2.      Spa remains the longest circuit on the calendar. Its mix of long straights and challenging fast corners, coupled with its picturesque setting, means          that most drivers still rank it among their favorite tracks.

3.      Spa is the longest circuit on the calendar by some margin – a lap is 7.004km; the next longest is Silverstone at 5.891km.

4.      Over 72% of the track is taken at full throttle, which equals 5.018 km – more than the entire Circuit de Catalunya.

5.      The sweeping curves, high speed and roller-coaster profile make this circuit a firm favourite amongst drivers, but a headache for engineers who          have to find a workable compromise between very different requirements.

6.      There are two principle ‘straights’ – the first from the start to turn 1, the second starting at La Source hairpin, through Eau Rouge and up to Les          Combes on the Kemmel Straight.

7.      The length of the circuit and its geographical location in the forest-clad hills means there are often microclimates over the course of a lap; it could          be raining at one location, but dry at another.

8.      The track goes downhill from La Source before climbing 80 m through Eau Rouge to Les Combes.

9.      The hairpin is a bottleneck - especially after the start. Tight on entry, it increasingly widens and allows many different lines.