2018 Belgian Grand Prix - Preview
Battle continues with Round 13 of the 2018 season from the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
- Toto Talks Belgium
- Stat Attack: Belgium and Beyond
Toto Talks Belgium
After five races in six weeks before the summer break, the shutdown came at just the right time. It gave us the opportunity to recharge a little and return energised for what will certainly be a hard-fought second half. Both the Drivers’ and the Constructors’ Championship are extremely tight and I expect it to be a close battle all the way through to Abu Dhabi.
Our first stop after the summer break is Spa – an historic circuit that has been the venue of some of the most spectacular races in F1 history. Corners like Eau Rouge are known to race fans around the world and the race always attracts a huge and very enthusiastic crowd. From a team’s perspective, the circuit is quite tricky, as it is not easy to find the right set-up for a track that has long straights, considerable changes in elevation and high-speed corners. You want to have enough downforce to be quick through the corners, but at the same time not carry too much drag for the long straights.
It’s very difficult to make any predictions for Spa. If this season has taught us one thing, it’s that there are no clear favourites for specific tracks anymore and that it’s not always the fastest car that wins. Instead, the competitive balance seems to swing back and forth from circuit to circuit. What is clear is that our competitors are pushing extremely hard and put up a very tough fight. So we need to keep our heads down, work hard to eliminate our weaknesses and further build on our strengths, and take the season race by race. 2018 promises to be a season that we will still be talking about in years to come and we can’t wait to get out there and start racing again.
Stat Attack: Belgium and Beyond
2018 Belgian Grand Prix Timetable
Session
Local Time
(CEST)
Brackley
(BST)
Stuttgart
(CEST)
Practice 1
Friday
11:00-12:30
10:00-11:30
11:00-12:30
Practice 2
Friday
15:00-16:30
14:00-15:30
15:00-16:30
Practice 3
Saturday
12:00-13:00
11:00-12:00
12:00-13:00
Qualifying
Saturday
15:00-16:00
14:00-15:00
15:00-16:00
Race
Sunday
15:10-17:10
14:10-16:10
15:10-17:10
Race Records – Mercedes F1 at the Belgian Grand Prix
Starts
Wins
Podium
Places
Pole
Positions
Front Row
Places
Fastest
Laps
DNF
Mercedes
9
4
9
5
9
4
2
Lewis
Hamilton
11
3
6
4
7
2
4
Valtteri
Bottas
5
0
1
0
0
0
0
MB Power
23
10
24
12
22
7
17
Technical Stats – Season to Date (Barcelona Pre-Season Test 1 to Present)
Laps
Completed
Distance
Covered (km)
Corners
Taken
Gear
Changes
PETRONAS
Fuel Injections
Mercedes
5,071
24,385
80,442
239,096
202,840,000
Lewis
Hamilton
2,483
11,953
39,212
116,858
99,320,000
Valtteri
Bottas
2,588
12,431
41,230
122,238
103,520,000
MB Power
14,280
68,451
225,619
668,861
571,200,000
All-Time Records - Silver Arrows in Formula One
Starts
Wins
Podium
Places
Pole
Positions
Front Row
Places
Fastest
Laps
1-2
Finishes
Front Row
Lockouts
Mercedes
180
81
168
94
169
60
42
54
Lewis
Hamilton
220
67
126
77
125
39
N/A
N/A
Valtteri
Bottas
109
3
27
5
14
6
N/A
N/A
MB Power
450
167
436
177
349
155
67
89
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