Belgian Grand Prix
| Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | |
| Belgian Grand Prix | |
|---|---|
| Circuit | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |
| Laps | 44 |
| Circuit length km | 6.98 |
| Circuit length mi | 4.33 |
| Race length km | 306.94 |
| Race length mi | 190.73 |
| Current year | 2005 |
| Winner | Kimi Räikkönen |
| Winning team | McLaren-Mercedes |
| Winning time | 1:30:01.295 |
| Pole driver | Juan Pablo Montoya |
| Pole team | McLaren-Mercedes |
| Pole time | 1:46.391 |
| Fastest lap driver | Ralf Schumacher |
| Fastest lap team | Toyota |
| Fastest lap | 1:51.453 |
The Belgian Grand Prix is an automobile race, part of the Formula One World Championship.
The first national race of Belgium was held in 1925 at the Spa region's race course, an area of the country that had been associated with motor sport since the very early years of racing before the turn of the century. To accommodate Grand Prix motor racing, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps race course was built in 1921 but it was only used for motorcycle racing until 1924. After the 1923 success of the new 24 hours of Le Mans in France, the SPA 24 Hours, a similar 24 hour endurance race, was run at the Spa track.
Drivers and fans alike love the Belgian Grand Prix. Since inception, Spa-Francorchamps has been famous for its unpredictable weather. At one stage in its history it had rained at the Belgian Grand Prix for twenty years in a row. Frequently drivers confront a part of the course that is clear and bright while another stretch is rainy and slippery. Most drivers today say that the Spa course is the most challenging race track in the world.
The first Belgian Grand Prix was won by Antonio Ascari whose son Alberto would win the race in 1952 and 1953. Unfortunately, after winning the Belgian race, Antonio Ascari would be killed in his next outing at the French Grand Prix. In 1939, the race claimed the life of British driver Richard "Dick" Seaman while leading the race. During the 1960 race Chris Bristow and Alan Stacy lost their lives in separate incidents, the latter in a freak occurrence when hit in the face by a bird.
In 1972 Spa was considered too dangerous for Formula 1 machinery. Following that decision, the Belgians decided to alternate their Grand Prix between Zolder and a characterless circuit at Nivelles near Brussels. The first race at Nivelles was won by Emerson Fittipaldi but although the track was safe, it inspired little enthusiasm when compared to the magnificent old Spa circuit. Zolder hosted the race the following year and it was won by Jackie Stewart. Formula One returned to Nivelles in 1974. Once again the race was won by Emerson Fittipaldi, but after that event the organizers were unable to sustain a Grand Prix at Nivelles and the track faded from the racing scene.
Afterwards, the race returned to Zolder. The Belgian Grand Prix would be held there a further nine times. Niki Lauda scored back-to-back victories at the track in 1975 and 1976 and in 1977 Gunnar Nilsson scored his only F1 victory at Zolder. The following year Mario Andretti won the race for Lotus. In 1979, Jody Scheckter won the race in his Ferrari. In 1980 Didier Pironi became a first time winner at the track in his Ligier. The 1981 meeting that was won by Carlos Reutemann was chaotic with a mechanic being killed in the pitlane, a drivers' strike and then a nasty startline accident. Zolder will always be remembered, however, as the place where Gilles Villeneuve died in 1982. John Watson won the race for McLaren, but a year later the rebuilt Spa circuit opened for racing and the Belgian Grand Prix returned there. The 1984 Belgian Grand Prix was the last race at Zolder with Michele Alboreto taking the win for Ferrari. In 1985, the race returned to Spa where it has remained ever since.
World Champion Michael Schumacher, who made his debut at Spa in 1991 and won his first F1 race there in 1992, won his 52nd Grand Prix at Spa in 2001, surpassing Alain Prost's all-time record of 51 wins. Schumacher also won his seventh World Drivers' Championship title at Spa in 2004. There was no Belgian Grand Prix in 2003 because of the country's tobacco advertising laws but it returned to the schedule again in 2004.
Another notable race was the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix which took place in torrential conditions. The race was originally stopped after a massive accident involving thirteen of the twenty-two runners at the first corner. The heavy rain caused low visibility, and Michael Schumacher ran into the back of David Coulthard, an event that angered Schumacher so much that he attempted to threateningly confront Coulthard in the McLaren garage. Only eight drivers were classified finishers (two of whom were five laps behind, one of whom was Coulthard) and Damon Hill secured a memorable victory ahead of team mate Ralf Schumacher to record the previously underperforming Jordan team's first Formula One win in its history, and a 1-2 to top it off.
In 2005, the minister of Economics, Jean-Claude Marcourt, proposed to change the name of the event to Grand Prix de Wallonie.