Circuit
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Stavelot, Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps is the longest lap of the year, carved through the Ardennes forest, and it contains one of motorsport's most revered corners: the uphill plunge and rise of Eau Rouge and Raidillon, taken at extraordinary speed. Long straights and fast, committed bends reward power and bravery in equal measure, and the sheer scale of the place gives it a grandeur all its own. The demanding middle sector is where a great lap is truly made.
Drivers adore it for its speed, its dramatic changes of elevation and its unpredictable weather, which can leave one part of the circuit soaked while another stays dry. That mix of beauty, pace and jeopardy has made Spa a firm favourite for decades.
The gap, in metres
2026 Qualifying here. Each driver’s time gap converted to the distance it actually puts them behind at racing speed.
| # | Driver | Gap | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | reference | — |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | +0.317 | 27.2 m |
| 3 | George Russell | +0.508 | 43.6 m |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | +0.534 | 45.8 m |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | +0.560 | 48.1 m |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | +0.655 | 56.2 m |
| 7 | Arvid Lindblad | +0.782 | 67.1 m |
| 8 | Gabriel Bortoleto | +1.267 | 108.8 m |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | +1.759 | 151.0 m |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | +1.970 | 169.1 m |
Across the full field, Kimi Antonelli to Isack Hadjar covers 61268.8 m.
See the full 2026 Qualifying drawn to scaleOn the radio here
1,720 messages recorded at this circuit, 2018 to 2026.
- “Come on, that's P8, P8, more than, more than, charge up, more than, and we drive into P1, into turn 1, what a race you have driven, Gabi, what a race, unbelievable, second assist, yes, yes, yes, coming to the pit, drive it slowly, come on, what a race, amazing driving, mega job, mega job, mega quality, thank you very much. Again, fantastic job, really well deserved, you did a fantastic, to put out a fight, unbelievable fight out there, and great job for the team on the pit stop, double stack getting you and Nico in a good time for double points. Yes, thanks everyone, what a weekend, amazing, I thought my T.I.2 would take off again, thank you. And remember, full switch off when you're around the parking lot, and again. What a fight you put out there today, really well deserved P8, fantastic job mate, and the team and the guys in the pit stop did a fantastic job as well, fantastic, great job.”Gabriel BORTOLETO · 2026 Race
- “Yeah, good job guys. It's the last podium. We're unlucky with that VSC, but it's all good. Well done Max. The pace is getting better, you were very strong as you say. Unlucky for P2, but it's close enough to the top and we have more coming. So, thanks for bearing with us. Yeah, exactly that. It's a tiny bit unlucky, but it's still a good podium.”Max VERSTAPPEN · 2026 Race
- “Good pace today as well, mate. Good pace. Yeah, nothing I can do more honestly. So all that. It's a bit frustrating because, yeah, I could be on this podium, so... Yeah, Carp is there, unfortunately with penalty. You did what you could today. Good man.”Isack HADJAR · 2026 Race
- “Nice work, Kimi. Well done there, mate. Let's go! Good effort, mate. Let's go. Thank you so much, guys. Yeah, well done, mate. Thank you. Yeah, it was a busy race, that one. But well done. Cool head.”Kimi ANTONELLI · 2026 Race