Spa-Francorchamps is arguably the most popular circuit on the Formula One calendar - among drivers and fans alike. It offers a true challenge to the engineers and drivers and allows for real, on track racing battles. Craig Scarborough analyses the upcoming weekend

From one of the modern circuits Formula One moves to one of the all time classic tracks, Spa-Francorchamps. There are few historic tracks on the Calendar; even fewer with unspoilt layouts and even less that truly challenge the car and driver. Spa heads Monaco, Silverstone and Suzuka as the top track on the calendar.

The track itself is in east Belgium, not far from the border with Germany and is placed amongst the forested hills of the surrounding towns. Whilst the circuit is named after the town of Spa, which is nearest to the circuit's entrance, it is the three towns - Malmedy, Stavelot and Francorchamps - that give the circuit both its layout and the corners' names.

With both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships won and the battle for the runner-up spot closely contested, the weekend is very much a race that the teams want to do well at. The faster, more open layout of the track is a refreshing change from the tighter confines of recent races. The climate will also be cooler and quite possibly wetter, making the weekend a convenient comparison to the British Grand prix.

Most drivers speak about the tracks they race at with typical PR politeness and are split in their liking to a particular track. Spa is the exception: all drivers name it as the ultimate test for their driving skills.

Spa is one of the few tracks the driver can make a difference, being able to pull out a better lap time regardless of the car or its set-up. A mix of slow, fast, and scary corners reminds them why they took up motor racing in the first place. For example, Michael Schumacher is unusually expressive about the track: "Spa-Francorchamps is quite simply one of the ultimate old-style circuits".

Even more peculiar to Spa is the fact that both drivers and the media love just one corner: Eau Rouge. A flat out, blast down a hill through a flick, then back up a hill, makes it the most challenging sequence in motor sport, while not necessarily the most important corner on the track for a good lap. Taking Eau Rouge flat is like a gauntlet thrown down to the drivers. Most drivers will boast how many times they take the corner flat during the weekend, some do it as part of their ultimate lap, and some drivers simply feel they have to achieve this feat at least once in a weekend.

"The highlight of the track has to be the flat out blast through the legendary Eau Rouge," David Coulthard explains, "which is exhilarating when you get it spot on." As the corner places the car under immense load and at high speed, the risk of a big accident if it goes wrong is ever present, so everything must be right for the car to be go through flat. "Being able to take it flat is a question of confidence in the car," Jarno Trulli adds.

If Eau Rouge is the challenge in the dry, then the entire track becomes major challenge in the wet - which is highly likely given the climate in the lush green hillsides. Furthermore, the large area and different hillsides that the track covers makes for varied conditions should rain fall, leaving the track dry in one area and flooded in another.

Fast corners leading to slower complexes are a recipe for overtaking in the wet or dry. Additionally, pitstop strategy favours long stints, so more overtaking work has to be done on track, further generating interest in the race and making Spa one of the few real "racing" circuits.

Track Layout

Spa is the longest and now the second fastest track on the calendar. With the scale of the track also comes a variety of corners and huge variations in gradient - from the slowest corners of just 35 mph to the flat out runs of over 200mph. But, Spa makes the variation in speed more subtle than the modern tracks manage.

Only Monaco and the new Hockenheim have a hairpin as tight as La Source, but whereas in Monaco's case the approach is at low speed, La Source is approached at 180mph in the sixth out of seven gears. This corner is a source of many incidents in the race, especially at the start and in the wet.

From La Source the circuit heads off downhill to Eau Rouge, now edged by tarmac run off areas and more distant barriers. The fastest section of the track is the Kemmel straight taken in seventh gear, before Les Combes - a right hander of only 90mph - and then on to the Malmedy chicane and onto a short straight before the larger hairpin at Rivage, almost twice the speed of La Source.

One of the other most challenging corners is the Double apex corner of Pouhon. The car enters slowly but gains 40mph by the exit at some 170mph. Into another chicane at 90mph for Fagnes, another double apex corner at Stavelot, before dropping downhill and seeping left for Blanchimont, then flat out acceleration towards the Bus Stop chicane and the start-finish straight.

