• The 2024 F1 Belgian Grand Prix is round 14 of the season
• The race takes place at Spa-Francorchamps circuit
• Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen still leads the 2024 Drivers’ Championship

The 2024 Formula 1 World Championship continues this weekend with round 14, the Belgian Grand Prix, the last race before the summer break.

The race once again takes place at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit nestled within the beautiful Ardennes hills. It features a long, unrelenting track that serves as a stern test for car and driver, where average speeds are close to 145 mph and drivers experience up to 5 g in some corners, such as Turn 10, known to fans as Pouhon.

Measuring 4.35 miles long, Spa boasts the longest track on the circuit, leading to a race that lasts just 44 laps—the fewest on the calendar. The first and third sectors at Spa feature long straights and flat-out sections, but the second sector is twisty. This makes it challenging to find the right balance for the car set-up.

Another issue is the weather. Due to its size, it’s not uncommon to experience different weather conditions in various sections of the track at Spa; for instance, it can be raining at one end while completely dry in another. The current forecast calls for rain during Saturday’s qualifying session and fine, albeit cloudy, weather during Sunday’s race.

The track surface is on the abrasive side, which results in extra wear for tires, though some parts have been re-laid in the lead up to this weekend’s race, with a new track surface awaiting the drivers from the exit of Turn 17 to the exit of Turn 4. The surface in the pit lane is also new.

The long track combination with a rough surface results in some of the highest tire wear of the season, with high averages across all four corners of the car. Pirelli has nominated its mid-range compounds for the race, the C2, C3, and C4.

Going into the weekend, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen leads the 2024 Drivers’ Championship with 265 points. McLaren’s Lando Norris is second with 189 points and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is third with 162 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull leads with 389 points. McLaren is second with 338 points and Ferrari is third with 322 points.

It’s possible Verstappen will run a new engine unit this weekend, which means he will incur a 10-place grid penalty as he’s already reached his allocation of four engines for the season. Spa is a track where overtaking is possible, meaning Verstappen could still win, though the move will be risky as both McLaren and Mercedes-Benz AMG have shown strong performances in recent rounds.