What time does qualifying and Formula 1 GP of Belgium at Spa start?
What time does the qualification of Spa start?
Qualifying for the GP of Belgium begins Saturday, August 27, at 4 p.m. Max Verstappen enters the first qualifying session after the summer break as World Cup leader with 80 points ahead of number two Charles Leclerc. Sergio Perez, in turn, is only five points behind the Monegasque.
Timetable F1 Spa-Francorchamps 2022
| Date | Session | Dutch time |
| Friday 25th August | 1st free practice | 14.00 – 15.00 |
| Friday, August 25 | 2nd free practice | 17.00 – 18.00 |
| Saturday, August 26 | 3rd free practice | 13.00 – 14.00 |
| Saturday, August 27 | Qualifying | 16.00 – 17.00 |
| Sunday, August 28 | Race | 15.00 – 17.00 |
What happened at Spa last year?
In a soaking wet qualifying session, Verstappen took pole, ahead of the surprise of the day: George Russell cleverly qualified his Williams in second place, while Hamilton took third. Sunday’s race went down in the books as one of the most bizarre races ever, as it didn’t get any further than a parade behind the safety car. Due to the extreme rainfall, racing was almost impossible. For this reason, the red flag was waved.
It took patience for the 75,000 fans along the track as the rain continued. Meanwhile, several attempts were made to start the race. Eventually, the start was made at 6:00 pm behind the safety car. However, after three laps, the race management thought it was still too tricky to continue and decided to flag the race. The starting position became the final result, as the laps behind the safety car counted sufficiently for an official race classification. However, with halved points since less than 75% of the race had been completed.
Last time F1 at Spa-Francorchamps?
After next race weekend, the contract between F1 and the circuit in the Ardennes expires. With the arrival of new circuits on the calendar – Miami and Las Vegas, for example – it’s harder for Spa to get a spot on the calendar for upcoming seasons. Remarkable, because Spa has invariably been put first on the calendar for years.
For now, F1 bosses seem to prefer a race weekend in South Africa. However, the negotiations between F1 and the South African organization have not yet been successful. The deadline to finalize the new calendar is getting closer and as long as there is no agreement Spa can still cherish hope to host F1 next year. It would then be a contract of only one year, which would mean that we would have this same situation next year.
What should you know about Spa-Francorchamps?
Many drivers consider the Spa-Francorchamps circuit to be one of the most beautiful circuits in the world. There is a nice flow to it with a good mix between slow technical turns and fast sections. Of course, we cannot ignore the legendary Eau Rouge – Raidillon corner combination.
Recently, the track underwent an update to modernize and repair things after the severe floods in 2021. In the process, Eau Rouge will also be tackled and partially modified to make the corners safer. Several sections of the track were also resurfaced to ensure that modern racing tires have better grip.
Spa in facts and figures
Official name: FORMULA 1 ROLEX BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2022
Location: Stavelot, Belgium
Circuit length: 7.004 km
Number of laps: 44
Number of bends: 19
Total race distance: 308.052 km
Lap record: 1:46:286 Valtteri Bottas (2018)
