A-Z GUIDE to the BELGIUM F1 GRAND PRIX at SPA
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- Опубліковано 16 лип 2024
- The Circuit Spa-Francorchamps host of the Belgium Formula 1 Grand Prix is one of the most iconic tracks in all of motorsport. This vlog covers the history of the event from 1925 to the present day, I look at which tickets to get, where to stay and cover all the practicalities you need to plan your perfect Spa weekend.
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Thank you, beautiful photographs as always
Taking my family of 5 (including 3 teenage boys) for 1st time at Spa for F1 in July 2024 (first time in Belgium actually). Got general admission tickets and strategizing where to stake out best views on the grass. I know you made some suggestions in early posts, but would like to know also if there are more 'comfortable' areas to hang out in that ALSO have a great views (if there is even such a thing). Otherwise, the priority is best viewpoint. We are willing to get to our spots very early since we are staying nearby at Race & Rooms. Thank you for this very helpful vlog!
Pouhon is a great corner to watch from. Turn 12. It is a large bank with lots of areas to watch from. It's a good option for Qualifying. For the race, I would suggest the Kemmel straight, as close to turn 7 as you can. I'm also a big fan of Turn 10. It is often very quite around there.
Dashing Michael! Great Vlog. Learning a lot from you regarding the races etc.! Fun! and thanks!
Great stuff! I'm glad you are enjoying them
Great vlog Michael. Fabulous shoots. Learning a lot on F1 racing. Cheers!
I'm so glad you liked it.
Really enjoyed vlog. Thank you
Thank you so much!!!
Very interesting. Thanks.
Thank you!!
I'll be attending my first F1 race and it's going to be at the Belgian GP - this video was super helpful! Thanks!
Excellent - please let me know if you have any questions! Hope it is not too wet this year!
That was very interesting 💕
Thank you so much!
Fantastic history at Spa. Love the vlog and the cheeky Hamilton wink. 😜
Thanks mate - glad you enjoyed it!
Brilliant Vlog Michael, Passed it on to my Nephew who is Planning a Trip toA GP This year, as he’s 10 years Married, So your Chat will be Incredible to him Greetings From Ireland 🇮🇪🇮🇪👍❤️
Thanks Josephine. Which one is he going to? I am sure he will have a cracking time.
Japan, or Australia 👌
I am hoping to do those two for the first time this year - say hi if you go.
10:13
thanks for all the tips!
🏎️💨
I hope it's useful!
Keep up the good book. Hugs from NY
Thank you Donna! I'm glad you like it. I'll be in NY later this year - any advice?
@@MichaelPottsF1 I live in upstate NY near Hudson. So, mostly where I live is country country lol. Been to the city couple of times. ( about 2 1/2 hours south of me) not really a city girl, but you definitely need to go to any play on broadway, well worth it.
It must be very beautiful up there! Hopefully on my next trip I can explore the state more.
Wouldn't be a good camper, but you make it sound fun 😉
I don't know if I am brave enough to camp
I watched nearly every F1 race since the early 80s only on tv and Spa and Silverstone are my favourite tracks.
This year I am going to Spa to see my 1st race so I’m watching all the you tube vids about the Spa GP experience.
I only have general admission tickets but would be grateful for any advice on what to take or do for the weekend.
Generally admission at Spa is brilliant. It is a vast area, and you can go to lots of places so try and explore as much as you can on Friday, then you will know where you want to be for qualifying and the race. I really enjoyed watching the cars go up the hill from Eau Rouge, the Brussels corner and the bus stop chicane from GA, but there are many more places to explore. I hope you have a great time. I'll be there too!
Great vid. Thanks! This is my first F1 race this weekend. Any thoughts on the current weather forecast or how is compares to 2021? 😅
I’ve just checked the forecast and it looks very damp. Even if it is going to rain as much as it did in 2021 F1 should react to it better than it did then.
Brilliant series, Michael! Practical info is very helpful! Do you find the race experience to vary according to the culture of the location? Food, ancillary activities, and such? Or are the differences between venues mostly up to the track itself?
