TRACKSIDE VIEW
There’s a good reason why Autosport is positioned at the exit of the old pitlane for first practice, aside from the admittedly selfish one that Formula 1 cars look utterly astonishing through this famous and revered sequence, and we want a piece of the action. The justification is that there have been plenty of modifications to the circuit at this precious part in particular, so here’s a prime opportunity to recap and rate them.
The inside barrier at the foot of the hill has been removed to open the sight lines, the runoff enlarged on the outside to improve safety and therefore futureproof the rollercoaster. These are welcome steps. The asphalt on the outside being painted to broadly match the Belgian flag is at least less offensive than the brushwork at Paul Ricard. A negative is surely the landmark East Belgian Racing Team white chalet at the top of the hill being bulldozed to make way for a load of steel box sections in the form of a drab grey grandstand. Some of the charm has undoubtedly been lost to make way for more seats and more hospitality suites.
After 10 minutes to admire the historic paddock (personal highlights are the lesser-spotted 1989 Eurobrun ER188B and
1995 Simtek S951), soon the contemporary cars are centre of attention once again as they emerge for the first time after the summer break.
The bottom of Eau Rouge is more spectacular than it is a clear indicator of who has got the right line and who hasn’t.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no differentiation to speak of.
The newly laid asphalt is initially pristine, until the Mclarens follow one another through the ascent. Both running exceptionally low to the ground, sparks fly out from the diffuser. As the wooden planks are slammed into the surface, the MCL36S carve a yellow groove into the track.
By the time the Alpines and Alphatauris have come through, the two most prominent yellow streaks are the better part of three feet apart. Come the end of the hour, these are almost entirely filled in to create one big smudge. It proves that there is at least some variance in lines.
Spa is also the first round for which the FIA is monitoring vertical movements to help limit porpoising on the grounds of safety. The compression at this part of the circuit generally welds cars into the track but, even so, it’s noticeable that the Williams is still bouncing. It’s the worst offender in this respect. The
Alfa Romeos, by contrast, are super-stiff, but that does in turn lead to a couple of incidents of snaps of oversteer and corrective lock at the summit of Raidillon.
“FORMULA 1 CARS LOOK UTTERLY ASTONISHING THROUGH THIS FAMOUS AND REVERED SEQUENCE”