The magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit welcomes Formula 1 back from its summer break for the Belgian Grand Prix and you can watch all the action live on BBC TV and Sky Sports F1.
With nine races in the next 14 weeks, the second half the season packs a lot of action into a short space of time, with the famous Spa circuit hosting round 11 of this year’s championship.
Both championships are delicately poised as the season goes past the halfway stage.
Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing hold the lead in their respective competitions but the chasing pack has stayed within range.
A good run of form now could see the world champion and his Milton Keynes-based squad build an unassailable position, while poor races here and in Italy – neither of which have been strong for RBR in recent history – will set up a furious and exciting finish to the season.
The iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit provides a thorough test of man and machine.
The sweeping curves, high speeds and roller-coaster profile make this circuit a firm favourite with drivers but a headache for engineers who have to find a workable compromise between very different demands.
Do you bring a low-downforce package for the fast first and third sectors and lose time in the make-or-break middle part of the lap or go for higher downforce and potentially be a sitting duck for overtaking on the long, fast Kemmel straight?
Over the years the advantage has swung back and forth. Spa was one of the venues for the inaugural F1 World Championship season in 1950. It has been the circuit used for the bulk of Belgian Grands Prix, hosting the race for 45 of its 57 runnings.
This traditionally has been a point at which championship potential is assessed, regardless of the number of races that follow.
Recent history suggests the leader after Hungary is rarely overhauled, as in the last 13 seasons only four times has the lead been relinquished.
Jenson Button was victorious last year after the McLaren driver took full advantage of being on pole position to finish 13 seconds clear of runner-up Sebastian Vettel.
However, given his team’s struggles this year a repeat result for Button seems unlikely.
Pirelli are bringing their two hardest compounds to the Ardennes, as was the case in 2012.
Last year Jenson Button won with a one-stop strategy, while the majority of the field, including third-placed Kimi Räikkönen, opted for two.
Of course Spa is one of the most-likely F1 venues to see the intermediate or full-wet tyres in action, and with rain forecast for the weekend there’s every chance of seeing another classic, chaotic Belgian Grand Prix.
OFFICIAL F1 WEBSITE TRACK GUIDE LIVE TIMING
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FORMULA 1 2013 ON SKY SPORTS F1 HD
BBC Sport will have live free-to-air coverage of the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix across all its platforms.
Live coverage begins on Friday with both free practice sessions on BBC Two and BBC Two HD, followed by practice three on Saturday morning.
As usual on live race weekends, both qualifying and the race will be shown as it happens on Saturday and Sunday respectively on BBC One and BBC One HD, with both sessions starting at 1.00pm.
All the live action from Spa-Francorchamps will be presented from trackside by Suzi Perry.
She will be joined by regular trackside experts David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan, both of whom will be on hand to provide lively analysis and discussion in the pits and paddock.
During the lengthy qualifying and race build-ups there will be plenty of fresh features and interviews to keep viewers informed and entertained, including David Coulthard’s grid-walk on race day.
Commentary comes from Ben Edwards and David Coulthard, with technical analysis from Gary Anderson, while Lee McKenzie and Tom Clarkson will provide pit-lane updates and conduct interviews with the drivers and team personel.
McKenzie will also host the BBC’s preview programme Inside F1 on the BBC News Channel on Friday at 6.45pm and Saturday at 7.45pm.
BBC Sport’s popular F1 Forum, presented by Suzi Perry, follows the conclusion of the BBC One race transmission on the BBC Red Button and online at 3.15pm.
The BBC Sport website will have live streaming of all live BBC TV broadcasts, as well as additional live video content during including extra feeds such as driver tracker, on-board cameras, pits channel and a choice of commentary, plus interviews and analysis.
All of the BBC’s TV coverage will be available to view shortly after transmission on BBC iPlayer.
BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra will also have live audio commentary of every on-track session from Spa with James Allen, Jennie Gow and Gary Anderson.
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FORMULA 1 2013 ON SKY SPORTS F1 HD
With the interminable summer break at an end, the legendary Spa-Francorchamps is the scene of round eleven of the 2013 season and Sky Sports F1 will have its usual extensive live coverage.
Every practice session, Saturday’s qualifying and the race itself will be shown live in high-definition.
Simon Lazenby will present full coverage of the Friday practice sessions, qualifying and the race itself, where he will be joined throughout the weekend by Martin Brundle, Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill.
Ted Kravitz and Natalie Pinkham will have the latest news and reports and from the pit lane, while commentary on all sessions comes from David Croft.
Martin Brundle joins Croft in the commentary box for both qualifying and the race, while Anthony Davidson will call the practice sessions as well as offer his insights from the Sky Pad during the weekend.
During the race, a host of interactive additions, including on-board cameras, pit-lane feeds, the latest race stats and much more available via the red button and the Sky Sports for iPad app.
For those who won’t be at home, every second of the action can be seen via computers, laptops, mobiles and tablet devices on Sky Go.
Further information, news and video content can be found at skysports.com/f1, and viewers are encouraged to interact with the live programmes via Twitter – @SkySportsF1, #SkyF1.
Sky Sports F1 will also screen live action from GP2 and GP3 Series throughout the weekend with commentary provided by Will Buxton.
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