Formula 1 returns from the summer break and heads to the daunting Spa-Francorchamps, nestled in the Ardennes forest, for the 30th edition of the Belgian Grand Prix.
It's a home race for McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne, the first Belgian racing on home soil since Jerome D'Ambrosio raced for Marussia at the race in 2011.
max Verstappen will also be well supported during the course of the weekend, alart from Holland being around the corner, the Red Bull teenager's mother is Belgian thus the lcoal fans will stake a claim to him too!
Facts & Stats:
- Lap distance: 7.004km. Total distance: 308.052km (44 laps)
- 2016 pole: Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes one minute 46.744 seconds.
- 2016 winner: Rosberg
- Race lap record: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) 1:47.263, Red Bull 2009.
- Start time: 1200GMT (1400 local)
Victories
- Champions Mercedes have won 57 of 70 races since the introduction of the 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrid power units in 2014, and six of 11 this season.
- Triple world champion Hamilton has 57 career victories and is second in the all-time list behind Michael Schumacher (91). Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel has 46.
- Ferrari have won 228 races since 1950, McLaren 182, Williams 114, Mercedes 70 and Red Bull 53. Former champions McLaren and Williams have not won since 2012.
- There have been four different winners this season so far -- Hamilton, Vettel, Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull).
Pole Position
- Mercedes have been on pole in 64 of the last 70 races.
- Hamilton has had 67 career poles and can equal Schumacher's all-time record of 68 with another in Belgium.
- Four drivers have started on pole this season -- Hamilton (six times), Vettel (twice), Bottas (twice) and Raikkonen.
Podium
- Hamilton has 110 podiums to date and is second on the all-time list behind Schumacher (155). Vettel has 94, Raikkonen 88.
Points
- Hamilton is 14 points behind Vettel.
- The only drivers yet to score are Renault's Jolyon Palmer and Sauber's Marcus Ericsson.
- Vettel and Hamilton both have 16 scoring finishes in a row.
Belgian Grand Prix
- This year's race will be the 50th Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.
- Five teams have taken pole at Spa in the last 10 years: Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren and Force India.
- Seven of the last 15 races at Spa have been won from pole position.
- Three Belgian circuits have hosted Formula One races. Nivelles and Zolder are the other two.
- Michael Schumacher won from 16th on the grid at a wet Spa in 1995. The German, a record six times winner at Spa, is also the only driver to have clinched a world title at the circuit (2004).
- Three Belgian drivers have finished on the podium in their home race -- Paul Frere, Olivier Gendebien and Jacky Ickx. McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne is the only Belgian driver on the current grid.
- Spa is the longest lap of the season and one of the fastest, with an average speed of around 230 kph. Cars are flat out for about 70 percent of the time.
- Five of the current drivers have won at Spa: Vettel (2011, 2013), Hamilton (2010, 2015), Raikkonen (2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009), Felipe Massa (2008) and Ricciardo (2014).
Milestone
- Hamilton will be making his 200th start in Formula One.
Drivers with more than one victory at Spa:
| Number of wins | Driver | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Michael Schumacher | 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002 |
| 5 | Ayrton Senna | 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 |
| 4 | Jim Clark | 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 |
| Kimi Räikkönen | 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 | |
| 3 | Juan Manuel Fangio | 1950, 1954, 1955 |
| Damon Hill | 1993, 1994, 1998 | |
| 2 | Alberto Ascari | 1952, 1953 |
| Emerson Fittipaldi | 1972, 1974 | |
| Niki Lauda | 1975, 1976 | |
| Alain Prost | 1983, 1987 | |
| Lewis Hamilton | 2010, 2015 | |
| Sebastian Vettel | 2011, 2013 |
Teams who have won at Spa more than once:
| Wins | Constructor | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Ferrari | 1952, 1953, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1984, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009 |
| 14 | McLaren | 1968, 1974, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012 |
| 8 | Lotus | 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1972, 1977, 1978, 1985 |
| 5 | Mercedes | 1935, 1939, 1955, 2015, 2016 |
| 4 | Alfa Romeo | 1925, 1947, 1950, 1951 |
| Williams | 1981, 1986, 1993, 1994 | |
| 3 | Bugatti | 1930, 1931, 1934 |
| Red Bull | 2011, 2013, 2014 | |
| 2 | Maserati | 1933, 1954 |
| Benetton | 1992, 1995 |
Big Question: Who will win the 50th edition of the Belgian Grand Prix?
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