Entry to the pitlane is now as far back as the Bus Stop Chicane and the pit exit features a hairpin inside La Source to rejoin the track heading towards Eau Rouge. Toyota's pit is placed at the end of the pitlane, so the drivers will have to accelerate and immediately turn right as they exit their pit.

Set up and Strategy

Notwithstanding the contribution the driver can make at this track, the car's set-up will still be crucial in order to give the driver the grip and confidence for a qualifying lap and consistency to allow him to push throughout the race.

In basic terms, the circuit demands medium to low downforce and stability in faster corners. Mechanical grip is important to gain traction in the slower sections and also to ride the kerbs in the chicanes, but the softer set-up this implies is compromised by the need to raise and stiffen the ride to compensate for vertical load that gets put through the car when it bottoms out through Eau Rouge, and the resulting brown marks streaked across the track identify how much the planks are rubbing along the ground.

The track is comprised of public roads as well as purpose-built circuit, and therefore can be quite hard on tyres in warmer weather. Race strategy depends less on tyre degradation and the weight of fuel, as the time lost with these factors is less than the cost of the slow pitlane entry. Longer runs on heavy fuel tend to pay off, especially when wet weather is forecast during the race.

Wet tyres will need to provide the drivers grip and clear the treads of any standing water on the road to prevent aquaplaning. Cooler weather also helps reliability, which in itself is not too bad for a circuit with a full throttle for 60% of the lap - as the throttle is feathered more at Spa than at most power circuits, where the throttle is either fully open or fully closed during the lap.

Team by team

Ferrari

With the enforced break in testing, Michael Schumacher has been resting with the family and can be confident he goes to the next race with the best possible car. The vice-less F2002 will go well at Spa and it will be down to the opposition coming up with the better package or Bridgestone losing out to Michelin to prevent a certain victory. Nevertheless, it should be noted that Schumacher has yet to have a race failure in 2002, so the odds are pushing towards his first retirement of the year.

If the team gains pole or at least a front row spot, then they are more inclined to a risky fuel strategy so as to push the cars clear of the opposition and dictate the race - they have nothing to lose. It would be impossible to predict which of the two drivers will win the race, but whoever leads at the start of the race could be expected to end the race in the same position.

With both their drivers and key staff signed for next year, Ferrari can retain the momentum they have built up over the past years; the team are openly talking about the development of the successor to this year's car. And Luca Badoer shook down the cars at Mugello, as the team have taken the time during the testing break to resurface their test track Fiorano.

Williams

The team had a bad race last year, beset by problems that left both cars stranded on the grid - Juan Pablo Montoya having stalled and Ralf Schumacher being stranded with the car still up on jacks. But nonetheless, the circuit appears to suit the Williams well.

The track doesn't demand so much from the tyres but expects a lot from the engine, aerodynamics and traction. The new Williams aero package is unproven on faster tracks, but the team can expect to have at least one car pushing Ferrari throughout the weekend. The only problem seems to be Williams cannot get both cars to consistently push the red cars.

Both drivers are now confirmed for next year and no critical team personnel have left, which leaves Williams in strong position to develop the car for next year.

McLaren

Like many of the modern team teams, McLaren have enjoyed much success at Spa in recent years, but this year it will be hard to predict the team's pace. The car's aerodynamics work well and the mechanical side of the car has improved - even the engine seems to be more respectable than seen earlier in the season. But McLaren never seem to match a good qualifying performance to a good race performance.

Normally the cars will be stuck behind the Renaults or Saubers for the first stint and by the time they have passed the slower cars, the leaders have a disappeared up the road. Nevertheless, the car's incredible endurance on a tank of fuel, which will help the team should they keep up with the leaders at the start, could provide McLaren with an advantage over Ferrari and to a lesser degree Williams.

Kimi Raikkonen has been pushing David Coulthard much more in recent races, so the Scot needs to find some more speed in the closing races, in order to be in a strong position for next year. McLaren have signed a number of new personnel for 2003, but some of these signings will come too late to influence the philosophy of the new car. While lessons will be learnt form this year, the team will need to be wary of spending 2003 as another transition year.

