BELGIAN GP. The final Formula 1 meeting before the traditional break in August, the Belgian Grand Prix will also be the scene of a sprint race this weekend. Here’s everything you need to know so you don’t miss a beat.
After Austria, Great Britain and Hungary, a fourth Grand Prix will come to close this weekend a very rich month of July in Formula 1. Belgium and its circuit of Spa-Francorchamps indeed welcomes the paddock of the 28 July 30 for the twelfth round of a world championship which had been cut by two races in the spring (Shanghai and Imola). On the mythical 7 kilometer track drawn in the province of Liège, the pilots, a week after having panicked the counters on the asphalt of the Hungaroring, are once again ready to do battle before enjoying a few days of well-deserved vacation. The Grand Prize of Belgium will indeed be followed by the traditional four-week summer break. It will then be necessary to wait until the end of August for the world championship to resume its rights, in the Netherlands.
In the meantime, fans will be entitled to a double ration of spectacle since the Belgian Grand Prix will be the third of the season, after Azerbaijan and Austria, to offer a sprint race. This Saturday mini Grand Prix, preceded by a few hours of its own qualifying, has so far this year always been a taste of Sunday’s race as Sergio Perez made the pass of two in Baku while Max Verstappen succeeded the double at Spielberg. What will it be this time around? On the very hilly Belgian circuit – much appreciated by the drivers – the surprise would be not to see Max Verstappen triumph. Winner in 2021 and 2022, the double world champion has just won his seventh consecutive victory in Hungary. Deprived of pole position by Lewis Hamilton, the Dutchman had found himself at the head of the peloton from the first corner after the failed start of the Briton. He then went it alone again to the finish line.
A technical and dangerous circuit marked by crashes and tragic accidents
The overwhelming domination of the Red Bull driver, also born in Belgium, weighs somewhat on a season that is quite poor in twists and turns. The Austrian team also beat last weekend the old record held for 35 years by McLaren, in the time of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, of the greatest number of victories in a row by a team, now worn to 12. In the constructors’ standings, Red Bull has at mid-season (11 races out of 22) more than double the points than its first pursuer, Mercedes (452 to 223). The gap is still in danger of widening in Belgium, on one of the most technical and dangerous circuits on the calendar, where Max Verstappen intends to extend his hegemony.
Last week in Hungary, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri confirmed the rise of the McLarens, somewhat breaking the monotony of this first half of the season. First by privatizing the second row at the end of qualifying and then by finishing respectively second and fifth in the race. Better than the Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton 4th and George Russell 6th, and the Ferraris, rather discreet with the 7th and 8th places of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
On the “Ardennes toboggan”, witness to some of the most spectacular crashes in the history of Formula 1 – and unfortunately the recent scene of the tragic accidents of young Frenchmen Anthoine Hubert (2019) and Dutchman Dilano van’t Hoff (start July) -, the pilots will be entitled to a good dose of adrenaline as every year. Especially if, as announced, the rain comes to get involved…
What time to watch the Belgian Grand Prix? The program
Grand Prix with a sprint race, qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix will take place on Friday after a single free practice session. After an already busy first day, the drivers will continue on Saturday at lunchtime with qualifying for the Sprint, this mini Grand Prix which will start at the end of the afternoon. The race will take place on Sunday at the usual time of the Grands Prix disputed in Europe.
- Free practice 1 at 1:30 p.m. on Friday July 28 (duration: 1 hour)
- Qualifications at 5 p.m. on Friday July 28 (duration: 1 hour)
- Sprint qualifications at 12 p.m. on Saturday July 29 (duration: 1 hour)
- Sprint at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday July 29 (duration: 45 minutes)
- Grand Prix at 3 p.m. on Sunday July 30 (duration: 2 hours maximum)
On which TV channel to watch the Belgian Grand Prix?
The Belgian Grand Prix will be broadcast exclusively on the channels of the Canal group, holder of the rights to the Formula 1 world championship. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit will be the scene of a sprint race on Saturday, the qualifications of which will be broadcast on Canal+ Sport , like the only free practice session and qualifying for the Grand Prix the day before. But like the race on Sunday, from 3 p.m., the Sprint will be broadcast on Canal+ on Saturday afternoon.
- Friday July 28: Free Practice 1 at 1:30 p.m. + Qualifying at 5 p.m. to follow on Canal+ Sport
- Saturday July 29: Sprint qualifications at 12 p.m. on Canal+ Sport + Sprint at 4.30 p.m. to follow on Canal+
- Sunday July 30: “La Grille” program at 1.55 p.m. then start of the Grand Prix at 3 p.m. on Canal+
Do you prefer to follow the Grand Prix on your computer, tablet or warm at the bottom of your bed with your smartphone and your duvet? No problem, this twelfth Grand Prix of the season will of course also be viewable in streaming. Two possibilities are open to you: access to the Canal+ MyCanal streaming platform or via the official F1 website, F1.com. Both will offer all the practice, qualifying and race sessions live but also in replay. On MyCanal, activating expert mode also makes it possible to combine screens, multi-cameras (including on-board cameras) and data, for example the drivers’ lap times in real time. On F1.com, the live broadcast of the tests and the race is supplemented by replays, documentaries or historical reminders via the F1TV Pro serviceoffered at 64.99 euros per year or 7.99 euros per month.
The circuit of Spa-Francorchamps
The 2023 Belgian Grand Prix takes place on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, located in the province of Liège in Belgium. The circuit was developed in 1921, but its current layout has been modified several times. It is currently 7.004 kilometers long and has 20 bends. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is particularly known and renowned for its famous Raidillon de l’Eau Rouge, a series of uphill bends.