The track contains some of the most famous corners in racing over its 7.004 km length with such historic names as Eau Rouge, Radillon, Les Combes, Stavelot, Blanchimont and La Source. With its mixture of very fast and very slow corners, changes in elevation and high-speed straights it is a circuit that requires total commitment from a driver and, this in turn, requires a very good set up to his chassis.

Racing Engineering will be looking to continue their recent run of good results that has seen the Spanish team score two third and two fourth places in the last two rounds at the Nürburgring and Budapest with Fabio Leimer who has been very fast in recent races and will be looking to take a win in Belgium. Julián Leal’s improved form in recent races that saw the young Colombian set the fastest lap in the Nürburgring Feature Race means that he must now be considered as a potential podium finisher on all tracks.

The first priority was to get the cars back to the workshop and completely strip them, this allowed us to overhaul any parts that were necessary. Since we have two races practically back to back, it was important to have the cars in the best condition possible. I won't go into details, but the cars are pretty much as good as new. We also worked on many other aspects, like set ups, driver reports, etc. All are important in that they are very useful for the upcoming races. Then, obviously, like every August, everyone gets some time off to spend with their families and friends. Many chose to stay in the area and take advantages of the wonderful beaches.

Round 8 of the 2013 GP2 championship takes place in Spa this weekend. What makes this venue so special for teams, drivers and fans?

Most drivers consider this track one of the best, if not the best, and the most challenging in the calendar, and I have to agree with them. It's extremely fast and with quite a few overtaking areas. Never a boring race here. From a technical point of view, the high loads will have to be taken into consideration, but most important, with the camber limitations from Pirelli for slicks, we might have to be more conservative than usual. On the other hand, if it rains, it should provide some very interesting racing. This is Spa, it often rains here.

In your opinion, what are the main challenges of the Spa layout and the track in general?

Most corners on the track are challenging, especially Eau Rouge and Blanchimont. These are corners that differentiate the champions from everyone else. There are also some other corners with really hard braking, which makes for some interesting overtaking. I think the best part of the track is the section in the Ardennes forest, giving a wonderful backdrop to the racing. Personally, apart from the weather, it is one of my favourite tracks.

Racing Engineering was strong in Spa last year, and after Fabio's strong performance during the last events, expectations must be high. Will we see Fabio on the podium again?