“Come to Spa, they said, there will be sunshine, they said”: this humorous slogan will be relevant this weekend as thunderstorms are expected to shower the Spa-Francorchamps slide.
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After two race weekends marked by hot and dry conditions, the Belgian Grand Prix could break with this trend.
While the races held in Austria and Great Britain enjoyed stable weather, forecasts predict more changeable conditions at Spa-Francorchamps.
The “chamber pot” of the Ardennes
Formula 1 heads this weekend to the famous Belgian circuit for the next round of the championship. According to The Weather Channel forecasts, Friday will have the highest risk of rain, with showers expected in the morning.
Temperatures should reach a maximum of 25°C during the first day of the weekend, while the probability of precipitation is currently estimated at 31%. One of the main differences with the last two Grands Prix will also concern cloud cover. The sky should remain partly cloudy on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, offering less demanding conditions than the recent races held under intense heat.
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Friday should be the warmest day of the weekend with 25°C. The thermometer should then slightly drop to reach a maximum of 23°C on Saturday and Sunday. The chances of rain should also gradually decrease throughout the weekend. After a 31% probability on Friday, it should fall to 24% on Saturday, before dropping to only 20% for Sunday.
Day-to-day forecasts to follow
While the possibility of a Grand Prix held in the rain can never be completely ruled out at Spa-Francorchamps, where weather conditions are known to be particularly tricky, current forecasts therefore suggest that the chances of witnessing a wet race remain relatively low.
Teams will nevertheless need to stay alert to weather developments throughout the weekend, as rapid changes in conditions regularly constitute one of the main challenges of the Belgian Grand Prix.
One of the characteristics of the Eau Rouge valley also lies in a microclimate that can cause showers and wet the asphalt in one part of the circuit while the rest of the track remains dry: a conundrum for both drivers and engineers.
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5-day forecast for Spa-Francorchamps
