In a week that has seen another four races added to the calendar, and has also seen Renault drop their appeal against Racing Point, the ten teams return to one of the longest and most highly anticipated tracks on the calendar, Spa Francorchamps.
New tracks and Dropped appeals
Since the last race out in Spain, a lot has happened in the paddock. One of the events that is set to impact all teams, is the announcement of four new races on this seasons revised calendar. The addition of two round at Bahrain, a season finale at Abu Dhabi and the converted return of the Turkish GP, has excited a lot of fans.
The return of the Turkish GP, has been somewhat of a cult track for many fans, with the iconic turn eight being a particular favorite. The corner itself is a flat out, extremely long right hander, made famous by the 2008 cars flying around at top speed. Many will be hoping that these current generation of cars can live up to their ancestors.
Next to the addition of the new track, more news coming out of the paddock includes that of Renault dropping their appeal against Racing Point. The saga seems to have gone on forever, starting in early pre season when many pundits and teams alike noticed similarities between the new Racing Point car and last years Mercedes.
However since "Concrete progress" has been made by the FIA to help limit the copying of cars, Renault have dropped the appeal.
Last time out and this time around
Last time Formula One raced in Belgium, it was on a very dark weekend for the sport. In an emotionally charged race, Charles Leclerc took his first ever race win in Formula One. This was Ferrari's second win in as many years in Belgium.
The layout of the track certainly suited last years Ferrari. A very power based circuit, with the final sector almost entirely flat out and the Kemmel straight early on in the lap. However given the form of this years Ferrari, it could be Mercedes race for the taking.
Something that could have a big bearing on this years race, is the weather forecast for the Sunday. In weather reports earlier this week, it was speculated that a large storm was due to hit on Sunday. However since then the forecast has changed, but the rain still remains.
The rain would be destined to make things more interesting, maybe not to the extent of the 1998 GP, however given the elevation changes of the track, especially through the early stages of the lap at Raidillon and Eau Rouge it still could prove problematic.
Session Timings
Friday 28th August 2020
FP1- 10:00am - 11:30am
FP2 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Saturday 29th August 2020
FP3 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
Qualifying - 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Sunday 30th August 2020
Race - 2:10pm