Inside the paddock is remarkably similar wherever we go. I do find it amazing that they can moved it around to so many different countries and it works perfectly each time, the races start on time and everything works. It is incredible.
It would be nicer if they reflected the host country more than it currently does. Often we don't get much time to enjoy the host country as the weekends are so intense.
Right, that's the bit of information I was looking for. Thank you.
Hi, IMO, glorious video. Michael is right for once you get in the paddock. In our limited experience - we have been to Barcelona, Baku and Austin. By far, our entire experience as a whole was really dependent on the culture and situation. Although from Seattle, Austin was terribly disorganized, as it was hard to find anyone to help answer questions (culture?). I LITERALLY could not find help with anything. Location - three hours commute each way to track (normally 30 minutes), on a two lane road farmland. Baku was our best in that we stayed within the old city, 5 min to subway, and one stop and 15 min walk to the main grandstand. Culture - 100's of volunteers, multi-lingual university students, bean bag chairs everywhere, and when we wanted to change seats due to lack of visibility, no problem, the seating manager spent an hour making it happen. Barcelona, you are around Spanish fans, and that alone is a cultural experience; plus, I was able to run out from turn 1, pass by Aramark, pick up paella outside the fence and bring it back in. By the end of the 3 days we were "family". Ancillary activities are dependent on proximity of track to culture. For Baku and Barcelona they were intertwined, as would be a street race track. Curious about Mexico City too as that looks embedded.
Spa is the track I most want to go to but haven't yet. I'm an avid Le Mans fan and Donington Park for the bikes in the UK.
Spa is great for the WEC race - you get amazing access to the cars as a regular ticket holder. This year particularly with all the new cars, it is going to be a great race. If you are using local busses, check the times of the last bus - it can be close to the chequered flat.
Are you going to Lemans this year?
Im going this year this helped a lot, I do have a question, what train or metro passes do you need to buy to move from Brussels to Liege and to the track?
I did the Brussels -> Spa some years ago and it is possible. You should aim for the earliest train you can. It is the Belgium railways, you can purchase a ticket to a town called Verviers. I believe there are free busses from there, if not free you can purchase your ticket on board.
If you have general admission tickets do try and get there early as it does fill up a lot. I like the area around Brussels corner which not many people go to, but walk around and explore the track as there are so many different corners.
If you see me, say hi :)
I just watched a video that went over cheapest tickect prices at each track. Then they averaged out the minimum cost for accommodation, food and merch. The video didn't go into the detail that you did. I look forward to more of these. The three on my Bucket List are Monaco, Austin and Baku. Although I would go to every race in a season if I could. 😄🇨🇦
I do think Monaco is the cheapest because you can technically watch for free - but a vlog on which race to do on a budget would be good one. I suspect it is Budapest in Europe. That is usually one of the best for first timers, it is close to a great city and the General Admission gives you lots of great views.
I was astounded by some of the costs of tickets - all F1 races tickets appear to have gone up dramatically in the last 5 years.
Your 3 are all cracking races! Which one will you do first?
@@MichaelPottsF1 realistically it would be Austin. I am waiting on an inheritance to fix up my house and then sell it. One of my college professors lives in Mexico and he and his wife have invited me for a visit. From there I want to go to France and volunteer at the Chateau. Tour around Europe/Egypt ticking things off my Bucket List.
The video I saw commented on the steep increase in cost of F1 tickets and how it really started after Drive to Survive premiered.
Those are all lovely places to ticket off. Get in contact with Nati about Lalande :)
I am not sure if the price hike is completely drive to survive, or if some are getting money back from not having fans at some of the covid races. There is a lot of demand from DTS so I guess they feel they can - but it not good for fans. They should sell the Friday tickets separately for a low price and encourage families and schools.
