Quickfire Questions with Lance and Checo

Lance Stroll

Q: Spa is typically a firm favourite amongst the drivers. You must be looking forward to this one?

LS: “I am. It’s a great track and traditionally it’s been good for our car. A Formula 1 car really comes to life at Spa, just like it does at Silverstone or Suzuka. You really get to feel the sensation of pushing a car to its limit and understanding what it can do at these kinds of circuits.”

Q: You have a link to Belgium through your family – does that make it more special?

LS: “It does. My mum is Belgian born, so there’s some Belgian blood in me. It’s always great to ‘go back’ to Belgium and hopefully I can get a strong result too. Spa is always a highlight of the season for me and I can’t wait to get out there.”

Q: How did it feel to have Checo back alongside you in Barcelona?

LS: “It was great to see Checo back behind the wheel. We all missed having him around and we’re happy he was able to recover so quickly. We push each other forward. You could definitely see that in qualifying and during the Grand Prix too. That’s what you want from a team-mate.”

Sergio Perez

Q: Do you feel back in the groove again after returning to the track in Barcelona?

SP: “It was a real challenge to come back last time out because it was a very demanding race physically with the heat and we had to carefully manage the tyres to make our one-stop strategy work. The team did a great job getting me up to speed again and now that I’ve done a race, I feel much more prepared for this weekend.”

Q: What are your expectations for Spa?

SP: “We did a really good job last time out in turning our qualifying form into a strong race result and executing our strategy well too. We can take that momentum to Spa, target a lot of points and try to keep pushing in the Constructors’ Championship.”

Q: You’ve got a strong track record at Spa. Does that give you more confidence for this weekend?

SP: “I’m quite proud of my record at Spa. I’ve finished in the top five there a few times, so it’s definitely one of my stronger circuits. I’m enjoying driving the RP20 and it has performed strongly at different types of circuit this season. If we put everything together, we can fight for another strong result this weekend.”

Five Things to Look Out for in Spa

• Eau Rouge and Raidillon are certainly iconic Formula 1 corners – but the challenge has changed over the years. With the current generation of cars, this section is taken flat, meaning there’s effectively a two-kilometre straight run to Les Combes. That doesn’t make it easy, though. This section is hugely demanding on the suspension.
• Spa’s first and third sectors reward good engine power and low drag. By contrast, the second sector is slow – more suited to a higher downforce set-up and actually comparable to Monaco in some respects. This creates quite a headache for the engineers. As a high-efficiency circuit, there’s a balance to be struck in how much downforce you’re willing to keep on the car, knowing it will lead to the drawback of extra drag on the high-speed straights.
• The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the longest lap on the Formula 1 calendar and features plenty of high-speed corners such as Pouhon and Eau Rouge, creating one of the highest average speeds of the season at nearly 250km/h.
• When you think of rain and Formula 1, you immediately imagine the unpredictable! That takes on extra meaning at Spa, where a wet to dry circuit tests your strategic mettle. As one of the longest laps on the calendar, switching to slicks a lap too early or a lap too late can have significant consequences on your race.

Spa is one of the easiest circuits on the calendar for overtaking – which is also an important factor in race strategy. While the likes of Checo could run longer tyre stints in the Spanish Grand Prix in the knowledge that the circuit’s lack of overtaking opportunities would help him hold track position, it’s much more difficult to pull off a similar trick at Spa.