Ah, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps; one of the most picturesque, highly rated tracks on the F1 calendar, one which breeds great races with its fast flowing corners and changeable weather conditions. Before last weekend, I’d never been to a Grand Prix before, and I’d read that it was one of the best circuits to visit, so I travelled with my family and a friend to go and see the race. In this blog, I’m not going to analyse the race or anything like that (not much to say; Vettel is pretty dominant!), but instead I’d like to share my experience of the weekend to anyone thinking of going to see a Grand Prix there. It’s definitely a trip I’d recommend to anyone!
We stayed in Brussels after travelling to Belgium via Eurostar, a journey which was very easy and whilst not cheap, was a lot easier and more enjoyable than driving. We arrived on Thursday evening at the Bedford Hotel and Congress centre (catchy name), and decided to spend Friday exploring Brussels instead of going to the circuit to watch the practice sessions. This is something I’m glad we did, because travelling to Spa-Francorchamps from Brussels for 3 days in a row would surely have become a bit monotonous and ruined the excitement of being at the circuit.
Now I’m just going to come out and say it; Brussels is not a very exciting place to visit. We stayed just a few minutes walk from the central station and whilst the architecture is very beautiful in places and I’m sure there is a lot of history and culture to absorb, I found it quite dirty in places and there is not a lot to do. I wouldn’t recommend spending more than a day or two there if you’re planning a trip, but do research any possible places you’d like to visit because it helps to have a plan…
Brussels is very beautiful in some places but I woudn’t recommend spending more than a few days there
On Saturday, we caught the train from Brussels Midi into Vervier Central station, and then a bus (the 294 or 395) straight into the circuit. There were large queues for the bus on both Saturday and Sunday, but the seemingly Tardis like qualities of Belgian Bendy-buses meant that these queues moved quickly and we were soon at the circuit. If you’re thinking of staying nearer the circuit than Brussels, don’t be put off by the long journey time from the capital into Spa-Francorchamps. The trains are very quick and it’s not a strenuous journey to do, so think twice about sacrificing a better place to stay for a quicker journey to the track.
The queue for buses from Vervier Central station moves very quickly
Saturday is a great day to explore the track and find good places to sit and watch the cars. The crowds are big but nothing like on race day, and I’d recommend using this day to walk around the circuit to get a good idea of where you’d like to sit on Sunday. We had Bronze Admission tickets, which at only 20 Euros for people aged 15 and under (unbelievable value!) and 120 Euros for Adults were very well priced and gave excellent views of the track. If it’s your first Grand Prix, then don’t be tempted to splash out on grandstand seats; just take a picnic blanket to sit on and soak up the atmosphere! The picture below is of the start of the Kemmel Straight.
This spot at that start of the Kemmel straight means you are very close to the cars but there is no screen, which really is important on race day
We sat at various points at the circuit over the two days; for the first day, we sat at the start of the Kemmel Straight for while, which meant we were very close to the track but didn’t have a screen, and later walked around past Les Combes to Pouhon. The paths are full of people with fold up chairs and viewing is limited, so we headed to the wider parts where we could sit down on a mat and watch a screen. My biggest tip for watching the race is get in front of a screen. Without the screen, you have very little idea what’s going on and the race is much less enjoyable.
There is almost no seating area here at the bottom of Rivage corner, so unless you’re camping you have almost no chance of getting a seat- you’ll need a chair too.
We packed food and drink to take to the circuit the night before from a supermarket in Brussels (not a common thing in the city centre), which was very useful because food at the track is very expensive and getting it means leaving your space and queuing for quite some time, so it’s worth doing. Fold up chairs are only useful for sitting on the paths, which on race day are full of campers, so for us they would have been unnecessary weight. The circuit is very hilly and the slopes to sit on are very steep, so a picnic blanket is a much better bet. It’s a good idea to take a waterproof one to shelter under if it rains, and make sure you wear sturdy shoes; there is a lot of walking about over the weekend!
This was where we sat to watch the race, just at the start of Pouhon. We were directly opposite the screen, which was brilliant and really necessary in order to enjoy the race. The noise of the cars this close to the track is amazing!
The circuit itself is beautiful. When you hear the scream of the engines rolling off the hills, it’s a great moment, and one worth the whole trip. My favourite moment was after the race, when the marshals opened the gates to the track and thousands of fans poured onto the very tarmac the cars had just raced over minutes ago. We could walk the whole track, and I even managed to pick up some marbles (old bits of tyre) flung to the side of the kerb!
Spa-Francorchamps is a very hilly circuit, and the view from the highest point on the Kemmel straight is amazing.
Walking the track was the highlight of my weekend, and was a very surreal experience.
Some of the marbles (old pieces of tyre) I picked up from the side of the circuit- there were thousands!
We had the cheapest tickets you could buy, and we still managed to walk past the podium, the pits and the whole track- amazing!
Here’s a summary of my top tips for travelling to the Belgian Grand Prix:
Don’t be put off by using trains and buses- they’re quick and easy, and the queues for cars leaving and entering the circuit are huge!
Bring food to the circuit- it makes it so much easier and cheaper
Wear comfortable, practical shoes- the circuit is very hilly and you’ll need to walk a long way
Try and get in front of a screen- the race is very confusing otherwise!
Get to the circuit early on Sunday- most of the best places have already been taken by campers, but there’s others around if you can beat the rush
Bring a mat to sit on- the ground is very rocky and uncomfortable
Enjoy your trip!
