Sunday 19 July 2026, the Belgian Ardennes. Kimi Antonelli crosses the line to win the Belgian Grand Prix ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen: it is the sixth win of his season, and the 19-year-old Mercedes driver extends his lead in the championship. Around him, on the hills surrounding Spa-Francorchamps, is a crowd that has kept breaking records in recent years: after 389,000 spectators in 2025, the figures released after the race show the 2026 weekend reaching 400,000 for the first time.

Spa is one of those places where Formula 1 seems to remember where it comes from. It is the longest circuit on the calendar, the most unpredictable when it comes to weather, the one with corners drivers name with almost religious respect. And, from 2026, it is also a Grand Prix that is no longer guaranteed every year.

In this article we tell the story of the circuit, its history and its legends, but also what Spa represents today for anyone who looks at Formula 1 sponsorship through a marketing lens.

The circuit in numbers

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps lies in the province of Liège, between the municipalities of Stavelot (which includes the village of Francorchamps) and Malmedy. The current layout is 7.004 kilometres long with 19 corners: no other circuit in the championship is longer. The race lap record belongs to Sergio Pérez, who lapped in 1:44.701 with Red Bull in 2024.

The layout alternates very fast sections, such as the long Kemmel straight and the Blanchimont kink, with slow corners like La Source, just after the start. Teams therefore have to find a difficult compromise between downforce, useful in the twistier middle sector, and top speed, decisive on the straights. The elevation change is considerable and the track rises and falls with the shape of the hills, something increasingly rare at modern circuits.

A century of history, from public roads to a racetrack

The first Spa circuit was created in 1921 on public roads linking Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot: a triangle of almost 15 kilometres. The first Grand Prix was held in 1925, and Belgium joined the Formula 1 World Championship calendar as early as 1950, its debut season.

For decades Spa remained an extremely fast and dangerous track. In 1979 it was redesigned and shortened from around 14 to just under 7 kilometres, becoming a permanent circuit. Formula 1 returned in 1983, raced once more at Zolder in 1984, and since 1985 the Belgian Grand Prix, whenever it has been held, has always taken place here.

Eau Rouge, Raidillon and the corners that make the legend

Spa’s most famous name is Eau Rouge, although what fans call by that name is actually a sequence: the left-hander at the bottom of the descent, named after the stream, and the steep climb that follows, Raidillon. Taking it flat out in a Formula 1 car is one of the gestures that separate those with courage from those with slightly less of it, and that is why it has become a symbol.

But Spa is also Pouhon, a very fast double left-hander, Blanchimont, and La Source, where so many first-corner overtakes are decided. And it is a climate that does not forgive: the circuit is so long that it can rain in one sector while the sun shines in another. The most extreme case was 2021, when the rain prevented any real racing: the race ended after a few laps behind the safety car, with half points awarded. It remains the shortest Grand Prix in history.

The kings of Spa

Michael Schumacher is the driver with the most wins at Spa: six, between 1992 and 2002. This is also where he made his Formula 1 debut, in 1991 with Jordan, and where he took his first victory a year later with Benetton. Behind him are Ayrton Senna, who won five times, including four in a row from 1988 to 1991, and Lewis Hamilton, also on five.

The most recent seasons have added new names: Oscar Piastri won with McLaren in 2025, Kimi Antonelli with Mercedes in 2026. For an Italian audience, that latest win has a special flavour, and we explored its value for brands in our analysis of the Italian window opened by Antonelli.

Safety: the price of speed

Spa’s history also has painful chapters. In 2019 Anthoine Hubert lost his life in Formula 2 in a crash at Raidillon. After that accident and other serious incidents in the same area, the circuit launched a renovation plan worth around 80 million euros: before the 2022 season gravel traps returned at La Source, Raidillon, Blanchimont, Les Combes and Stavelot, the run-off at Raidillon was widened and new grandstands were built, including those that now overlook the famous climb. Safety nevertheless remains an open issue: in 2023, in the rain, another young driver, Dilano van ‘t Hoff, died in a Formula Regional European Championship race.

It is a difficult balance, preserving the character of a historic track while making it fit for today’s speeds. Spa has been working on it for years, and that is one of the reasons it remains on the calendar.

Beyond Formula 1: the home of endurance racing

Spa does not live on its Grand Prix alone. It is one of the most important endurance venues in the world: it hosts the 24 Hours of Spa, the classic race for GT cars that has carried CrowdStrike’s name as title sponsor since 2023, and a round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. For many brands, endurance racing is a different way into this circuit: long weekends, a more accessible paddock and a highly knowledgeable audience.

What Spa means for sponsors

From a commercial point of view, the most important development of recent years is the new contract with Formula 1. Announced in January 2025, it extends the Belgian Grand Prix until 2031, but on a rotation basis: Spa hosts Formula 1 in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031, while in 2028 and 2030 its slot will go to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which under a deal announced in February 2026 alternates with Spa until 2032. It is the first agreement of its kind in the history of the championship.

For a company, this has two consequences. The first is scarcity: a Grand Prix that does not take place every year becomes an opportunity to plan well in advance, especially for those who want to use it as a relationship event with European customers. The second is the audience. The Spa weekend draws hundreds of thousands of people every year, with a very strong presence of Dutch fans who come for Verstappen. It is one of the few events on the calendar where Formula 1 meets such a large European audience so close to home.

For those thinking about hospitality, Spa also has a practical advantage: it is easy to reach from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Luxembourg, some of the most important markets for European companies. If you are considering when and where to invest, the 2026 Formula 1 calendar is the starting point for understanding which events best fit your objectives.

Spa, in the end, is proof that in the world’s most modern sport, history still counts. New tracks can offer more comfort, more spectacle, bigger screens. But few can offer what you feel when the cars plunge towards Eau Rouge and climb Raidillon. And sponsors, they know it, are buying that too.