From 1989 onwards a race at Spa-Francorchamps has been 44 laps long. From the seventeen races held between 1989 and today, Michael Schumacher has won six. In 1992 he won his first F1 race at the Belgian circuit exactly one year after he made his F1 debut. He also won the race in 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2002. In 1994 he finished the race in first position but was later disqualified because the wooden plank installed under his car was worn beyond what was allowed.
Damon Hill and Ayrton Senna both won three races. Senna in 1989, 1990 and 1991, and Hill in 1993, 1994 and in 1998. Damon Hill’s win in the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix was the first for the Jordan F1 team. Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard both won one race in Belgium. Coulthard won in 1999 and Hakkinen in 2000. The last three races at Spa have been won by Kimi Räikkönen.
Spa is considered a driver’s circuit much like Monaco which means it takes a certain talent to perform consistently well and achieve multiple wins. The circuit is one of the few remaining in the world which is made up of public roads. The turns and elevation change follow the natural contours of the beautiful surrounding area and it is a favourite with drivers. A few years ago Jacques Villeneuve said he loved the circuit for it’s natural flow because ‘you feel like you’re going somewhere and not just round and round in circles.’
