods to where the old track rejoins the new at Stavelot corner.
Just don’t bother imagining crash barriers dotted around this flat-out old masterpiece: there weren’t any! And keep your speed down – both the old and new Spa-Francorchamps are for highly-skilled drivers only!