Belgium: Spa-Francorchamps Track Facts

By BAR Honda
September 8 2005

Nestling deep inside the Ardennes forest near Liege, Spa-Francorchamps is probably the most visually inspiring stop on the Grand Prix tour.

Situated 50 km south-east of Liege and first used in 1924, it is one of the most famous and evocative circuits in Formula One history and makes a welcome return to the 2004 calendar after a year's absence.

With a 6.973 km lap, Spa is the longest circuit on the GP calendar and its fantastic corners, wonderful scenery and adrenalin-pumping elevation changes make it a place where driver bravery and skill become even more significant factors than normal.

Honda scored its first-ever Formula One World Championship point at Spa-Francorchamps in the 1965 Belgian Grand Prix. Richie Ginther finished sixth in the Honda RA272.

Honda-powered cars have won the Belgian GP five times; Nigel Mansell took the first in 1986 and Ayrton Senna won four consecutively from 1988 to 1991, while Honda-powered drivers have finished on the podium 10 times in 16 Belgian Grands Prix.

Neither BAR Honda driver finished last years Belgian Grand Prix, with Jenson Button exiting the race following a tyre failure that led a spectacular 200mph collision with Zsolt Baumgartner.