Spa-Francorchamps

The track at a glance

Spa-Francorchamps is a permanent road circuit in the hills of the Belgian Ardennes, between the villages of Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot. The current layout is 7.004 km long with 19 turns, the longest lap on the modern Grand Prix calendar, and a Grand Prix there runs to 44 laps.

It began in the 1920s as a fast triangle of public roads almost 15 km long. Today's track keeps the best-known part of that original course — La Source, Eau Rouge and the climb to Les Combes — and joins it to a purpose-built loop through the forest.

Spa is known for its height changes, its long full-throttle sections and its weather: the lap is long enough for one part of the circuit to be wet while another is dry. It hosted the Belgian Grand Prix in 2026, and from 2027 the race moves to odd-numbered years until at least 2031.

A lap of Spa, corner by corner

The numbers below follow the 12 named corners in the remastered layout. The official 19-turn count splits several of these into their individual turns.

1. La Source

   A tight right-hand hairpin at the end of a short start straight, named after the many springs in the area. It was moved closer to the start line in 2007, and on the first lap the whole field has to squeeze through it.

2. Eau Rouge

   The most famous sequence in motor racing (Turns 2 to 4). The track drops to a left-hander over the Eau Rouge stream, then climbs steeply right and left up the hill known as Raidillon, at gradients of more than 18%. Modern cars take it flat out.

3. Les Combes

   A right-left chicane at the top of the hill, at the end of the Kemmel straight. The flat-out run from La Source to here is about 2 km, which makes it the main overtaking spot of the lap.

4. Malmedy

   A right-hander that sends the track downhill towards Bruxelles. It is named after the nearby town.

5. Bruxelles

   A long, slow, downhill right-hander, also called Rivage after a local hamlet. It is one of the slowest corners of the lap.

6. Jacky Ickx

   A short left, formerly called Speakers Corner, now named after the Belgian driver Jacky Ickx.

7. Pouhon

   A very fast, downhill double left-hander, known locally as "double gauche". It is one of the great tests of a car's high-speed grip.

8. Fagnes

   A quick right-left chicane named after the nearby nature reserve. Locals call it "Pif-Paf" for its quick change of direction.

9. Campus

   A right-hander, formerly part of Stavelot, now named after the Campus Automobile training centre next to the track.

10. Paul Frère

    A long, fast right named after the Belgian driver and journalist who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1960.

11. Blanchimont

    A very fast left-hand sweep, taken flat out by modern cars and named after a farm that once stood nearby. Mistakes here are heavily punished.

12. Bus Stop

    A slow right-left chicane before the pit straight, named after a bus stop on the public road that used to run through this section. It is another good place to pass.

How the layout has changed

Spa has been shortened, rebuilt and reprofiled many times, but La Source, Eau Rouge and the climb to Les Combes have stayed at the heart of the lap.

• 1922The first car race runs on an almost 15 km triangle of public roads between Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot.
• 1925The first Belgian Grand Prix is held at Spa.
• 1939A slow hairpin at the old customs post is bypassed by the faster Raidillon sweep up the hill.
• 1950Spa is on the first World Championship calendar.
• 1979The circuit is cut to around 7 km on a mostly purpose-built loop, keeping the original first section.
• 1983Grand Prix racing returns on the new layout.
• 2007The Bus Stop chicane is moved, La Source is brought forward and a new pit complex is built. This is the 7.004 km layout used today.
• 2022An upgrade brings gravel traps back to several corners and widens the run-off at Raidillon.

What makes Spa special

Most modern circuits are built on flat land. Spa follows the shape of a valley, so the height changes are part of the design rather than something added on top. Eau Rouge works because the track drops into a dip and climbs out again: the compression at the bottom pushes the car into the road just as the driver turns in.

The lap also has unusually long full-throttle sections. That puts a premium on top speed and on a good exit from the slow corners, such as La Source and Bruxelles, that lead onto them. For more on designing with height changes, read elevation change in race track design, or see where Spa ranks in our top 10 greatest race tracks.

Ideas for your remaster

The Remaster button opens the traced layout in the designer with all 12 corners named. You can move any point and the lap time, speed trace and corner analysis update as you go. A few places to start:

Rebuild the old circuit. Before 1979 the track carried on past Les Combes to Malmedy and Stavelot on public roads. Try extending the layout back out to its full length.

Rethink the Bus Stop. The final chicane has changed shape several times. Can you design one that creates a better passing chance without slowing the lap too much?

Add run-off. Spa has gone back to gravel in several corners. Read about gravel traps versus tarmac run-off, then add your own.

Finish it properly. Add track width, kerbs and a pit lane so it reads like a real venue.

When you're happy with it, share your version with its own link. The original stays here for the next person to remaster.

Frequently asked questions

Layout traced from the open circuit data in bacinger/f1-circuits (MIT licence). Circuit facts: Wikipedia, Formula 1. RaceTrackDesigner is not affiliated with the circuit, its owners or any racing series.