2025 Belgian Grand Prix: Fast Facts

The second half of the 2025 season gets underway at one of the truly classic circuits, as Spa-Francorchamps hosts the Belgian Grand Prix from 25 to 27 July.

After the races in Shanghai and Miami, this will be the third weekend of the year run to the Sprint format: just one free practice session on Friday, after which it’s Sprint Qualifying, with the Sprint race itself run over 15 laps on Saturday, following by qualifying. The usual 44 laps of the Belgian Grand Prix proper take place on Sunday. It’s the second time this circuit has hosted a Sprint, following on from the one in 2023.

The Compounds

For this event, Pirelli has chosen three dry weather compounds that are not consecutive: the Hard is the hardest in the 2025 range, the C1, but then there’s a jump to the Medium (C3) and the Soft (C4). That has not happened since the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, when the trio consisted of the C2 as Hard, the C3 as Medium and the C5 as Soft.

The new compound here is the Hard, as the Medium (C3) and Soft (C4) are the same as last year. According to the simulations, this trio should make a two-stop strategy even more competitive in Sunday’s race, while adding a greater degree of uncertainty to tyre management over the course of the weekend, especially as it is a Sprint event, with just one hour of free practice and a different dry tyre allocation. With this format, the regulations stipulate one fewer set of tyres than on a normal weekend: each driver has 12 sets, six of Soft, four of Medium and two of Hard. Furthermore, the Medium is the only tyre permitted for the first two parts of Sprint Qualifying and the Soft must be used in the third.

The circuit nestles in the forest of the Ardennes hills and is famous for its changeable weather, even from one part of the track to another and even in the height of summer. Therefore, it’s not out of the question that both types of wet weather tyre, the Intermediate and Extreme Wet, could come into play over the weekend.

The Track

Spa-Francorchamps is fourth on the list of circuits that have hosted the most rounds of the world championship, including in the first season, 75 years ago. It is one of the most spectacular tracks, very popular with teams and drivers because of its technical complexity and the challenges it presents. It is the longest track on the calendar, exceeding the seven kilometre mark by four metres. Its three sectors have very different characteristics: the first is the quickest and includes what are probably the most famous corners, Eau-Rouge and Raidillon, after which comes a long straight and the braking area at the end of it has been the scene for some epic overtaking moves; the second is more twisty, featuring a mix of medium-speed corners, several of them downhill; the third is more flowing with a slight but nevertheless noticeable incline. Finding a competitive set-up for all three sectors is quite a task and it is often the case that cars are fast in one sector and slow in another.

Prior to last year’s Grand Prix, much of the track was resurfaced with the aim of increasing grip and smoothing out some bumps. This led to a much lower level of abrasiveness and with more grip available, lap times were significantly quicker.

The Stats

This weekend’s race is the 70th edition of the Belgian Grand Prix to count for the World Championship, the 57th to be held at Spa-Francorchamps. Nivelles has hosted the race twice and Zolder ten times.

The most successful driver at Spa-Francorchamps is Michael Schumacher with six wins to his name. The German made his Formula 1 debut at this track in 1991, taking the first of his 91 wins one year later and Spa was also where he clinched his seventh and last world title in 2004. Lewis Hamilton leads the way when it comes to pole positions with 6 and podium places (11). Of the teams, Ferrari tops the tables for wins (18), pole positions (17) and podium places (51).

It’s the third round of the season run to the Sprint format, a discipline in which Max Verstappen is the undoubted master. Of the 20 Sprint races run to date, the four time world champion has won 11 of them and finished on the podium a further five times. A total of seven drivers have won at least one Sprint: two wins apiece for Valtteri Bottas, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris and one each for George Russell, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton. 19 drivers have scored points in the short format, a table headed naturally enough by Verstappen on 117 points.

How to Watch the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix

Formula 1 fans around the globe can catch all the action from the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix through various broadcasters and streaming services.

In the United Kingdom, viewers can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with comprehensive coverage of the practice sessions, qualifying, and the race itself.

For fans in the United States, the Belgian Grand Prix will be available through ESPN and its associated channels. ESPN offers extensive coverage of F1, including live broadcasts and replays. Cord-cutters can also stream the race live through various over-the-top (OTT) services that carry ESPN channels.

Viewers in Australia can tune in to watch the Grand Prix weekend unfold live on Fox Sports, which offers complete coverage of F1 races. For online streaming, fans can subscribe to Kayo Sports, a streaming platform that includes all Fox Sports content.

Additionally, F1 TV Pro offers live streaming of every track session to viewers in many countries worldwide.

This subscription service provides access to onboard cameras, team radios, live timing, and more, for an immersive viewing experience.

Remember to check the local listings and services for the most up-to-date information regarding broadcast times and availability in your region.

Belgian Grand Prix Fast Facts

• With its 7.004km, Spa-Francorchamps is the longest on the F1 calendar. As a result, the race is run over the shortest number of laps of the year: 44.
• The weather at Spa can also heavily impact the race, with a 56% chance of a wet session across the weekend. This makes Spa the race most likely to be affected by rain.
• The run down to the first braking zone at Turn One (La Source) is one of the shortest of the season at just 137m. Only Azerbaijan (90m) and Las Vegas (111m) are shorter.
• The tow at Spa-Francorchamps is very powerful due to the long straights, particularly the section after Raidillon. On the first lap this is even more powerful, because drivers chasing can pick up a tow from multiple cars. The lack of DRS on lap one also increases this effect.
• It used to be one of the biggest challenges for engine duty and time spent on full throttle, but with the new regulations and new tracks joining it has fallen down the list. It still remains in the top five, though.
• Tyre duty and wear are some of the highest of the season at Spa, with high averages across all four corners of the car.
• From the exit of La Source to the braking zone for Les Combes, the drivers have their foot firmly on the throttle for around 23 seconds (and 1,875 metres) of track layout.
• The Belgian Grand Prix will host an F1 Sprint race for the second time in 2025, having previously hosted the shortened format in 2023.
• Mercedes has six wins at Spa – the first coming with Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955.
• This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Belgian Grand Prix with a first race taking place in 1925.
• This will also be the 600th Grand Prix weekend for Mercedes Benz as an engine supplier in F1.
• Max Verstappen has been the fastest in Q3 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in the last four seasons, however, due to grid penalties he last started on Pole in Belgium in 2021.