Ask any Formula 1 driver, even the ones that raced in the golden era of the sport, to name their favorite corners in the calendar and you'll be overwhelmed of hearing Eau Rouge after Eau Rouge after Eau Rouge. This corner is the main attraction of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and we're not surprised.
Although the Belgian motor racing venue is best known for its Spa 24 Hours and 1,000 km Spa endurance races, Formula 1 has a special place in this circuit's history. Due to its hilly, twisty and very fast configuration, Spa is considered to be one of the most challenging tracks in the world and it's easy to understand why after you watch the video below.
Basically a compilation of the best Eau Rouge attacks between 1991 and 2013, the video is chuck-full of Formula 1 cars driven as hard as possible round the famous corner by classics such as Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen, as well as young bloods such as Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.
Alonso explained the thrills of Eau Rouge when he was driving for Renault, and this is what the two-time Formula 1 world champion thinks about it: "You come into the corner downhill, have a sudden change at the bottom and then go very steep uphill. From the cockpit, you cannot see the exit and as you come over the crest, you don't know where you will land. It is a crucial corner for the timed lap, and also in the race, because you have a long uphill straight afterwards where you can lose a lot of time if you make a mistake. But it is also an important corner for the driver's feeling. It makes a special impression every lap, because you also have a compression in your body as you go through the bottom of the corner. It is very strange, but good fun as well."
Between 1991 and 2013 there are 22 years of F1 awesomeness, but the more eagle-eyed viewer might've noticed something suspicious - 1994 is missing from the compilation. Why so? Well, after the blackest weekend in Formula 1, that one when we lost Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at the San Marino Grand Prix, the FIA decided to erect a temporary chicane at Eau Rouge because it's that fast and that dangerous of a corner. Now press play and enjoy the ride, but not before you turn the volume up to 11.
Basically a compilation of the best Eau Rouge attacks between 1991 and 2013, the video is chuck-full of Formula 1 cars driven as hard as possible round the famous corner by classics such as Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen, as well as young bloods such as Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.
Alonso explained the thrills of Eau Rouge when he was driving for Renault, and this is what the two-time Formula 1 world champion thinks about it: "You come into the corner downhill, have a sudden change at the bottom and then go very steep uphill. From the cockpit, you cannot see the exit and as you come over the crest, you don't know where you will land. It is a crucial corner for the timed lap, and also in the race, because you have a long uphill straight afterwards where you can lose a lot of time if you make a mistake. But it is also an important corner for the driver's feeling. It makes a special impression every lap, because you also have a compression in your body as you go through the bottom of the corner. It is very strange, but good fun as well."
Between 1991 and 2013 there are 22 years of F1 awesomeness, but the more eagle-eyed viewer might've noticed something suspicious - 1994 is missing from the compilation. Why so? Well, after the blackest weekend in Formula 1, that one when we lost Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at the San Marino Grand Prix, the FIA decided to erect a temporary chicane at Eau Rouge because it's that fast and that dangerous of a corner. Now press play and enjoy the ride, but not before you turn the volume up to 11.