Racing Engineering are ready for action after the mid-season break.

20/08/15 Racing Engineering are ready for action after the mid-season break.

This weekend sees the GP2 teams head to Belgium for one of the most popular venues for drivers and spectators alike, the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit, venue for the seventh weekend of the 2015 GP2 Series. There are still five rounds remaining (including this weekend) following the addition of an extra pair of races in Bahrain in November.

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 as the circuit is very hard on tyres and it is not unusual for rain and changeable conditions to affect the circuit.

The recent GP2 Series race weekends have seen the Racing Engineering drivers, Alexander Rossi and Jordan King regularly being amongst the fastest runners and, although the last round at the Hungaroring was a disappointment, the whole team has been working hard during the break to ensure that both men are back at the head of the field.

Timetable:
Practice: Fri 21 Aug 2015, 12:00 (GMT+2)
Qualifying Session: Fri 21 Aug 2015, 15:55 (GMT+2)
Race 1: Sat 22 Aug 2015, 15:40 (GMT+2)
Race 2: Sun 23 Aug 2015, 10:35 (GMT+2)

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©Allrace.net

©Allrace.net

Length of lap:	7.004 km

2014 best Racing Engineering:	P4 in Qualifying - P1 in R1 – P7 in R2

Tyre Wear:	Medium

Brake Wear:	Low

Downforce:	Medium

Throttle Average:	72%

Fastest turn:	Blanchimont

Hardest Braking Point:	Chicane Bus Stop

Gear shifts per lap:	34

Top Speed:	305 km/h (without DRS)

Average Speed (Qualifying) 2014:	215.804 km/h

Average Speed (Race) 2014:	208.506 km/h

Pole Position Time 2014:	1:56.839

1. The original circuit was 14,120 meters in length and it raced on public roads in the area. In 1978, the track was halved for safety reasons.

2. With its 7,004 meters of length, Spa is the longest circuit on the calendar.

3. In 2014 Racing Engineering took the feature race win at Spa-Francorchamps.

4. Spa has always been characterized by the unpredictable weather. The track's length means that there could be torrential rain in one section and be dry elsewhere.

5. Spa is the second fastest circuit on the calendar after Monza.

6. Spa-Francorchamps is known for the famous Eau Rouge, the fastest corner of the year.

7. La Source, the first corner, is a hard right-hand turn, the scene of many incidents and contacts.

8. Spa is considered one of the most technical circuits of the Championship.

9. The village of Spa has been popular since at least the ninth century for the supposed healing properties of its water. Eventually, it became synonymous with healing waters, and now there are spas around the world, taking their name from the original.

10. On this circuit with plenty of overtaking opportunities, Pole Position is not essential.

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©Allrace.net

©GP2

1. The average speed of an F1 car in Spa is 230 km/h against the 215 km/h average of a GP2 car.

2. F1 throttle usage is very similar 70% vs 72% of the lap that the engine spends at full throttle in GP2.

3. F1 top speed (including DRS) is 330 km/h – GP2 (without DRS) is 305 km/h.

4. F1 drivers will change gear 48 times per lap against the 34 times that a GP2 driver will have to do.

5. Race distance is very similar: F1 go around the circuit for 44 laps and GP2 do a total of 43 laps in two days- 25 laps in Feature Race and 18 in the Sprint Race.

6. Pole position in F1 was set in 2014 at 2:05.591 (in the wet) – Pole position in GP2 was set in 2014 at 1:56.839.