Renault

Both Drivers have been working on fitness work between the races, in order to keep at their best all the way to the end of the race. Unfortunately they rarely get there. The teams' reliability record is poor, and dispiritingly most failures occur towards the end of the race. There's little doubt the R202 is a great car with a good all-round package, but the team just seem to struggle to dial the car in and fall short in the race. While Michelin tyres are a source of suspicion, Renault needs to feature much more strongly in the races.

The decision to drop Jenson Button, retain Jarno Trulli and hire Fernando Alonso, does not appear to have destabilised the team, plus the loss of their key aerodynamicist to Jaguar also appears to have had little effect. Work on the 2003 car continues under the direction of Mike Gascoyne, but the engine department is the one who needs to come up with a better product than in 2002.

Sauber

Sauber are now pushing Renault in the races and have put up a good fight against McLaren in Hungary. Wet weather in Spa could further push the Bridgestone-shod Sauber ahead of McLaren and Renault.

One doubt this weekend will be young Felipe Massa's frame of mind, having lost his drive for 2003 to Heinz Harald Frentzen; it will be a test of his maturity if he can turn in a good performance without the comfort of a contract signed for 2003. As Nick Heidfeld is retained for 2003 along with a rumoured upgrade to the Ferrari supplied engines, another year among the five top teams could be predicted for the Swiss outfit.

Jordan

Spa is a favourite track for the team; they have always had a good result there, just as Monaco is the team's turning point every season.

Takuma Sato's improved drive of late will tie in with his knowledge of the track from his F3 days. Likewise, Giancarlo Fisichella has been going well and improving with the car all year - even his major accident did not stall his season. So a finish in the points - especially if the Bridgestone tyres shine - is a possibility, while a wet race could bring a podium for Fisichella, but only if the Honda engine and Jordan Transmission stay together.

While uncertainty over Sato's drive for next year linger, the confirmation of the Ford Cosworth engine deal is good news for the technical team, who have had most of the season to gel following the departure of some of the previous design team.

BAR

With OIivier Panis confirmed at Toyota next year and Jacques Villeneuve turning down a lucrative CART contract, the likelihood of the French-Canadian remaining with BAR increases. Nevertheless, he remains under pressure to match his pay with results.

Spa will finally show if the revised aero package has done its job, as it was inconclusively run at the similar Silverstone track and subsequent slower circuits. Honda's reliability and the team's ability to get a consistent set-up for the drivers to demonstrate their skill will make or break their weekend.

Jaguar

Jaguar's inherent understeer will not hurt the team as much at Spa, as the revised aero package is proven to suit faster corners. Whether the low speed aerodynamics and the mechanical package can cope with the fussier sectors of the track will decide how far from the back of the grid the cars will line up. Race reliability has been awful and a potential good result, especially in the wet, could be ruined subsequently.

Toyota

Toyota made a decision to part ways with both its 2002 drivers, ending Mika Salo's contract a year earlier and not renewing Allan McNish's. Instead, the team signed Olivier Panis for two years, signalling they are putting emphasis on car development - Panis's reputed strong suit. The team have yet to announce who will drive alongside Panis, and the options vary from young Felipe Massa to veteran Jos Verstappen.

The Toyota car will suit some aspects of the Spa track - in the dry the Toyota power and their chassis balance in the faster corners will be a plus, but poor wheel control over the kerbs, leading to loss of traction, could undo any advantage.

Minardi

With Anthony Davidson pushing Mark Webber in his debut qualifying, Minardi are in a better position to develop the car's potential. But Davidson has not tested between races and goes to an even more challenging track than Hungary for his second race, while Webber knows the track from F3000.

A lack of power and under developed aerodynamics will hinder the car's pace around the track; in a wet race expect both cars to be challenging established midfield teams.

Drivers' line up and budgets are uncertain next year, which makes for a worrying winter for Minardi.

Arrows

Arrows made a late minute announcement that they will race in Belgium, after an initial agreement was signed with undisclosed investors. Moreover, Heinz Harald Frentzen's replacement remains a mystery, and his team leadership and technical input will no doubt be sorely missed this weekend.