Thirteen years after our first visit, we returned this year to the Spa Francorchamps circuit for our second Belgian Grand Prix. The Ardennes forest was bathed in warm sunlight and the fan experience at this iconic F1 circuit remains one of the finest on the current calendar.

All images © f1destinations.com

Our trip began in Paris on Wednesday evening, where we picked up a hire car and drove the 100km or so to Reims. After spending the night in an interesting, F1-themed hotel, we visited the historic Reims-Gueux circuit and had lunch in Luxembourg, before arriving at Spa just in time for the fan’s pitlane walk. Work commitments meant we had to return to Paris on Saturday evening and miss the race. Nevertheless, we still managed to make the most of our time at Spa.

Fan’s Pitlane Walk

The fan’s pitlane walk was only supposed to be for 3-day ticket holders (i.e. not us), but we joined the non-insignificant queue of excited fans outside the La Source entrance to the circuit and managed to sneak in via a guard who wasn’t checking tickets too thoroughly (others were less fortunate.) As seems usual with such events, there were way too many fans for such a narrow area. The pushing and shoving was made worse when the drivers made an appearance. The fans who made it to the front first and stayed in one place were rewarded with pictures and autographs from their favorite drivers.