@@MichaelPottsF1 your idea about Fridays is really good. That could be a good introduction to the sport. I know I would have loved that. Although I live on the other side of Canada from Montreal. There should be more accessiblity. Hamilton and others complain that F1 isn't very accessible for drivers without rich families. It is the same for fans. 🙂
hi!! what’s the quickest way to get on track after the race to get closest to the podium?? anyone know what gate is closest, how to access it etc
I’d be interested in what your favorite races will be this year. I’m going to Japan, Singapore, Australia and Uk. I’m a little upset that we have so many in the US as like the debacle last time. They have no clue. I’m thinking of going back to the Belgium and to the French. Only maybe to come and stay eventually with those I’ve followed for years. .
There are few that I hope to do for the first time (apart from Las Vegas). Monaco is always up there, Austria, Imola and Texas are probably the top of my list.
Hi Michael! After Singapore last year this year I decided to go to spa due to fears it might get cut from the calendar in 2024. Overall I wanted to hear your opinion on which camping option is the best to rest, eat and shower. Thank you for the valuable content
Hello Mario - I don't know too much about the camping options. Let me know what you find out, I would love to hear about your experience
We have a little vacation house in the region , but booked in september already
I am going to spa for the first time this year! is there any fan zones like at the other races?
Yes there is, it is at the Eau Rouge corner on the outside of the track. Last year there were some brilliant food stalls there. Take some time to explore your options.
Hello Michael! I’m thinking of attending the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix! I found grandstands for 365€ in the Pouhon area! ( via maxs official website)… is it a good corner?
Sorry for the late reply. Yes, that is a good corner, but just check that your seats are not too low down in stands as you might be stuck looking through a double fence.
👋👍❤️
Thanks Sally :)
Spa is an amazing track, but I wouldn't go there as a fan. It's a long track, so not a lot of laps. And because of the environment around the track, you cannot see much of the rest of the track. So I prefer going to other races, like Austria.
Moreover, the infrastructure around the circuit isn't the best when it's busy. I've heard a lot of bad stories from fans. Like you said, the rain can make your stay on the camping miserable. But also getting your car out of the camping / parking lot, sometimes requires a tractor. Which isn't free either.
I prefer watching this race on TV as well. But I might go to Spa just once to experience that one.
You do get more laps for your buck in Austria, and they put on an amazing show.
It is worth a visit - but you are right about all those points!
Parking is never free
@@Karincl7 - I wasn't talking about parking. This obviously costs money. I was talking about the extra fee to be pulled out of your spot by a tractor after (heavy) rain.
What website is the best to buy tickets for spa?
Bc i want to suprise my bf for his birthday with tickets but there are so many sites that i’m afraid to be scammed
F1.com is probably the safest. Check out the F1 experiences section as you can often get a lot more experience but not that much more money.
I think the race organiser is www.spagrandprix.com/
Why don’t you recommend the train from Belgium to verbier? Seems easiest option since the hotels near the track and leige are expensive
I did try that one year, I stayed in Brussells and took the train. It was possible, it was lower cost... but it was hard, very early mornings and very time consuming. Has it gotten better?
I was looking into tickets for this years race. I saw that they have city shuttles to and from the track to 6-7 different cities including some German ones for about 55euro round trip. All the hotels near the track are sold out and leige hotels are sort of pricey. So I might stay in Brussels or Antwerp and take the f1 designated city shuttle bus. It leaves early like 630am and leaves the track at 7 I think
If you do, please let me know how it goes. I did do it one year, and it is possible from Bussells. It just takes a long time.
@@MichaelPottsF1 when you took the train, did you take the city bus to the circuit from Verviers station? And if so where did the bus drop you off, was it right at the circuit or somewhere else a bit further away? How far was the walk to the track from the bus stop
@@J11s1 It is not far from the track:
www.google.co.uk/maps/place/FRANCORCHAMPS+Maison+Godefroid/@50.4528022,5.9543853,16z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x47c07b5c0460f737:0x78105e8819c35c0e!2sCircuit+of+Spa-Francorchamps!8m2!3d50.4445221!4d5.9653931!16zL20vMDNzajVz!3m5!1s0x47c07cb2ac2fbb39:0xcfa34ba628b464e2!8m2!3d50.45522!4d5.95245!16s%2Fg%2F11c0wlg_jx?entry=ttu