The F1x

• The Out Lap

  • The best type of Spa

  • About the track

• News From the Week

  • Mattia Binotto joins Sauber/Audi

  • Ocon signs with Haas

  • Perez seems confident in his seat

  • Yuki Valorant inspired helmet

  • Alpine livery

The Out Lap

SPA! 🇧🇪

The type of Spa weekend all F1 fans can get behind.

We return to the Belgian GP this weekend at the famed and much loved Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

The final race before the summer break (no race weekend until Netherlands August 23-25).

Speaking of the Netherlands - Max is looking at a 10 place grid drop for taking a new power unit.

Red Bull will also be resorting back to their pre-upgrade spec car for this race weekend.

Some driver and team news, some fun one off livery’s and helmet’s, and the last chance to figure out the talking points for the next month.

About the track:

44 laps / 7.004 km / lap record 1:48.286 (Bottas 2018) / 19 corners

Spa is the longest circuit on the F1 calendar; it used to be even longer at 14 km.

The circuit has been used by the Tour de France multiple times.

Eau Rouge and Raidillon are the names of the uphill left-right-left sequence, the most famous corner of the track. Eau Rouge is named for the stream that this part of the track passes over.

For years, there have been concerns about the safety of the circuit, particularly this series of turns, given the speed at which drivers now take them and the lack of visibility before they crest the hill. The smaller run-off areas and the angle of the tire barriers tend to push cars back onto the track when a mistake is made. Many drivers in F1 and other series have spoken out, saying that changes need to be made.

In 2019, F2 driver Anthoine Hubert lost his life, and even more recently, in 2023, Dutch driver Dilano van ’t Hoff lost his life during the Formula Regional European Championship. Displays of respect and remembrance have been shown for both drivers since their tragic accidents.

News From the Week

Mattia Binotto joins Sauber/Audi as Chief Operating and Technical Officer.

Ocon has officially joined Haas on a multi-year deal to race alongside the rookie Ollie Bearman in 2025.

Checo is sounding pretty confident he will remain in his seat going forward:

Q: “Are you 100% sure this won't be your last race with Red Bull Racing?"

Sergio Perez: "Yes, correct."

Yuki Tsunoda will be rocking a Valorant inspired race helmet this weekend.

Alpine will be showing up with a special livery this weekend with a Deadpool and Wolverine inspired paint job.