Belgian Grand Prix 2018 — Weekend Preview

Round 13 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship takes the field to Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. Belgian Grand Prix — The Circuit That Tests Everything. Lewis Hamilton leads the championship with 213 points, 24 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

Driver Championship (entering R13):
P1: Lewis Hamilton — 213 pts (5W, 9P)
P2: Sebastian Vettel — 189 pts (4W, 7P)
P3: Kimi Räikkönen — 146 pts (0W, 8P)
P4: Valtteri Bottas — 132 pts (0W, 5P)
P5: Daniel Ricciardo — 118 pts (2W, 2P)

Constructor Championship:
P1: Mercedes — 345 pts
P2: Ferrari — 335 pts
P3: Red Bull Racing — 223 pts
P4: Renault — 82 pts
P5: Haas F1 Team — 66 pts

Spa-Francorchamps is technically demanding, susceptible to changeable weather, steeped in motorsport history.

Recent winners at Spa-Francorchamps:
- 2025: Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- 2024: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2023: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2022: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2020: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Tyre strategy data will be available after practice sessions provide degradation information.

Battles to watch:

Championship battle: Lewis Hamilton vs Sebastian Vettel — 24 points separate them.

P3 vs P4: Kimi Räikkönen (146) vs Valtteri Bottas (132) — just 14 points apart.
P4 vs P5: Valtteri Bottas (132) vs Daniel Ricciardo (118) — just 14 points apart.
P5 vs P6: Daniel Ricciardo (118) vs Max Verstappen (105) — just 13 points apart.

Understand this race better:

- [Wet Conditions](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/wet-conditions)
- [Safety Car Strategy](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/safety-car-strategy)
- [Aero Balance](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/aero-balance)
- [Downforce](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/downforce)