Compared to last year, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit has largely new asphalt, a modification that will impact the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix. Tire supplier Pirelli has announced that drivers and teams should expect significantly less tire wear than in previous years.
Although only certain parts of the circuit have been resurfaced, the new asphalt layer will not go unnoticed. “It will lead to significantly faster lap times and a substantial increase in grip,” says Pirelli.
The exact influence on the driving behavior of the F1 cars will become clear from Friday when Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and the other drivers make their first laps of the weekend. However, the tire supplier does not anticipate any problems due to the circuit modification at Spa-Francorchamps. This is partly thanks to Pirelli’s role in GT racing. “This allowed us to get acquainted with this new asphalt during the 24 hours of Spa a month ago. Of course, you can’t compare GT cars with Formula 1, but it has already given us an impression.”
However, the weather conditions still cause a significant degree of uncertainty regarding the modification of Spa-Francorchamps. In the rain – which cannot be ruled out during the Belgian GP – it is very much a question of how the new asphalt will react.
