Mark Webber from Red Bull Racing won the August 1 Hungarian Grand Prix and took over the lead in the world championship standings. Webber has accumulated 161 points so far, while Lewis Hamilton from McLaren trails Webber by four points after a disastrous 20th-place finish in the Hungarian GP. Hamilton retired during the opening laps due to a gearbox issue.
Webber leads all drivers with four wins this season, but the Australian driver would love to pick up his fifth victory on one of F1's most challenging courses.
"I don't think there is a driver on the grid that doesn't look forward to Spa," Webber said.
It's an incredible circuit to drive on. I expect we can do well there, whether it's as well as I did in Budapest [Hungarian Grand Prix] is a question for everyone, but I know our team is ready.Sebastian Vettel is now 10 points behind his Red Bull teammate Webber.
Kimi Raikkonen won last year's Belgian GP, but Raikkonen departed Ferrari after the 2009 season and is now competing in this year's World Rally Championship with Citroen's Red Bull-backed junior team.
Ferrari has won the last three Belgian GP's. Raikkonen, in his first year with Ferrari, won this race in 2007. Felipe Massa captured the victory in the 2008 event.
Massa did not compete in last year's Belgian GP after injuries he suffered during a high-speed qualifying crash in the Hungarian GP curtailed his season.
"The last time I raced here was in 2008, and it's not just because I won the race, I love this track," Massa said.
I think all the drivers look forward to racing on this fabulous circuit. It is high speed, requiring less downforce than at many of the other tracks, and fortunately in the last few races, we showed that we have returned to being very competitive, even better than we had expected.Spa-Francorchamps is located in the heart of the picturesque Ardennes' countryside in Belgium. The 4.352-mile (7.004 km), 20-turn road course boasts some of the most famous corners on the racing circuit. Spa has always been one of the most atmospheric and popular rounds. It has been a firm fixture on the F1 calendar since 1950. The race was absent from the 2006 calendar to allow for extensive improvement work to both the track and its facilities.
