Formula 1 is back on track this weekend after the summer break, on one of the most iconic circuits in the world of motorsport: Spa-Francorchamps. It has been a very special weekend so far, above all due to the rain of penalties on the grid that arrived on Friday for the approval of new power unit and / or gearbox components by six riders. It will therefore be interesting to understand how these will approach the race from a strategic point of view to attempt a comeback, on all the two main antagonists in the world championship fight, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
For Spa, Pirelli has selected the three central compounds of the range: C2 for Hard, C3 for the Medium And C4 for the Soft. The asphalt is new between turns 2 and 4, and between turns 8 and 9: the irregularities have been smoothed out and the grip has improved. Gravel, which contains sharp stones, has been added near the track on turns 1, 6, 7 and 9. There are also some sharp edges near the concrete curbs – all of which will contribute significantly to tire handling.
Beyond this, however, with its particularly high side loads Spa is one of the most demanding circuits of the year for tires. The Eau Rouge-Raidillon is just one of the areas where the tires are subjected to a variety of forces: while they have to turn, they are crushed on the asphalt by downforce and compression.
The starting grid
1st Row | 1. Carlos Sainz Ferrari |
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2. Sergio Perez Red Bull |
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2nd Row | 3. Fernando Alonso Alpine |
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4. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes |
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3rd Row | 5. George Russell Mercedes |
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6. Alexander Albon Williams |
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4th Row | 7. Daniel Ricciardo McLaren |
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8. Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri |
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5th Row | 9. Lance Stroll Aston Martin |
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10. Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin |
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6th Row | 11. Nicholas Latifi Williams |
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12. Kevin Magnussen Haas |
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7th Row | 13. Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri |
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14. Valtteri Bottas * Alfa Romeo |
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8th Row | 15. Max Verstappen * Red Bull |
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16. Charles Leclerc * Ferrari |
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9th Row | 17. Esteban Ocon * Alpine |
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18. Lando Norris * McLaren |
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10th Row | 19. Guanyu Zhou * Alfa Romeo |
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20. Mick Schumacher * Haas |
Estimated gap between dry compounds
As for the gap between the three compounds, Pirelli quantified six tenths between Soft and Medium and nine between Medium and Hard. The new smooth asphalt of Spa has certainly affected the performance of the tires, as well as the length of the lap (over 7 km) contributes to opening the gap, especially between medium and hard.
Best 44 strategies rounds of garto
The 44 laps of the Belgian Grand Prix can be tackled with both one and two stop strategy with different variations on the single pit stop, or with a more aggressive approach on the two stops. In addition to the very variable conditions seen so far, the forecast of a warmer climate is also added to make a very particular tactical reading even more complex, due to the fact that many of the fastest cars will start – as mentioned – from the rear due to the penalties to be served in grill.
Starting on Medium seems to be the most flexible option, allowing you to switch to Hard or Soft with a one stop strategy, leaving the door open for a possible double pit stop. Starting with the Soft does not exclude the single stop, but requires an early stop for Hard or careful management in order to move to the medium.
A different and more aggressive approach, on the other hand, is to use the Soft as part of a two-stop strategy, perhaps with two stints on the Medium. This could prove to be a good option for a fast car in the event of a Safety Car, or if the degradation on the Soft should be quite high due to the possible higher temperatures. Conditions unknown to everyone this weekend.
Set available for the race
Forecast for the race (15:00 local time)
3 pm: partly cloudy, 21 ° C, wind 14 km / h NW, 0% probability of rain
4 pm: sunny, 21 ° C, wind 14 km / h NW, 0% probability of rain
Television programming in Italy
LIVE Sky Sport F1
13:25 Paddock Live
14:55 Belgian GP
16:55 Paddock Live
DEFERRED TV8
15:25 pre-race
17:55 Belgian GP
19:55 post-race
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