After a four week break, Formula One returns to our screens this weekend and there's not many better sights on the race calendar than Spa Francorchamps, which plays host to the Belgian Grand Prix.
The Hungarian Grand Prix was the last race before the usual summer break, and was one of the most dramatic races of the season which saw Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel take to the winners podium with Red Bull duo, Daniil Kyvatt and Daniel Ricciardo taking second and third respectively. Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg had a race to forget at the Hungagoring with them finishing in sixth and eighth respectively.
However, after a month away from the track, the F1 teams and the supporters can look to Spa this weekend and hope for a good start ahead of the second part of the season, and what better way to do so at the spectacular track in Belgium.
Longest lap of the year
No doubt a favourite of many drivers and fans alike, the challenges of the track excite the drivers on their return to racing and the 7.004 km (4.352 mi) lap gives the drivers plenty of opportunities to overtake their opponents and take advantage of the high speeds of sectors one and three. Sebastian Vettel currently holds the lap record at Spa, with a time of 1:47.263 when racing for Red Bull in 2009.
Last year's outcome
Daniel Ricciardo took advantage of the rivalry between Mercedes duo Hamilton and Rosberg to take maximum points in 2014, but Rosberg finished in second whilst Valtteri Bottas of Williams took the final podium position.
The race was made controversial when on lap two, the two Mercedes drivers collided going into Les Combes, puncturing Hamilton's tyre and damaging Rosberg's front wing. Red Bull have a good record at Spa in recent years and Ricciardo's victory last year was the teams third win in four years in Belgium, so are ones to watch this weekend.
Dominant Ferrari
The Scuderia currently dominate proceedings in Belgium with 16 overall victories, but McLaren are only two wins behind with 14 victories here. Michael Schumacher is the leading driver at this track with six wins (four with Ferrari and two with Benetton.) However, the driving force of Ferrari have failed to see success at Spa since 2009 and will be hoping for a much better performance this time round.
They now have Vettel as one of the drivers who was a winner last time out in Hungary, but the German has tasted victory here on two occassions, once in 2011 and twice in 2013. The second driver of Ferrari is Kimi Raikkonen who has also been a winner at this track, and four occassions he clearly knows how to handle the tests that Spa has to offer.
History of the track
The first Belgium Grand Prix took place back in 1950 with only 14 drivers ready to race for the first race at the Spa Francorchamps circuit. The race was completely redesigned in 1979 to correspond to the safety standards of the world's other great automobiles races, in particular, Formula One. The present track is 7,395 km long. Due to its high-speed winding turns, very slow loop (La Source), and famous Eau Rouge, this track offers sensations unknown on other tracks, to both drivers and spectators.
Track Information
Number of laps: 44.
Track length: 7.004 km (4.352 mi).
Tyre allocation: Soft (yellow) and medium (white).
Lap record: Sebastian Vettel - 1:47.263 (Red Bull, 2009).
2014 pole: Nico Rosberg - 2:05.591 (Mercedes).
Last five winners at Spa:
2014: Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull); 2013: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull); 2012: Jenson Button (McLaren); 2011: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull); 2010: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren).
What the drivers said
Lewis Hamilton currently leads the drivers championship ahead of his Mercedes teammate Rosberg by 21 points and is as ever looking forward to the second part of the season. He said: “It’s been good to take a break from racing and spend some time relaxing, training and recharging the batteries. There’s always that flame in the back of your mind that just wants to get back out there."
Nico Rosberg admitted how things didn't go to plan in Hungary and is ready to bounce back this weekend at Spa. He said: “Hungary was a big disappointment and I’ve been itching to get back to racing ever since. When you’re in such a close battle for the championship, any opportunity to gain points is crucial and it’s up to me to take those chances – but also to make them for myself."