World’s best drivers will face off against each other in one of the (if not) the best F1 tracks in the world on 28th of August.
Spreading around the Ardennes forests in eastern part of Belgium is the 4.3 miles long track Spa. It has a rich history and every race is expected to produce a spectacular showing. It’s not just a highly advanced build of the track, but the view is like no other in the world. Compared to other tracks in the world it differentiates in a way it follows the contours of the mountains that host is, rather than being build on wastelands with little to none elevation changes. With that it is and will always be one of the tracks that will reflect the “soul of F1”.
At first it was known as one of the most dangerous tracks in the world, being 8 miles long in the same mountains and forests than nowadays. It was recognized as too dangerous and had to be shortened and reshaped to be safe to drive on once again. It took long 13 years for Nivelles and Zolder to do so and it was reopened in 1983. It was essentially unchanged since. Now being half the length of the track it used to be, it still has 2 of the most knowns corners ‘Eau Rouge’ and ‘Blanchimont’. It’s clear it is not an easy track, with downhill track, where the drivers accumulate speeds of 190mph.
A year ago Lewis Hamilton won comfortably with a 2 stop strategy, changing tires on lap 13 and 30. Another recommended strategy is a 3 stop strategy, which did good for Max Verstappen, who finished 8th after starting on 18th position.
The longest track of the year (7.004 kilometers) will take tool on the tires, due to the long, fast corners and elevation changes that cause huge vertical forces for tires. We can expect rain at the track, but it frequently drops just one part of the track, which may cause some strategy adjustments.
The back to back world champion made an underwhelming start of the season as his team mate Rosberg stormed clear in the standings, winning 4 opening races, which gave him a huge lead in front of followers. However, his performance went downhill since his appearance in Russian Grand Prix. Nico Rosberg has only won 1 race, meanwhile Hamilton has won six of the last seven races, which resulted in him bypassing his team mate in the standings.
Going into the break, Hamilton has had 19 point lead ahead of Nico Rosberg in the standing. BUT, Hamilton has a engine penalty coming to him (maybe even 2), which just may gift Nico the lead. In that regard, Hamilton knows he needs to get as many points as he can in the upcoming races, juts to protect his lead.
“We do have a penalty up ahead, this engine has done amazing to get to where we are and I’m super grateful for the life it has led and the laps we’ve led with it. It’s as good a buffer as I could get with the circumstances.”
With that in mind, Hamilton will want to win the 5th consecutive race, when he goes back to Belgium, where he was the fastest driver last year. He has the knowledge of the track and a strong will to win the championship, whereas Nico Rosberg might have just as a strong will, but he does not perform up to par at this venue.
VERDICT
Hamilton is my favorite. He is an experienced driver and he has shown he is a consistent driver. His latest performances showed he can win, which gave him 1st place after a somewhat poor start of the season. Nico on the other hand knows he has to win, to have a better chance to end this season with championship title. Nico has had some poor performance in the last few races, which lost him the 1st position and with all that going trough his mind, he surely is under a lot of pressure, which may effect his driving. Hamilton is full of confidence and in fine form, that is why I recommend backing up Lewis Hamilton in the upcoming Belgium Grand Prix.
Prediction: Lewis Hamilton to win
Odds: 2.20 Bet365
